OC&C Strategy Consultants
Encyclopedia
OC&C Strategy Consultants is a management consulting
firm that provides strategic advice to senior management in large corporations and organisations. It now employs over 450 consultants and has over 60 Partners. It is one of few European-founded strategy firms to have reached scale in an otherwise US-dominated industry, third biggest among European firms behind Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
and LEK
.
To gain greater access to the American market, OC&C merged with Boston-based Callidon Group in June 2007. Over recent years, the firm has successfully opened offices in India (New Delhi and Mumbai) and China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), taking OC&C into the fastest growing markets in the world. According to the Vault.com career guide, soon after establishing footprint in Asia, the majority of clients served by the OC&C Chinese offices are leading multinational companies and some of the region's top players. The Indian offices focus almost exclusively on board-level work with the top companies in the country, multinationals, major private equity houses and occasionally smaller companies.
Boston
Düsseldorf
Hamburg
Hong Kong
London
Mumbai
New Delhi
New York City
Paris
Rotterdam
Shanghai
OC&C was ranked 6th in the Vault Consulting 25 for 2011, combining Vault's "Best to Work For" ranking with overall prestige. OC&C's high rates of pay and positioning as an alternative to the big 3 of McKinsey, Bain and BCG makes them an attractive proposition to potential recruits.
Additionally, the firm published a book on John Wiley & Sons
Press, titled "The Craft of Strategy Formation", which "provides a crisp account of the consecutive steps to take (and pitfalls to watch out for) when typically vague business concerns need to be translated into actionable strategy fast"
OC&C organises and co-sponsors several high profile industry events, such as the World Retail Congress
, which is the largest international meeting place for retail leaders; the Media and Telco (Year) & Beyond annual conference, a summit which addresses trends, ideas and opportunities in the media industry; and various other events in other specialist sectors e.g. education.
OC&C’s other offices also conduct pro bono work: for example, the Benelux
office recently undertook a project for the leading Dutch Multiple Sclerosis charity to develop a new direction and funding strategy.
Management consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
firm that provides strategic advice to senior management in large corporations and organisations. It now employs over 450 consultants and has over 60 Partners. It is one of few European-founded strategy firms to have reached scale in an otherwise US-dominated industry, third biggest among European firms behind Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm headquartered in Munich, with 43 offices in 31 countries. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in 1967 by Prof. Roland Berger...
and LEK
L.E.K. Consulting
L.E.K. Consulting is an international strategy consulting firm, with headquarters in London.Started in 1983 by three partners from Bain & Company, James Lawrence, Iain Evans and Richard Koch, L.E.K. has since grown to over 900 consultants and 20 offices worldwide...
.
History
OC&C was founded in 1987 in London by Chris Outram and Geoff Cullinan, who were both Partners at the time with Booz Allen & Hamilton. After several years at other consulting firms, they had tired of the fact that their employers devoted so much time to operational issues while neglecting strategic analysis. They then decided it would be “more fun and more challenging” to start their own firm. In the same year, the German consultancy “S. & K. und Partner” was founded in Duesseldorf by Dr. Gerd Schnetkamp and Dr. Hans-Dieter Kleinhueckelskoten, both previously with McKinsey, which subsequently rebranded and joined the OC&C firm. An office opened in Paris in 1989 and another opened in Rotterdam in 1992, founded respectively by Philippe Kaas and Pieter Witteveen, both previously Partners in the local McKinsey offices. Several further offices have been added since.To gain greater access to the American market, OC&C merged with Boston-based Callidon Group in June 2007. Over recent years, the firm has successfully opened offices in India (New Delhi and Mumbai) and China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), taking OC&C into the fastest growing markets in the world. According to the Vault.com career guide, soon after establishing footprint in Asia, the majority of clients served by the OC&C Chinese offices are leading multinational companies and some of the region's top players. The Indian offices focus almost exclusively on board-level work with the top companies in the country, multinationals, major private equity houses and occasionally smaller companies.
Offices
The firm operates from offices in several global locations: BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
Recruitment & Comparison to Competitors
OC&C typically accepts applications from the world’s elite universities and institutions, putting less of an emphasis on discipline studied and more on a demonstrable aptitude for creative and lateral thinking and the applicant’s fit within the company’s culture. The interviewing and selection process generally ranges across four to six interviews over two to three rounds. Additionally, OC&C operates an annual international strategy workshop, which brings together 24 “outstanding international students from different academic backgrounds”, to work on a business strategy case. OC&C later employs those who perform well throughout the workshop.OC&C was ranked 6th in the Vault Consulting 25 for 2011, combining Vault's "Best to Work For" ranking with overall prestige. OC&C's high rates of pay and positioning as an alternative to the big 3 of McKinsey, Bain and BCG makes them an attractive proposition to potential recruits.
Publications & Events
OC&C regularly publishes analyses regarding its core business areas. In addition to these unique publications, the firm also publishes annual industry reviews, which include:- FMCG Global 50 (in association with The GrocerThe GrocerThe Grocer is a British market leading magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media. It has been published since 1862. Its readership encompasses every aspect of the industry, from directors of the large multiples to independent retailers...
and various other publications in other geographies)
- UK Retail Christmas Trading Index (in association with Retail WeekRetail WeekRetail Week is a UK-based news magazine covering the retail industry.Founded in 1988 by financial journalist Patience Wheatcroft and her husband Tony Salter, it is now owned by the business magazine publisher EMAP.The magazine is published every Friday...
