ROLAND BERGER VS OC&C

Question

I have a contract offer as an Associate Consultant from OC&C in Milan or a 3-month internship at Roland Berger in Milan, with a guaranteed conversion into a full-time offer. I have previously interned at Bain, and I know I want to continue in strategy consulting, potentially reapplying to MBB next year. However, I’m undecided because many say that Roland Berger is more prestigious and offers better exit opportunities. I don’t have a strong preference between RB’s focus on Industrials in Milan and OC&C’s focus on Retail and Consumer Products. However, I had a better impression of OC&C. Does anyone have any advice?

Answer 1

Hi there,

first of all: CONGRATS on these two great offers! Sometimes being too successful in the interviews creates the pain of having to choose ;)

Hard to give a general recommendation here but I can give you my 2 cents:

Roland Berger is the bigger company and the bigger name. When working at BCG I have had multiple former RB colleagues but have never seen one from OC&C (I worked in Germany, hence, might be a bit biased)
Switching from one Consulting firm to the other one is actually not that easy in my perspective and only works in a market environment, where the industry is booming (you might need to wait another 2-3 years for that to happen again) -> you should choose a company that does not only yield good exit opportunities but also makes you feel well
In that regard, what made you feel better about OC&C vs. RB?
Are you really sure that they will 100% convert your internship into a fulltime offer? Do you have that in writing?
Can you apply for MBB now since you have the interviewing experience? Would be easier than to make the move later once you have started at another company

Happy to chat.

Best,
Sebastian

Answer 2

OC&C will likely be more focused on Due Diligence work and related topics, Roland Berger on Strategy and Transformation.

Both are great firms, but Roland Berger in general has a better reputation / brand name.

Answer 3

Hi there,

Both are great brands although RB is a bit more well-known.

In such cases, I'd always go with your gut feel about where you had a better experience. This will influence your trajectory and wellbeing much more than just a brand name.

All the best,

Florian

Answer 4

Hi there,

if you want to focus on due diligence projects, OC&C would be the better address of the two for you. RB does investor support as well of course but they also have a fair share of strategy and operations work.

From an international reputation perspective, RB has the lead here.

Best of luck

Answer 5

Hey there,

So just to help clear out the decision making, you can segment your decision making by:

Industry focus (Industrials vs Retail & Consumer Products)
Engagement Topic (Typical management strategy with RB vs more Due Diligence with OC&C)
Whichever region you get into that you prefer living in
Brand strength and exit opportunities (RB is stronger in my opinion and could help strengthen your CV strength more for when you want to get back into MBB)

Ultimately, apply for both and take it from there

All the best