OC&C is the smallest of the well-known tier-2 strategy firms, and the most British. It was founded in London in 1987 and is best known for consumer, retail and leisure work, and for commercial due diligence for private equity. I had an offer from OC&C, and it's a firm I'd recommend more students looked at properly.
Why OC&C is worth a real application
- Small intake, small teams. You'd get responsibility quickly. The flip side is that each hire matters a lot to them, so fit counts.
- Sectors you probably already know something about. Retail, brands, restaurants, leisure. You've been a customer of most of them. That makes it easier to have a genuine, specific view in an interview.
- Private equity work. Commercial due diligence means helping an investor decide whether to buy a business. It's fast, numbers-heavy and a good route into private equity later.
What I'd put on an OC&C CV
- Any consumer-facing experience, written well. A retail job is relevant here if the bullet shows you understood the business: what sold, why, and what you changed.
- An investment or consulting society role with a result.
- Problem-solving with numbers, as at any strategy firm.
Before: Sales Assistant, worked on the shop floor
After: Sales Assistant, 40-person flagship store; suggested moving gifting to the entrance before Christmas, and the category beat its target by 22%
Interviews
Case interviews, often with a consumer or retail flavour, and a fit interview. Have one or two businesses you can talk about in real depth: why they're winning or losing, and what you'd do.