)
- UK Facilities Management Index (in association with FM World)
- Media Index (in association with The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
)
- European Credit Management and Debt Collection Index (In association with Credit Today)
- Global Retail Proposition Index
Additionally, the firm published a book on John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
Press, titled "The Craft of Strategy Formation", which "provides a crisp account of the consecutive steps to take (and pitfalls to watch out for) when typically vague business concerns need to be translated into actionable strategy fast"
OC&C organises and co-sponsors several high profile industry events, such as the World Retail Congress
World Retail Congress
World Retail Congress is the largest international meeting place for retail leaders. The event is run by - a B2B publishing company. Each year, leaders of retail are invited to speak at the conference about relevant and topical issues that are shaping global retail.The conference is an...
, which is the largest international meeting place for retail leaders; the Media and Telco (Year) & Beyond annual conference, a summit which addresses trends, ideas and opportunities in the media industry; and various other events in other specialist sectors e.g. education.
Corporate Social Responsibility
The OC&C London office has worked with the Impetus Trust, pioneers in venture philanthropy, since 2004. During that time, OC&C teams have worked on a pro bono basis on numerous strategic projects for charities and social enterprises in the Impetus portfolio. These charities include B-Eat, Bulky Bob’s, Fairtrade, the Furniture Resource Centre, IntoUniversity, Keyfund, Leap Confronting Conflict, the Prison Radio Association, Riders for Health, St. Giles Trust and Street League. These projects are done with a full, professional team, the same way as commercial projects are done, but entirely unpaid for.OC&C’s other offices also conduct pro bono work: for example, the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
office recently undertook a project for the leading Dutch Multiple Sclerosis charity to develop a new direction and funding strategy.
Notable current and former employees
- Dr. Marcus Ackermann (Managing Director, bonprix Handelsgesellschaft mbH)
- Andy AnsonAndy AnsonAndrew Edward "Andy" Anson is a British businessman who is currently the chief executive officer at England 2018 Ltd, the company behind The Football Association's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup...
(leader of England’s bid for the 2018 Football World Cup) - Patrice Brosson (Vice-President & Chief Merchant of SephoraSephoraSephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
) - Gilles Debry(Vice President of Mitsubishi ElectricMitsubishi Electricis a multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group....
Europe and Managing Director, France) - Dr. Julian Deutz (Head of Corporate Controlling, Axel Springer AGAxel Springer AGAxel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...
) - Bastien Duclaux (Founder and CEO of twenga.comTwengaTwenga.com is an online open shopping platform. In 2006, Bastien Duclaux and Cédric Anès created Twenga, meaning "straight to the goal" in an African dialect, as a unique website which would bring together "all online products and stores in one place."...
) - Jim Grover (Director Global Business Support, DiageoDiageoDiageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
) - Bertrand Gstalder (Managing Director of Fnac.comFnacFnac is an international entertainment retail chain offering cultural and electronic products, founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. It is the largest retailer of its kind in France...
) - Thomas Heerkens (CEO, Landal Green Parks)
- Jeremy Hunt (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportSecretary of State for Culture, Media and SportThe Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
) - Michael Jary (current Partner and Non-Exec Director of NationwideNationwide Building SocietyNationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
and Chairman of Duchy Originals) - Luke Jensen (Managing Director of Non-Food and Group Development Director of Sainsbury’s)
- Arnold Koomen (CEO, Koninklijke Jongeneel)
- James Meekings (co-founder of Funding CircleFunding CircleFunding Circle is an online portal which allows savers to lend money directly to small businesses. The portal is the first site to use the process of peer-to-peer lending for business funding in the UK. As of 10 October 2011, Funding Circle has facilitated £11.7 million in loans to small firms....
) - Dr. Marc André Micha (COO, APCOA Parking Holdings GmbHAPCOA ParkingAPCOA Parking AG is Europe's longest-established full service parking management company, managing over 860,000 parking spaces, across 15 countries and with around 4,500 employees...
) - Boyan Neytchev (Managing Director of BelGroupe BelBel Group or Groupe Bel is a multinational cheese marketer centered in France.The Bel Group, based in the 8th district of Paris, 16 boulevard Malesherbes, manufactures and distributes processed and semi-processed cheeses, frequently packaged in individual portions...
Central Europe) - Greg Nieuwenhuys (CEO, Bever)
- Frederik Nieuwenhuys (COO, Fredhopper)
- Pepijn Post (CEO, Guidion International)
- Nigel Portwood (CEO of Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
) - Bart van Meiracker (Supervisory Board member, V&D)
- Jan-Willem Smits (Managing Director, Outdoor Life Group)
- Eric Wiebes (Alderperson, City of Amsterdam)
- Charles Wilson (CEO, BookerBooker GroupBooker Group plc is the United Kingdom's largest food wholesale operator, offering branded and private-label goods to over 400,000 customers including independent convenience stores, grocers, pubs and restaurants...
) - Alison Wood (National GridNational Grid plcNational Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
)