When people hear the words “strategy consulting firm,” many will think of famous companies such as McKinsey and BCG.
However, around the world there are many foreign-affiliated firms, and Japanese consulting firms with unique strengths also exist.
So what kinds of companies are among the representative strategy consulting firms, and what roles do they play?
This article introduces major strategy consulting firms and explains in detail their work content, salary, and career paths.
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What Are Strategy Consulting Firms?
Strategy consulting firms are groups of professionals responsible for corporate management strategy.
For challenges facing management, they support business strategy formulation, new business launches, M&A, and organizational reform from a medium- to long-term perspective.
In recent years, there are increasing cases of being deeply involved not only in presenting strategies but also in the execution phase, accompanying transformation that leads to results all the way through.
The role of strategy consulting firms is to derive essential solutions by leveraging logical thinking and flexible ideas, and to contribute to enhancing corporate value.
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The World’s Top 3 Foreign-Affiliated Strategy Consulting Firms
The three major firms known as “MBB” can be said to be synonymous with the strategy consulting industry.
All have world-class track records and have resolved many important challenges related to management strategy.
Here, we introduce the characteristics and strengths of each consulting firm.
※Average annual salaries for each company are listed based on information published on OpenWork (as of August 2025).
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company was established in Chicago, USA in 1926 and is one of the world’s largest strategy consulting firms.
A thorough “fact-based analysis” stance is characteristic, and it supports clients across a wide range of fields including management strategy, organizational reform, M&A, and new businesses. In recent years, it has also been focusing on DX and sustainability fields.
New graduate starting salaries are at a high level of approximately 5 to 7 million yen, and it is known as a “gateway to a career” due to the fact that alumni are active as government officials, executives at large corporations, and venture company managers.
| Year Founded | 1926 |
| Japan Office Location | ARK Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower, 1-9-10 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 600 (Japan office) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 13.74 million yen (Japan office) |
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the world’s leading strategy consulting firms, established in Boston, USA in 1963.
It entered Japan in 1966 and was the earliest among foreign-affiliated consulting firms to establish a base in the Japanese market. For this reason, its influence in Japan is very large, and it is top class in both number of clients and number of engagements.
Boston Consulting Group has strengths in the fields of “competitive strategy” and “growth strategy,” and handles many engagements supporting the medium- to long-term development of companies. It boasts an abundant track record in supporting new business launches and global expansion, and is a firm with deep ties to major companies that support the Japanese economy.
| Year Founded | 1963 |
| Japan Office Location | Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower 25F, 3-2-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 33,000 (Group total) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 15.48 million yen (Japan office) |
Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a strategy consulting firm established in Boston, USA in 1973.
Based on the principle that “what consultants deliver to clients is not simply a report but ‘results,'” a major characteristic is its style of providing solid support through the execution stage rather than stopping at strategy proposals.
In particular, it has strengths in growth strategy, management improvement, and launching new businesses — support that leads to results. It is also characterized by leveraging advanced technologies such as data analysis and AI to support client transformation.
| Year Founded | 1973 |
| Japan Office Location | Midtown Tower 37F, 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 300 (Japan office) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 13.31 million yen (Japan office) |
5 Other Foreign-Affiliated Strategy Consulting Firms
Beyond MBB, there are many other excellent strategy consulting firms in the world.
Here, we introduce 5 representative firms you should know about — from firms specializing in manufacturing and technology strategy to strategy divisions affiliated with accounting groups.
※Average annual salaries for each company are listed based on information published on OpenWork (as of August 2025).
A.T. Kearney
A.T. Kearney is a strategy consulting firm originating in the USA that operates in more than 40 countries worldwide.
It has strengths in manufacturing and the automotive industry, as well as in supply chain and operations domains.
With a hands-on accompanying style that emphasizes practical execution support and long-term relationship building, it supports client growth.
| Year Founded | 1926 |
| Japan Office Location | Midtown Tower 23F, 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 270 (Japan office) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 13.71 million yen (Japan office) |
Roland Berger
Roland Berger is one of Europe’s largest strategy consulting firms, established in Germany in 1967.
It has particular strengths in the automotive and manufacturing industries and has handled many business restructuring and growth strategy engagements for major European companies.
