I have worked alongside these guys and my personal perception is:
• Stonger in project assurance than in actual delivery.
• Their employees are generally very good quality and ex-big4 or better
• They stand their ground well – good principles.
• They have recently been acquired so some of the above may well change (no one seems to know exactly why they’ve been bought…)
• Negatives are that they have a very high “associates” ratio (I have heard as high as 70%) which means your effectively getting contractor quality at consultancy rates (go figure!)
• The senior bods are generally very, very well connected and most of the business comes from network sales.
• I’d say it WAS a good company to be a very senior person in, but the big financial option has now gone.
• It’s STILL a good company to join if you are junior to middle level and want the rigour and professionalism of a “proper” firm without the politics and facelessness of Accenture, EY, etc
• The worst way to join would be at a level where sales would be a major responsibility and you’re expected to break into new clients – not much of a differentiator in that instance. Probably better to take a risk on a similar sized firm that is still indie, hoping to cash in if they then get acquired…?
Just my 2p worth.
