Roland Berger Consulting [2024 Profile]

Roland Berger Consulting is a European-native consultancy firm with an international footprint that has rightly earned its place among the leading global consultancies. The firm is independently and exclusively owned by its partners and operates as a generalist strategy consultancy.

History and Background

The firm started as a one-person firm when Roland Berger, the firm’s founder, went into business for himself in 1967 with the sole proprietorship of Roland Berger International Marketing Consultants. Before this move, Roland Berger had worked as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group between 1962 and 1967.

The firm quickly grew, and by 1969, the initially marketing-focused consultancy had expanded to Milan. It later opened a branch office in Sao Paulo in 1976, after which came many other branch offices across the globe.

In the 1980s, Roland Berger and the chair of the management board of Deutsche Bank, Alfred Herrhausen, teamed up and developed the concept of a European-style investment bank. Against this background, Deutsche Bank gradually acquired a qualified majority stake in Roland Berger in 1987.

In 1998, there was a major change in the ownership structure. In a management buyout, the partners of Roland Berger took over the shares. The motivation behind the move was that the management projected the bank’s exit to accelerate growth, as profits could be invested flexibly. Deutsche Bank initially retained a minority stake in the single-digit percentage range, from which it finally sold its stake in 2000. Roland Berger was then wholly independent again.

The firm gained unimpeded access to the U.S. market and continues to strengthen its position as a top consultancy to date.

Key Statistics and Contacts

• Headquarters: Munich, Germany
• Number of Employees: 100+ Roland Berger consultants in the U.S., and 3000+ employees globally
• Number of Locations: 50+ local offices across 34 countries in Europe, North & South America, Africa & Middle East, Asia.
• Roland Berger Revenue: EUR 600 million (as of 2018)
• URL: https://www.rolandberger.com/en/
• Social Media Links
  • RolandBerger/LinkedIn
  • RolandBerger/Twitter
  • RolandBerger/Facebook
  • RolandBerger/YouTube
  • RolandBerger/Instagram

Work/Focus Areas at Roland Berger Consulting

Practice Areas

Roland Berger’s breadth of services has greatly expanded from its original sales and marketing consulting offering. The firm provides generalist strategy consulting services with the following key areas of expertise.

• Digital
• Merger & Acquisitions
• Operations & Strategy Development
• Private Equity
• Restructuring Performance, Transformation & Transaction
• Sales & Marketing

Industries 

Roland Berger Consulting provides its consulting services and expertise to players across various verticals and industries.

• Aerospace & Defense
• Automotive & Commercial Vehicles
• Chemicals
• Civil Economics
• Construction
• Consumer Goods, Retail & Agribusiness
• Energy & Utilities
• Financial Services
• Industrial Products & Services
• Infrastructure
• Pharma & Healthcare
• Technology, Media & Telcos
• Transportation, Tourism & Logistics

Careers at Roland Berger Consulting

Roland Berger Consulting offer some exciting career opportunities for its interns and employees. Whether you are a new graduate joining at entry-level or a mid-level consultant, every day is different, making you look forward to a new work day.

Office Locations

Roland Berger’s headquarters are in Munich, Germany, where the firm was founded. In total, the firm has 52 office locations, and employees can work in any of these offices. Offices in the U.S. are in Boston, Chicago and Detroit.

Roland Berger Consulting encourages global assignments and working on international projects, which helps its team members to broaden their horizons.

Salary Ranges

Roland Berger Consulting offers an attractive compensation and benefits package comparable to top consulting firms. The firm also gives sign-up and performance bonuses.

Internship at Roland Berger Consulting

Roland Berger offers excellent internship opportunities to continuing students passionate about a consulting career. Experience what Roland Berger Consultants do first-hand and be prepared for a steep learning curve as an intern.

The internship program is a great way to get your foot in the door. Roland Berger also offers full-time job to interns who have proved to be a good fit for the firm.

Another exciting opportunity for students is the Roland Berger Gap Year Program. This 9-month program is available in several regions and will allow you to experience three great opportunities bundled in one program. Under this program, you will work for three months at a local Roland Berger office, another three months at a start-up company, and a 3-month stint at one of the firm’s international offices.

Career Track

Roland Berger Consulting has a clearly defined career track. You’ll work at each level for at least a couple of years before promotion to the next level. Here is an outline of the career trajectory you can expect from an analyst’s junior-level position to the partner’s pinnacle role.

1. Analyst
2. Junior Consultant
3. Consultant
4. Senior Consultant
5. Project Manager
6. Director
7. Principal
8. Partner

There are opportunities for new graduates and professionals with relevant work experience. In addition to staff who directly offer consulting services, the firm has opportunities for a wide range of non-consulting roles. From administration to finance, legal, HR, and IT, you can check for available non-consulting positions.

Getting Hired at Roland Berger: The Recruitment Process

Roland Berger consulting combs through the talent pool, looking for entrepreneurial-minded candidates with intellectual brilliance and motivation to learn and grow. You may be a good fit for the firm if its values resonate well with you.

