I was looking for some help regarding consultancies in Ireland. I have a PhD in life-sciences with 5 years industrial experience, I'm also about to finish up my MBA (been doing it part-time)....I'm thinking of moving back to Ireland from the UK and into consultancy....what's the general impression of the industry in Ireland - obviously it won't have the same breadth or depth as in the UK, but who are the main players there....are there many strat consultancies - I've been doing some web research on these topics, but would like to hear from an insiders point of view.Thanks in advance...

I pitched and did some work with an Irish client earlier this year and happened to look into this to see if we'd be competing with local consultancies.It seems that the IE/UK markets tend to operate as one. Most firms operate from a UK head office and fly in and out to service IE clients, much as for Scotland. The Big 4 accountancies have permanent bases in and around Dublin, but for specialist and strategic consultancy, you may be as well applying and interviewing while you are still in the UK rather than having to fly back and forth.

Many thanks for the info Siemar....can any other forumers add any insights..?Thanks in advance!

McKinsey have a (small) Dublin office, as do PA. Accenture & IBM also have decent-sized operations in Dublin.

McKinsey, Prospectus and Genesis would be the main strategy consulting providers. All very small teams of people. Certainly their offer would be nowhere as sophisticated as one would expect to get in the UK.The biggest consulting firm is Accenture but they are wholly IT focused in Ireland now. IBM, BearingPoint and Deloitte do business consulting projects. Deloitte is in a heap at the moment as they've had even our Prime Minister on their back. IBM and BearingPoint would probably be the biggest full service providers at the moment. I think all of the above are hiring at present - with the exception of Deloitte.

I can assure you the McKinsey dublin office is just as skilled and "sophisticated" as their counterparts in the UK and around the world.

Are Prospectus any use?Their website makes them look like an amateur advertising agency

Prospectus/Genesis are known among the small circles of Irish consultants and business school career services. Many strategy boutiques make up for a lack of brand by being founded by a team of former partners from MBB, thereby developing your consulting competencies to a level comparable with the best, while giving you greater exposure to both your directors/partners and clients. The above outfits seem to be run by former accountants/industry specialists. They may be fantastic strategy consultants, but on paper (which is all you have to go on) there's no reason to believe so.If you're looking to use consulting as a career step into business ops/strategy, I should think you'd struggle to stand out from a heap of candidacies with 'Prospectus' on your CV. You'd probably find yourself having to include (boutique consulting firm, specialised in blah....) after the name.If you're interested in consulting per se, and are happy to stay within the realms of the irish market and the life sciences sector, go for Prospectus by all means, or whoever gives you the warmest, fuzziest feeling during interviews (but don't forget what you're giving up by not working for an established brand).The brand thing never goes away, unless you're at the very top. We recently presented the candidacy of a Roland Berger consultant to our director (ex-Mckinsey) for a vacancy in our team, to which she replied "can't we find someone from a good firm?" All I'm saying is think twice before putting yourself at the bottom.

Accenture and EY both have decent sized consulting practices focused on Irish clients. Both are also actively recruiting acrossMany sectors.McKinsey is a place to travel from and don't do much work in Ireland. Prospectus is a small strategy consultancy that you don't hear about as much as you used to. PA lost many of its staff and now much smaller.

The consulting industry in Ireland is going through a period of considerable growth right now, so it's a good time to come back. PWC, BearingPoint, EY, Accenture and PA are all hiring, as is IBM Global Business Services. While many are taking on Graduates, there is also plenty of demand for experienced hires like you.And while other posters are correct in pointing out that PA and BearingPoint are small scale, they are both growing.(And BearingPoint is adding to their strategy team, so is no longer solely IT). So you get the benefits of working on a smaller team while still having global reach / resources. Prospectus is another great firm - small / medium sized but very busy.With your experience in life-sciences I think you will be in a very strong position, as that is another high-growth sector in the Irish market right now.Good luck.

Plus, he's now got 8 more years experience than when he originally asked....