Hello all,Is the ACA qualification something which is valued by employers in strategy consulting? I understand that it is a good business qualification, demonstrates numeracy and stands you in good stead when applying to many other industries (including private equity).However, I see very little mention of it on this forum, and was wondering if it would act in my favour were I to apply to a strat. firm on qualification - or would I be viewed as an accountant, and my application binned?

The qualification can be good to have for a career in general business, but the work experience you gain on the way to achieving it isn't generally well-suited to strategy consulting.If you combined ACA with suitable consulting experience, it would strengthen your CV, but the majority of ACA-qualified candidates combine the qualification with a less suitable background (e.g. in Audit) which is why their applications get binned.If you have the right experience then I'd emphasise that in your applications, with your ACA being an added bonus rather than your main selling point.

Michael - 100% agree with the first respondent. Strategy consultants are likely to show great respect to someone within their client organisation who has an ACA, without necessarily thinking that this person would make an ideal hire to join their firm.As per the last thread, the majority of ACAs end up building an experience profile (eg. audit) that a strategy consultancy would struggle to sell on to their client.Imagine McKinsey or Bain are trying to win a piece of work with Proctor & Gamble. One of them is proposing a project team that includes a consultant who spent 4 years working at Unilever and secured an MBA prior to joining the consultancy. This is hugely valuable sector experience being brought to the project.The other is proposing a team that includes a consultant that spent several years in audit on a broad range of audit assignments and gained an ACA. Then joined their consulting firm.Which consultancy is the client going to feel will have a greater understanding of their industry and their competitors? The one bringing the Unilever experience more often than not.This client demand then translates directly into the desirability of such candidates to a strategy firm. ACA to strategy consulting is not a well trodden career path, unless you've been able to accrue experience along the way (eg. M&A advisory work) that has a direct relevance to strategy consultancy clients.Hope this helps.Tony Restell (Top-Consultant.com)

Thanks for the informative responses DB and Tony. I'm at a stage in my career where I have to decide which direction to pursue, and getting the opinion of an 'insider' really makes all the difference.Much appreciated.