Sitting on offers from OW (Manager) and a Director of Strategy (top 10 pharma) Location is Asia PacAll-in comp is ~200-230K (US $ equivalent) for bothThoughts? (note: currently at MBB)

Why are you considering a move to OW from MBB? Is it to get a promotion that you don't think you'll get where you are, or are you genuinely more interested in the kind of work you'd be doing there?If the former, I would say go to industry.

could be a lifestyle choice, do the hours or travel differ significantly?

Combination of the two- MBB pipeline is saturated at the AP and Partner level after years of 10%+ growth- MBB work is "deeper" at clients - lots of implementation stuff that is super boring- OW is growing fast and doing exciting work, especially in my vertical and in AsiaPac- OW giving me more $$$ and faster path to Partner- OW requires a lot less travel (not a single local client in 7 years at MBB, lots of int'l travel)It's really about a long-term choice of industry vs. consulting. If I go to industry, can I jump back? How difficult would that be?

with your sort of profile, I imagine you can do whatever you want to. If you do go into industry, make sure it's a senior position and that you demonstrate progression, otherwise you may end up pigeonholed.

There's no right answer here - it's kind of like being stuck between a fluffy towel and a soft place. But here's my two cents, as someone that works in Pharma post-consulting.The real issue is how you see your longer-term career path - in consulting it is clear, in Pharma it is not. There are countless strategy roles in Pharma, all filled with ex-MBB consultants, and you can theoretically go anywhere afterwards. But the thing is that Pharma companies are fundamentally sales and marketing organizations, not strategy organization. We market and sell drugs, and so the people running the company tend to need to have experience of doing exactly that. So you can have a very nice career flitting between one strategic group and another but, if you are on the commercial side, unless you do sales and marketing you will always be somewhat held back. Which brings me to seniority. If you've never done sales/marketing before and you come in at Director level, you may find it difficult to transition out of strategy into an equivalent level role - you'll get there eventually, and maybe it will all be plain-sailing (there are always exceptions), but typically ex-consultants are not welcomed by the marketing teams with open arms as the saviour of the brand. They are seen more as expensive assets that have never done relevant marketing work (ever launched a brand, delivered a promo campaign etc etc?) but who have very high expectations wrt their own value/worth. To many Brand Directors, the pipeline of young marketeers coming through the ranks will have done more relevant work, will be easier to manage, will be cheaper, and therefore will be ahead of you in the pecking order.As a result, many people leave (to equally good places) or end up taking lateral moves to get aheadDon't get me wrong here, I am not putting you off - it's a great industry and I will never go back to consulting - and if you are good you will always do well. But before accepting the pharma position, I would take a serious look at where you might go after the Strat role and how that fits with what you ultimately want to do.Best...

[quote]Sitting on offers from OW (Manager) and a Director of Strategy (top 10 pharma) Location is Asia PacAll-in comp is ~200-230K (US $ equivalent) for bothThoughts? (note: currently at MBB)[/quote]I feel Happy said (or wrote, rather) it well.Do you know what it's like in industry (pharma)? Do you know how you will progress from director of strategy? Your options?I moved back to to industry this year. Director - Group Strategy at the 4th largest mobile operator. Having been both in consulting and industry, I knew what to expect at my current role, etc. Saying that, I still feel somewhat unhappy here, with how things turned out, etc.

This is very helpful advice guys - really appreciate it. My sense is that people who have come into my role have generally 1) stayed in Strategy (e.g., Group Head is a former Director of Strategy), 2) moved into Finance (current CFO was in Strategy and is ex-MBB) and 3) taken on P&L roles. So some have been able to get to P&L, but not all.Question for camster: what do you not like about the current job? Group head of strat sounds like it's both interesting and high visibility. Do you feel stuck? Just curious. Also, what kind of shop did you come from and why did you leave?

[quote]Question for camster: what do you not like about the current job? Group head of strat sounds like it's both interesting and high visibility. Do you feel stuck? Just curious. Also, what kind of shop did you come from and why did you leave? [/quote]Last consulting role was with a specialist TMT outfit. Left 'cos I felt I wasn't going anywhere.I joined here because I knew what was going to happen, as in the potential buyout of an incumbent operator. Played a role in this.Saying that, my approach was not accepted. No real voice. All the effort gone to waste. Even more painful when I was right all along, and that you just can't simply walk in and try to dictate things - EU bureaucracy just won't allow it.And of course, there is the usual BS.

Argh, this is going to be a tough one...Would you go back to consulting if you had the chance? why or why not? Please note: work/life balance and travel are NOT important for me.

We can only offer our personal experiences and what we've heard/seen. I would go back to consulting, but for the right role/opportunity. This is the reason why I accepted this current industry role and not a 3 grand a day contract, i.e. being able to do something unique.The current CEO of Vodafone, he was a partner at McKinsey, but left McK and he eventually ended up heading Vodafone. You need to have some idea of what you're getting youself i, where you're going once in industry.If you decide on industry, the one advice I can give is..... find a mentor who is willing to show you the ropes, push you in the right direction, etc.