Updated May 18, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Strategy& is two firms operating in one corporate structure. On one side, a strategy boutique with 110+ years of heritage tracing back to Edwin Booz’s 1914 Chicago founding — a firm that built the deals, defense, and corporate strategy practices candidates target. On…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The standard L.E.K. salary article gives you base, bonus, signing, and a level-by-level table. All of that exists below. But the more honest analysis — the one that affects whether L.E.K. is the right firm for you — runs the comp numbers per…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant L.E.K. Consulting isn’t really competing in the same race as McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. The MBB business model runs on long-cycle strategy engagements measured in months. L.E.K.’s flagship work runs on private equity deal cycles measured in 2-4 weeks per engagement, with hard…
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In the United States, Roland Berger vs McKinsey is barely a question. McKinsey’s brand, network, and exits dominate so heavily that most candidates don’t even consider them as comparable options. In Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, or Zurich, the comparison is one of the most consequential career decisions a consulting candidate makes — and the answer flips…
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Updated October 30, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The Roland Berger application process isn’t one process. It’s three, depending on which region you apply to, and the conventions differ enough that an application optimized for the New York office can be filtered out by the Munich office for reasons that have…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