In recent years it has also been focusing on DX and sustainability domains, and is capable of addressing a wide range of themes. It is characterized by its commitment to results, fusing European knowledge with a practical approach.
| Year Founded | 1967 |
| Japan Office Location | Toranomon Hills Station Tower 35F, 2-6-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | 3,500 (Global headcount) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 12.89 million yen (Japan office) |
Arthur D. Little (ADL)
Arthur D. Little (ADL) is the world’s oldest management consulting firm, founded in 1886.
It specializes in resolving management challenges centered on technology, such as innovation creation, technology strategy, and new business development.
It is characterized by combining logical analysis with industry knowledge to support sustained growth.
| Year Founded | 1886 |
| Japan Office Location | Shiodome City Center 36F, 1-5-2 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 230 (Japan office) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 10.57 million yen (Japan office) |
PwC Consulting (Strategy&)
Strategy& is PwC’s strategy consulting division, with its origins in Booz & Company, founded in 1914.
It fuses strategic knowledge cultivated over more than 100 years with the wide-ranging expertise of the PwC Group to support corporate growth and transformation.
It has strengths in M&A, large-scale organizational transformation, and execution of digital strategy, and brings clients’ visions to realization.
| Year Founded | 1914 (predecessor Booz & Company) |
| Japan Office Location | Otemachi One Tower, 1-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 3,000 (Strategy& Japan) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 9.86 million yen (Japan office) |
Deloitte Tohmatsu (Monitor Deloitte)
Monitor Deloitte is Deloitte’s strategy consulting division, with its origins in the Monitor Group founded in 1983.
It leverages globally accumulated knowledge and Deloitte’s wide-ranging areas of expertise to support corporate growth and transformation.
In particular, it has strengths in large-scale transformations involving the entire company, seamlessly connecting strategy to execution to generate concrete results.
| Year Founded | 1983 (predecessor Monitor Group) |
| Japan Office Location | Marunouchi Nijubashi Building, 3-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Number of Employees | More than 2,500 (Monitor Deloitte global headcount) |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 9.52 million yen (Japan office) |
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3 Japanese Strategy Consulting Firms
Excellent strategy consulting firms with unique strengths also exist within Japan.
These firms deeply understand Japan’s business environment and culture, and provide strategic support specialized for Japanese companies.
※Average annual salaries for each company are listed based on information published on OpenWork (as of August 2025).
Dream Incubator (DI)
Dream Incubator is a strategy consulting firm that champions the perspective of “business producing.” Since it specializes in new business development, it is sometimes positioned as a new business consulting firm.
Rather than stopping at mere advice, a distinctive characteristic is its unique style of investing on its own and accompanying clients from new business launch through to growth.
It provides broad support in new business development, M&A, and global expansion, and has a track record spanning large corporations to ventures. Consulting directly connected to business creation is its greatest strength.
| Head Office Location | Tokyo Club Building 4F, 3-2-6 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Year Founded | 2000 |
| Number of Employees | 214 (consolidated headcount) ※as of end of March 2025 |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 11.54 million yen |
Industrial Growth Platform (IGPI)
Industrial Growth Platform (IGPI) is a Japanese consulting firm established primarily by alumni of the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan (IRCJ), and is characterized above all by its “hands-on” support style.
It embeds deeply within client companies and provides integrated support from strategy formulation and M&A execution to front-line improvement.
In 2024, it transitioned to a holding company structure, strengthening its system for simultaneously achieving “deepening” of existing businesses and “exploration” of new businesses. Its commitment to and execution power for long-term corporate value enhancement are highly regarded.
| Head Office Location | Gran Tokyo South Tower 8F, 1-9-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Number of Employees | Approximately 220 |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 11.41 million yen |
Corporate Directions Inc. (CDI)
Corporate Directions Inc. (CDI) was established as Japan’s first independent strategy consulting firm.
It has supported a cumulative total of more than 1,000 companies from large corporations to ventures, working to resolve challenges in management, business, and organizational areas.
