Simon-Kucher & Partners Reviews

Pros

-Company culture is awesome, always something on the horizon for employee engagement -Everyone is accessible; I was always able to get in touch with people on all levels, no matter their location -People were extremely open, willing to help, and eager to learn and teach! -Management is wonderful, they do everything they can to make sure people on all levels are made to feel important and crucial to the well being of the company -Very diverse! So many people to meet and learn from

Cons

-Pathway for administrative roles limited

Pros

1. Very interesting projects spanning Tech, Devices, Digitalization, Diagnostics for pricing, marketing, and sales strategy commercialization work 2. Really motivated and smart team, both in the office and in the sister group in Boston 3. Entrepreneurial mindset, definitely a meritocracy with high levels of visibility into the topmost levels of the organization 4. Group plans to double in the next 5 years, which means you can become a leader very quickly 5. Career trajectory and support for diversity and inclusion initiatives from partners and board members 6. Exposure to founders, CEOs, top leaders in top medical technology organizations, which have less hierarchy than pharma 7. Less travel than other consulting firms with a focus on developing a sustainable work life balance

Cons

1. Coming in at a C4 level or higher is challenging. You are expected to perform at a high level soon after start 2. Fast-paced environment requires flexibility and is not for every personality 3. Just like any job, it has work that can be more tedious at times (submitting hours at the end of the week, formatting if our graphics team is overloaded) 4. Again, it's not for everyone. As you progress in your career, it becomes more of a sales oriented business development and relationship driven business 5. It's a pretty selective firm who will not take everyone and has high expectations of people they keep 6. Work is less predictable than industry, which doesn't appeal to everyone 7. There can be higher turnover than industry jobs, although it gives you connections at other firms

Pros

Certainly not the management, or mentors who will not have your back.

Cons

Very hard for all the people I have seen come through the company land prestigious jobs post Simon-Kucher. Def not Bain, McKinsey, BCG. Covid required 25% paycut, extra long hours, very bad communication, layoffs, and morale very low. Not on great financial footing, had to take $5-10 Million in PPP loans.

Pros

Partners and senior management are very much invested in every consultant's personal growth and well being. Through regular 1-on-1 check-ins between Partners and employees, numerous training opportunities, transparent promotion policies, and thorough/extensive performance reviews, SKP's Partner's clearly demonstrated that they value each employee and are willing to put the time and resources towards ensuring employee’s success as a consultant and beyond. Even as I was leaving the company to pursue a different career path, consultants, managers, and Partners were all extremely supportive of my decision and all offered to support in any way they could on my next journey. Working here was a learning experience above and beyond what I expected when hired, and taught me analytical, time-management, communication, research, and technical skills that will give me an advantage in any career I have in the future. Every member of the team is extremely sharp, collaborative, and invested in each other's success. There is little to no competition between employees for promotions or recognition for work, as is often the case with other major firms. Project teams are organized in a flat hierarchy, which allows consultants and new hires to communicate and learn from all team members, regardless of level. Team members (as well as consultants/managers outside of my own projects) are always happy to offer their own advice or insights to any questions you may have. There is very much a mindset of shared responsibility in the interest of efficient, high-quality work, so when one member of a team is at capacity with their work, team members at all levels step up to support and continue to push projects forward. The last thing teams want is for any member to feel overwhelmed. Simon-Kucher has clearly made a big effort in building its culture, and the results continue to pay off. Life Sciences work can be super interesting, and you’ll get the chance to work with a range of some of the most innovative companies in the field. You will get exposure to the C-Suite even as a consultant just getting started, and you’ll have opportunities to take on large amounts of responsibility and prove yourself very quickly. Some advice I got from senior management when I was getting started was that the most successful consultants roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. I found this to be true in my time with SKP. Work can occasionally be challenging, but ultimately it’s all a learning experience. SKP is extremely well-regarded in the Life Sciences industry and continues to deliver on its reputation as the definitive expert at what it does. Clients repeatedly return to continue work with SKP, and trust SKP as true partners for some of their most important work.

Cons

As to be expected in consulting, hours can be long and clients can occasionally be frustrating. I would not say either of these are particularly bad at Simon-Kucher compared to other firms. Project teams can feel understaffed at times. Not every project will feel like you’re working on the most innovative or exciting product, but you have to take the good with the bad.

Pros

-Entrepreneurial business model; everyone from consultants to partner is excited to contribute -Opportunity (and encouragement) to rotate to another office for 6 months -Engagement of senior leadership throughout project delivery -Strong expertise in pricing, but growing expertise in other business lines -Meritocracy, high performers are rewarded appropriately through compensation, promotions, interesting assignments -Strong competitive spirit despite being much smaller than the larger strategy consulting companies -Established life science practice well known throughout the industry -Decisive leadership with COVID. Company acted ahead of other companies to furlough/reduce working hours to save jobs longer term. No job cuts due directly to COVID in the US. US team rebounded quickly and back to 100%.

Cons

-Good mentorship of junior associates, but mid-level managers need additional support and training from senior leadership -Struggles to recruit, train, and retain external hires from other companies -Too heavily focused on Europe and US. Asia and LatAm business is underpenetrated and underinvested -Reluctance to let go underperformers impacts team morale -Too heavily focused on company revenue generation in internal messaging. Internal company meetings filled with financial metrics less relevant for junior consultants. Should focus on more tangible metrics for junior consultants, such as employee count, new clients, new topics, etc.