Consulting Firms Chicago
Chicago has been making its mark in several industries, one of them being the consulting industry. Chicago consulting firms offer essential business services and third-party expertise, helping their clients evolve, grow, and make vital decisions. These firms also provide employment opportunities for fresh graduate consultants looking to kickstart their consultancy careers as well as experienced consultants looking for new challenges.
This post will outline the top consulting firms in Chicago you should consider working for.
Top 9 Consulting Firms in Chicago
If you are a current consultant looking to make a lateral move or a fresh graduate looking to find your feet, you’ll want to review Chicago consulting firms to make the right pick. Here are the top 9 consulting firms in Chicago to consider.
- Kearney Chicago
- McKinsey Chicago
- Bain Chicago
- BCG (Boston Consulting Group/Firm) Chicago
- The Cambridge Group Chicago
- The Keystone Group Chicago
- Deloitte Consulting Chicago
- EY-Parthenon Chicago
- PwC Advisory/Strategy Chicago
Here’s a closer look at these consulting firms:
1. Kearney Chicago
Kearney is a global management consulting company with offices spread across 40 countries worldwide. Its predecessor firm was founded in Chicago in 1926 by James O. McKinsey. In 1929, he hired Thomas “Tom” Kearney as his first partner. Upon the death of James McKinsey in 1937, the Chicago office split, becoming an independent firm led by Thomas Kearney and called McKinsey, A.T Kearney, and Company. The company was renamed A.T Kearney and Company in 1947, and finally, in 2020, it was rebranded, and its name changed to Kearney. The company is known for its sourcing, operations, and procurement work.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.kearney.com
- Number of Employees (Chicago Office): 152 consultants and 136 management service colleagues
- Average Salary: $204,917 per year (Source: Levels Fyi)
- Social Media Links:
LinkedIn.com/company/Kearney/
twitter.com/Kearney
instagram.com/kearneyofficial/
If you join Kearney, expect to join a big consultancy firm that focuses on offering excellent services to its clients.
2. McKinsey Chicago
McKinsey is another top consulting firm in Chicago. This consulting firm was established in 1926 by James O. McKinsey and is one of the oldest and largest of the “big three” management consulting firms (MBB). It is also the largest strategy consulting firm by revenue.
Working at McKinsey Chicago will expose you to a wide range of high-profile clients. McKinsey Chicago serves clients from various industries, including financial services, consumer goods, healthcare, the public sector, tech, transportation, pharmaceuticals, and more.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Randolph St Ste, Chicago, Illinois, 60601
- URL: mckinsey.com/us/chicago
- Number of Employees (Chicago Office): Over 1000 employees
- Average Salary: $229,218 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
LinkedIn.com/company/mckinsey/
twitter.com/McKinsey
instagram.com/mckinseyco/
McKinsey is known for having a notoriously competitive hiring process and is considered one of the most selective employers globally. So you should ensure you have all the required qualifications to increase your chances of getting a consulting job at this firm.
3. Bain Chicago
Bain, one of the big three consultancies, was founded in 1973 by Bill Bain (former group vice president of Boston Consulting Group) and his colleagues, including Patrick F. Graham. While the headquarters of Bain is in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm has, over the years, opened offices across the US and the world.
Since the opening of the Bain Chicago office in 1992, it has served clients ranging from small and midsize Midwestern firms to Fortune 1000 firms. Bain Chicago serves clients from a wide range of industries, including healthcare, retail, consumer goods, technology, financial services, private equity, and more. The Chicago office houses many of Bain’s top leaders, including committee chairs, board members, and practice and capability directors.
Key Facts
- Office Location: LaSalle St, Suite 3400, Chicago, Illinois, 60603
- URL: bain.com/offices/chicago
- Number of Employees (Chicago Office): Over 100 employees
- Average Salary: $296,458 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
twitter.com/bainalerts
https://www.secure.instagram.com/bainkarriere/?hl=am-et
When working for Bain Chicago, you can expect to work on challenging yet interesting problems for one of the best consultancy firms in the world.
4. BCG (Boston Consulting Group/Firm) Chicago
BCG is a global consulting firm founded in 1963 as part of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company and is one of the big three management consulting firms.