Its strengths are the agility that only a lean, elite organization can achieve and highly effective strategic proposals that take into account Japanese corporate culture and characteristics, and it has generated results through practical, front-line-rooted consulting.
| Head Office Location | Tennoz First Tower 23F, 2-2-4 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo |
| Year Founded | 1986 |
| Number of Employees | 80 (Group total) ※as of May 2023 |
| Average Annual Salary | Approximately 9.31 million yen ※Reference: En Company Reviews |
The Work Content of Strategy Consultants
The main work content of strategy consultants is to resolve challenges faced by the management of client companies and support corporate growth and transformation.
- Analysis of management challenges
Conduct market research and data analysis to clarify the true causes of corporate challenges - Strategy formulation and proposal
Based on analysis results, map out the optimal strategy that leads to growth and improvement - Execution support
Establish the proposed strategy within the organization and connect it to actual results - Project management
Coordinate with management and relevant parties, mobilize the team, and advance problem-solving
The themes of strategy formulation and proposals are wide-ranging, including new business launches, M&A strategy, global expansion, medium-term management plan formulation, organizational restructuring, and DX strategy.
All are important domains that determine a company’s future, and flexible and practical strategy construction tailored to each client’s situation is required.
Salary Situation and Career Path of Strategy Consultants
Here, we explain the specific salary market rate for strategy consultants and representative career paths.
Salary Market Rate for Strategy Consultants
Strategy consultant salaries are outstanding even within the consulting industry.
The salary benchmark for each position is as follows.
- Analyst: 5 – 8 million yen
- Consultant: 8 – 12 million yen
- Manager: 12 – 20 million yen
- Partner: 20 million yen and in some cases reaching tens of millions of yen
In particular, at the foreign-affiliated MBB firms, it is not uncommon to reach a level exceeding 15 million yen from an early stage.
The background of the high compensation lies in the provision of high added value directly connected to management and the demanding working style directly tied to results.
Career Paths of Strategy Consultants
The career paths of strategy consultants are wide-ranging, as follows.
- Promotion within the firm
Step up to manager and then partner - Career change to an operating company
Perform in a position close to management as head of corporate planning or new business - PE fund or investment bank
Apply analytical ability and strategic thinking to due diligence and investment decisions - Venture company
Lead company growth as a CxO-level executive - Entrepreneurship or going independent
Launch one’s own business by leveraging cultivated knowledge
The appeal is that strategy consulting alumni can acquire “market value that works anywhere,” greatly expanding future career options.
How to Make a Career Change to a Strategy Consulting Firm
A career change to strategy consulting is not easy, but obtaining the right preparation and appropriate support can increase the possibility of success.
Specific actions to take in conducting a job search are as follows.
- Acquiring necessary skills
Logical thinking and problem-solving ability are essential. For those without prior experience, obtaining qualifications and building a foundation of business skills is also effective - Building a track record through practical experience and internships
Accumulate experience in projects close to the consulting industry and in situations requiring strategic thinking - Utilizing career change agents
Consulting-specialized agents have information on non-public job listings and potential-based hiring, and can support everything from formulating an application strategy to case interview preparation - Work history resume and interview preparation
Logically organize track record and strengths, and become able to clearly convey “how you can resolve corporate challenges”
In particular, what should be prepared in advance is the “case interview” unique to consulting. The skill to think logically and derive a solution in limited time is tested, so dedicated preparation is indispensable.
Since there are many parts difficult to cover through self-study alone, it is recommended to utilize a career change agent with strengths in consulting career changes.
Our ConsulNext.jp offers broad support — from career consultations and document preparation to interview coaching — and has backed many transitions to consulting companies.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Strategy Consulting Firms
When considering a career change or career in strategy consulting firms, there are many questions and anxieties that people commonly have.
Here, we have compiled frequently asked questions about strategy consultants and their answers.
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Summary
Strategy consulting firms are groups of professionals who resolve the important challenges of management, and diverse companies exist — from foreign-affiliated MBB and Big 4 to independent Japanese firms. They handle new business development, M&A, and organizational reform, with high expertise and results as their strengths.
For those considering a career change to strategy consulting, using the firm characteristics, work content, and required skills introduced in this article as a reference and clearly mapping out your own career plan will be the first step to career change success.
ConsulNext.jp offers broad support — from career consultations and document preparation to interview coaching — and has backed many transitions to consulting companies.
If you are considering a career change into the consulting industry, please make use of our services.
