L.E.K. was founded in London in 1983 by three partners who'd left Bain (the L, E and K are their initials). It's one of the strongest strategy firms below MBB, and I had an offer there. Two areas stand out:
- Life sciences and healthcare, where it has one of the best-known practices of any strategy firm.
- Private equity, especially commercial due diligence: helping funds decide whether a business is worth buying.
What that means for your application
If you have a science degree, L.E.K. is one of the consulting firms where it's actively useful rather than just tolerated. A biology or chemistry background lets you have a real conversation about a pharma client's pipeline. Lead with it.
If you don't have a science background, the private equity side is the other strong reason to apply. A finance internship, an investment society pitch, or anything that shows you can look at a business and judge whether it's any good, is relevant.
What the CV should show
- Leadership, problem-solving and drive, as at every strategy firm.
- Analytical work you can explain. L.E.K. interviews tend to go into the detail of your experiences [my impression from people who've been through it]. Every number on your CV should be one you can explain.
- Your degree, used. Don't hide a science degree in the education section as if it's an embarrassment.
Before: Laboratory research project
After: Ran a 12-week lab project on antibiotic resistance; built the analysis pipeline that cut processing time per sample from 3 hours to 40 minutes
Interviews
Case interviews, plus a written or presentation case in some processes. Practise structuring a written answer as well as a spoken one.