Boston consulting firm Chicago offices were opened in 1979. It has, over the years, grown into one of the firm’s largest, most diverse, and most influential offices. The reason for this is that the Chicago office invites a select group of talented individuals to work as associates and consultants. BCG Chicago also prides itself on maintaining long-term relationships with its clients.
The BCG Chicago office is also recognized for its diverse and balanced mix of business, spanning nearly all the firm’s practice areas.
Key Facts
- Office Location: LaSalle St, Chicago, Illinois, 60654
- URL: bcg.com/offices/chicago/default
- Number of Employees (Chicago Office): Over 100 employees
- Average Salary: $243,606 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-consulting-group/jobs/
https://twitter.com/bcgx_
If you’re looking for a consultancy firm that fosters entrepreneurial and creative spirit in Chicago, then that’s the BCG Chicago office.
5. The Cambridge Group Chicago
Established in 1975, The Cambridge Group is a boutique strategy consulting company that has helped its clients see profitable growth. This Chicago-headquartered consulting firm applies demand strategy across global industries, enabling its clients to align their infrastructure, resources, and business to meet marketplace demand in a way that meaningfully differentiates it from its competitors.
The Cambridge Group offers a conducive working atmosphere for its employees. For instance, 95% of its employees travel once a week or less, making this firm attractive for employees looking to spend most of their time in Chicago.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Wacker Dr, Suite 3550, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.thecambridgegroup.com/
- Number of Employees: 72
- Average Salary: $180,000 per year (Source: Transparent Career)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cambridge-group_2/
https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeGroup/
6. The Keystone Group Chicago
The Keystone Group is a boutique management consulting firm founded in 1991 by Andy Rolfe. This result-oriented consulting firm serves mid-market manufacturing and distribution clients through operational improvement, growth strategy, financial restructuring, and acquisition integration.
Because of its excellent service delivery, The Keystone Group is consistently rated among the top consulting firms. It also has an excellent firm culture, which won it the 2021 Vault award.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Wacker Dr, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.thekeystonegroup.com/
- Number of Employees: 109 (Source: RocketReach)
- Average Salary: : $137,857 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-keystone-group/
https://twitter.com/keystonechicago?lang=en
7. Deloitte Consulting Chicago
Deloitte is another top consulting firm in Chicago worth looking at. Deloitte Consulting Chicago focuses on serving clients and helping them solve their most challenging problems.
Deloitte’s culture is one of collaboration, inclusion, high performance, and opportunity. It hires top talent and gives them access to opportunities to empower them to do their best work. If you get a chance to work for Deloitte, be sure you’ll handle projects for some of the biggest companies across various industries.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Wacker Dr Ste 1800, Chicago, Illinois 60606
- URL: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/footerlinks/office-locator/illinois/chicago.html
- Number of Employees in Chicago: Over 500 employees spread across various departments
- Average Salary: $123,934 per year
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/deloitte/
https://twitter.com/Deloitte
https://www.facebook.com/deloitte
https://www.instagram.com/deloitte/
8. EY-Parthenon Chicago
EY-Parthenon is the strategy consulting arm within the Ernst & Young organization. It has offices across different places worldwide, with Chicago being one of its locations.
EY-Parthenon Chicago strives to create sound strategies for its clients so that they can thrive in the current dynamic business environment. Whether it is digital transformation, financial and operational complexities, or sector convergence and dislocation, EY-Parthenon teams bring data analytics, digital capabilities, and leading technology to help clients solve the toughest issues.
EY-Parthenon is one of the best places to work. In fact, current and former employees have praised the firm as a great employer. So, it’s unsurprising that many candidates, you included, would fancy working for this firm.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Wacker Dr, Chicago, Illinois
- URL: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/strategy/about-ey-parthenon
- Average Salary: $183,901 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ey-parthenon/
https://twitter.com/EY_Parthenon
https://www.facebook.com/EYParthenon
9. PwC Advisory & Strategy Chicago
PwC Advisory & Strategy is another excellent consulting firm in Chicago. As part of the PwC network, this firm focuses on helping clients solve their issues from strategy through to execution. PwC Strategy & consultants offer expertise with vast network capabilities to help clients move their business forward with confidence.
