L.E.K. Consulting

A strategy consulting firm headquartered in London, with about 2,300 people across 25+ offices. Its UK entry role pays a listed £50,000 base.

About L.E.K. Consulting

L.E.K. Consulting is a global strategy consulting firm. In plain terms, business leaders hire it for advice on big decisions such as where to grow, which companies to buy, and how to improve operations. Its website says it helps clients “solve their most critical strategic challenges” and “master their moments of truth”, and lists capabilities including corporate strategy, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, marketing and sales, mergers and acquisitions, operations, pricing, sustainability and support for private equity firms.

Wikipedia says L.E.K. was founded in 1983 by three partners from Bain & Company in London: James Lawrence, Iain Evans and Richard Koch. The initials come from their surnames. It merged with the US firm Alcar Consulting Group in 1993. Wikipedia gives its headquarters as Boston, while a third-party consulting guide gives London (40 Grosvenor Place) as headquarters, so sources differ. A third-party guide put it at about 2,300 employees; its website says it has 27 offices and 200+ partners and does not list locations, while London recruitment listings confirm a London office.

L.E.K.'s tagline is “We solve for a better future.” It describes its aim as helping clients achieve sustained growth and value creation through engaged partners, industry expertise and evidence-based insights. We did not find a formal list of values; its careers pages describe a collaborative team of “talented, down-to-earth” peers.

Industries include life sciences and healthcare, financial services, consumer and retail, industrials, energy, media, technology and travel. Wikipedia notes work advising the UK government on the privatisation of passenger train operating companies in the mid-1990s and helping launch one of the first direct internet banks in 1996. It says the firm won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2007 and became carbon neutral in 2008.

For young people, the main route is the Summer Associate internship, which the 2024 London listing described as an 8-week placement for penultimate-year students working towards a 2:1 or above, open to arts and science degrees, with no technical skills needed. Interns do a training programme, then collect market data and carry out early analysis as part of a case team. Associates then do research, build models and create client presentations, with ownership from day one, on-the-job training, mentoring and options such as secondments and a six-month swap to another office; these are the firm's own words. It describes an apprenticeship model with lighter travel than many firms. A third-party guide lists UK entry pay of £50,000 base plus bonus; treat that as unconfirmed. Check lek.com for current London roles and dates.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Advice on growth, corporate and business-unit strategy.', 'title': 'Strategy consulting'}
• {'desc': 'Help for companies and private equity firms on deals.', 'title': 'Mergers and acquisitions support'}
• {'desc': 'Improving how organisations run and where they save effort.', 'title': 'Operations and performance'}
• {'desc': 'Evidence-based insight and technology support for client decisions.', 'title': 'Data, analytics and AI'}

Key facts

• Founded 1983 in London by James Lawrence, Iain Evans and Richard Koch (Wikipedia)
• Says it has 27 offices and 200+ partners (own website)
• Summer Associate: 8-week internship for penultimate-year students (2024 London listing)
• Third-party guide lists UK entry pay of £50,000 base plus bonus (unconfirmed)

Website: www.lek.com