1. Application Submission

All applications run through Roland Berger’s online system. You will apply online for active positions by submitting your resume, cover letter, and other supporting documents via the firm’s homepage.

2. Online Assessments

You will be required to complete a numerical reasoning test and a verbal reasoning test. Expect core mathematics questions and questions to test your data interpretation abilities. After these assessments, will you get your invitation to the interviews

3. 2-Round Interview

Roland Berger Consulting uses the super-day style for its interviews. Both rounds of interviews will be conducted on the same day.

Round # 1: This first round consists of two interviews with junior consultants, each lasting around 30-40 minutes. Most of this time will be allocated to a case interview; you can expect a few fit or behavioral interview questions.

Round # 2: The second round of interviews will be with more senior Roland Berger consultants. In this round, you will go through 2 or 3 interviews, each lasting 30-40 minutes. One of the interviews is a fit/behavioral interview, another an individual case interview, and a group case interview.

What to Expect and Tips for Success

Resume and Cover Letter Screening

Roland Berger receives thousands of applications for each active role, so your resume and cover letter must stand out to pass this initial screening. Carefully read through the required skills and showcase these transferable skills in your consulting resume. Ensure you highlight the impacts you have driven as a showcase of your capabilities as a problem solver.

Acing the Fit/Behavioral Interviews

Some of the most common questions you can expect during your fit interviews with Roland Berger Consulting are:

• Why a career in consulting?
• Why are you interested in working as a consultant at Roland Berger Consulting?
• What achievement are you most proud of? What is your most outstanding achievement not on your resume?
• Tell me about a time you were in a leadership position, and what was the greatest highlight from this experience?
• Tell me about a time when you, in collaboration with other team members, had to solve a problem?

Tips for Case Interviews at Roland Berger

The case interviews are the cornerstone of the interview process at Roland Berger Consulting. They replicate the challenges and problems you will be expected to work through on the job.

Expect your case interview questions to be based on real-life client examples. More senior consultants will interview you, and Roland Berger Consultants encourage panelists to use real-life examples as it is easier for them to provide you with the context and any data you may require to tackle the interview.

Case interview questions are structured to assess, among other things, the following.

• Communication skills
• Analytical and creative thinking
• Approach, methodology, and structure
• Ability to interpret and apply data
• Business acumen and an entrepreneurial mind

Roland Berger Consulting case interviews have the following structure that you should follow when tackling the interview.

• Situation and problem definition
• Hypothesis validation
• Developing the framework
• Analysis of the root cause
• Mathematical analysis(Not always)
• Creativity test (Not always)
• Recommendation

Ensure you fully understand the case by taking notes as the interviewer provides background information and asks clarification questions. Applying structure is key to doing well in the case interviews, so ensure you get things right from the word go by developing a good framework for your case.

Exit Opportunities

There are plenty of opportunities for Roland Berger Consulting alumni. You can leverage the skills and experience earned at the firm to get a position in another consultancy firm. With a proven track record, you can easily venture into Fortune 2000 firms as a corporate strategist.

Actually, there is no shortage of notable Roland Berger alumni who continue to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in various roles within and outside the consultancy services space.

Culture/Environment at Roland Berger Consulting

The culture at Roland Berger Consulting greatly varies depending on the office location and the managing partners of the office. This is unique to the firm as most other consulting firms have a unique culture across all their locations.

Across all offices, the commitment to the core values, namely excellence, entrepreneurship, and empathy, remains unwavering. This commitment is reflected in the firm’s 9 Pledges. The firm seeks to be a company that cares for each other by being caring, authentic, and embracing diversity. It aims to deliver value by being innovative and serving clients and the community with meaningful and impactful work.

At Roland Berger, your voice matters, and the firm emphasizes everyone to be courageous. It seeks to be inclusive and create a sense of belonging for everyone. The firm has several diversity programs: Be the Original You, Just Be, and EmpowHER.

Roland Berger Consulting emphasizes on their employees being entrepreneurial. You can expect a lot of autonomy and freedom as this encourages their consultants to be go-getters and take initiative. Every day presents an opportunity to take on exciting challenges, and you must be highly motivated and own your part in all assignments.

Roland Berger Consulting provides training, continuing education, and mentorship opportunities for all its staff. As part of its inclusivity initiatives, the firm has EmpowHER, a special program development program for employees who identify as LGBTQ+.

Teamwork and collaboration are highly encouraged at Roland Berger Consulting. The firm regularly organizes corporate activities and events to foster better employee relationships and build teamwork.

The firm is intentional about positively impacting the environment and contributing to the communities in which it operates. It regularly organizes and participates in various charity runs for the benefit of the community.

Rankings for Roland Berger Consultancy

Over the years, Roland Berger has gained recognition and various accolades. The year 2022 was no different, and tabulated below are its most notable rankings in this past year.