Key Facts
- Office Location: One North Wacker Dr, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/
- Average Salary: $247,692 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pwc-strategy&-us-inc./about/
Special Mentions: Other Chicago Consulting Firms to Consider
Apart from the Chicago consulting firms mentioned above, other excellent consulting firms where you can advance your consulting career include:
- ZS Associates Chicago
- KPMG Advisory Chicago
- FTI Consulting Chicago
- L.E.K Chicago
- Oliver Wyman Chicago
- Roland Berger Chicago
- Putnam Chicago
- Alvarez & Marsal Chicago
- ghSMART Chicago
- The Bridgespan Group Chicago
Let’s take a close look at each of these Chicago consulting firms:
1. ZS Associates Chicago
ZS Associates is a Chicago-headquartered boutique consulting firm that became prominent for doing sales and marketing consulting for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients. It was founded by former Kellogg School of Management professors. Today, ZS Associates has expanded its scope beyond sales and marketing, now including technology, outsourcing, and software. Even so, the firms’ strongest relationships remain in the life sciences and the pharma sector.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Two Prudential Plaza, Stetson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60601
- URL: https://www.zs.com/
- Average Salary: $160,743 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://twitter.com/ZSAssociates
https://www.facebook.com/ZSAssociates/
ZS Chicago is an excellent place to work if you are a self-motivated individual looking to cut your teeth in consulting. This consulting offers a conducive working environment and will give you the opportunity to work with some of the biggest companies across industries. Moreover, while the firm may not be among the MBB, it offers competitive salaries.
2. KPMG Advisory Chicago
KPMG Advisory is a global network of consulting professionals that provides audit, advisory, and tax services. KPMG Advisory Chicago is known to absorb the services of local consultants and is one of the most experienced providers of professional consulting services to the public and development sectors in the Chicago area. This consulting firm delivers a consistent set of multidisciplinary consulting services based on deep industry knowledge. It focuses on developing a rich understanding of a client’s organization and the skills, insights, and resources required for addressing industry-specific challenges and opportunities.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Aon Center, Randolph Drive, Suite 55OO, Chicago, Illinois, 60601
- URL: https://kpmg.com/us/en/home/about/offices/chicago-1.html
- Average Salary: $105,434 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpmg/
https://twitter.com/kpmgadvisory
KPMG Advisory Chicago is considered one of the best places to work. Besides the friendly working environment that allows you to balance your personal and work life, you can also expect competitive remuneration and opportunities to hone your consulting skills, such as training and seminars.
3. FTI Consulting Chicago
FTI is another excellent consulting company that you should consider working for. It focuses on legal analysis and data-driven research to help support banks, law firms, and Fortune 500 companies. FTI Consulting prides itself on helping its clients with change management, risk mitigation, and dispute resolution.
If you land a job at FTI Consulting, you can expect to work in a friendly environment that will make your work highly enjoyable. People working at FTI Consulting Chicago also report that the firm offers the benefits of working at a large firm while maintaining the camaraderie of a small firm.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Monroe St Ste 900, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.fticonsulting.com/locations/illinois
- Average Salary: $149,241 per year
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fti-consulting/
https://twitter.com/FTICyber
4. L.E.K Chicago
The L.E.K Chicago office was opened in 1993, making it the third L.E.K office in the Americas. L.E.K’s Windy City office advises clients across the spectrum of the firm’s consulting capabilities, including developing successful and actionable growth strategies, assessing and providing due diligence on potential investments, activating corporate strategy, and optimizing business portfolio performance.
While L.E.K Chicago works across several industries, it offers particularly in-depth industry experience and innovative insights for clients in life sciences & pharma, consumer products, building products, healthcare services, Medtech, retail, technology, entertainment, and transport industries.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Lake St, 28th Floor, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.lek.com/global-offices/chicago
- Revenue (Overall): $500 Million (Source: Zippia)
- Average Salary: Ranges between $59,147 and $291,573 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lekconsulting/ - https://twitter.com/LEK_Consulting?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
5. Oliver Wyman Chicago
Oliver Wyman Chicago is another leading consulting firm in Chicago that can be a great place to advance your consulting career. This firm combines deep industry knowledge and expertise to create breakthroughs for its clients across industries, including financial service, health & life sciences, retail and consumer goods, travel and leisure, media, technology, and communication.
Oliver Wyman Chicago’s functional areas of expertise are sales and marketing, pricing, risk management, operational effectiveness, corporate finance and restructuring, and more.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Upper Wacker Dr, Ste 1500, Chicago, Illinois, 60606
- URL: https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/global-locations/americas/united-states/chicago.html
- Average Salary: $224,711 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Meda Links:
https://twitter.com/TheOWForum
https://www.linkedin.com/company/oliver-wyman/
6. Roland Berger Chicago
Roland Berger is a global consulting firm headquartered in Munich, Germany, with offices in all major markets and industries. Its Chicago office was opened in 2008 and has established itself as one of the best consulting firms in Windy City. Roland Berger serves businesses of all sizes across various industries, including automotive, construction, consumer goods, utilities, energy, economics, and more.
Key Facts
- Office Location: La Salle Dr. Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois, 60654
- URL: https://www.rolandberger.com/en/UnitedStates/
- Average Salary: $212,204 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/RolandBergerGmbH/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rolandberger/
7. Putnam Consulting Chicago
Putnam Consulting Chicago is another excellent consulting firm in Chicago that you should consider applying to work for. This consulting firm brings strategy consulting disciplines to life sciences. It helps clients solve problems that involve the complex interaction of physicians, patients, payers, healthcare institutions, and regulators.
Putnam Chicago serves a wide range of clients, from venture-backed startups to established global biopharmaceutical companies. It supports both established and emerging technologies, gene, cell, and tissue therapy.
Key Facts
- Office Location: 5711 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
- URL: https://www.putassoc.com/
- Average Salary: $114,750 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-putman-group/
https://www.facebook.com/putnamconsulting/
8. Alvarez & Marsal Consulting Chicago
Alvarez & Marsal was founded in 1983 by Tony Alvarez and Bryan Marsal after the two met and worked together at Norton Simon Inc. This consulting firm focuses on corporate restructuring, turnaround management, and operational performance improvement to help clients turn areas of stagnation into growth to achieve sustainable results.
Alvarez & Marsal Chicago is known for asking tough questions, listening keenly, and conducting extensive research to help solve client problems. This consulting firm serves clients across various industries, including automotive, business services, consumer products, energy, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail, and real estate.
Key Facts
- Office Location: 540 West Madison Street, Suite 1800, Chicago, Illinois, 60661
- URL: https://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/about-am
- Average Salary: $172,884 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/alvarez-&-marsal/
https://twitter.com/alvarezmarsal
https://www.facebook.com/alvarezandmarsal/
9. ghSMART Chicago
ghSMART Chicago is a business management consulting firm that advises clients on their most high-stake leadership challenges. This consulting firm is the most trusted advisor on leadership strategy, providing support across a wide range of solutions, including leadership selection and development, CEO succession, M&A diligence, and team and organizational effectiveness. It prides itself on being the only firm in the industry that combines PHDs in psychology and top performers from leading strategy consulting firms and industries.
ghSMART performs leadership advisory work for clients ranging from small firms to leading investment management firms, large private equity firms, highly respected nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Lasalle St Ste 2100, Chicago, Illinois, 60601
- URL: https://ghsmart.com/clients/
- Average Salary: $173,776 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ghsmart/
https://twitter.com/ghsmartco
10. The Bridgespan Group Chicago
The Bridgespan Group Chicago is a nonprofit organization that offers management consulting to nonprofits, NGOs, philanthropists, and investors to advance learning and accelerate the impact of their work and philanthropy. This consulting firm helps its clients in several ways, including growth planning, strategy development, organizational assessment, and funding approaches.
Bridgespan Group Chicago tailors its services to meet its client’s needs. They do this by offering support with their experienced consulting team, which develops strategies for improving the effectiveness of the client’s initiative and implements strategies for addressing the challenges that the client faces now and the challenges they may face in the future.
Key Facts
- Office Location: Chicago, Illinois
- URL: https://www.bridgespan.org/our-services/supporting-nonprofits-and-ngos-with-strategy-and-growth
- Average Salary: $91,261 per year (Source: Glassdoor)
- Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridgespan/
https://www.instagram.com/thebridgespangroup/
In Summary
Chicago boasts of being one of the biggest players globally when it comes to consulting firms. With numerous consulting firms focusing on different types of consulting, there’s something for everyone looking to grow their career in this city. You can check whether there are openings in the consulting firms outlined above and apply for the position. Fingers crossed, you’ll land your dream job in your preferred Chicago consulting firm.
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