Breaking into consulting in the West

At the heart of it, consultants help organisations navigate pivotal moments of change by diagnosing complex and ambiguous problems and guiding leaders to make actionable decisions. Businesses hire consulting firms for advice on strategy, operations, finance, people, tech, data, AI, and beyond, especially when they want speed, perspective, and expertise. North America and Europe are the largest and most mature consulting markets, while the Middle East and India are rapidly growing.

Firms bring in valuable research portals, frameworks, and toolkits, but their real edge lies in adapting these to the internal reality of an organisation, fitting the client company’s culture, leadership dynamics, and operating model. Especially with AI shaping the industry these days, parts of consulting work, such as research, data analytics, and content generation, are increasingly likely to be automated. That makes the human elements of consulting, such as stakeholder management, strategic judgment, and change management, all the more valuable.

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A day in the life of a consultant

As consultants progress through different work levels, from Analysts to Associates or Consultants, then to Principals or Managers, and eventually to Directors or Partners, their day-to-day life evolves.

Mashiath Khurshid, who worked as an MBA intern at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in their Atlanta office in the summer of 2025, explained that interns are usually assigned to a specific workstream within a much larger project, either staying on it throughout or switching cases in between. Her internship days began with team check-ins, where she would share updates from her previous day and outline her upcoming deliverables. A lot of her day involved making slides, doing research and analysis, and preparing materials for client or partner discussions.

For Dyuty Auronee, who recently pivoted into consulting as a Senior Consultant at KPMG Canada, a typical day involves client conversations and working through problems with her team. Much of that work ends up in presentations, where the real challenge is deciding what matters, what can be ignored, and how to shape data and market insights into a story senior leaders can quickly understand and debate.

Shajia Meraj, a Senior Manager at Bain London, who for nearly six years has worked on projects ranging from spin-offs and acquisitions to cost transformations and growth strategy, now spends much more time defining the overall direction: What is the real problem? What questions actually matter? What should we not spend time on? She works closely with the Bain leadership and client senior executives, often testing ideas in real time and adjusting the approach. A big part of her role is also coaching - helping younger consultants grow, guiding them through challenges that she once faced herself.

How to break in

The industry is very broad. There are firms such as McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, collectively referred to as MBB; Big Four practices including Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG; and other global consulting firms such as Oliver Wyman, Strategy&, LEK, Kearney, and Simon-Kucher. Beyond these, there are also boutique firms that focus on specific industries, functions, or types of transformation.

For Bangladeshis trying to break into consulting, the first challenge is access. MBB firms do not have local offices in Bangladesh, and hence, there’s no obvious transfer pathway into their global offices. The Big Four do operate in Bangladesh, but they predominantly specialise in professional services such as risk management, audit, tax, and transaction services. As a result, a top global MBA is the most practical way to pivot into consulting in the West. Shajia, Dyuty, and Mashiath were all working in other industries in Bangladesh before completing their MBAs in the UK, Canada, and the US, respectively, and then starting as consultants in those markets. MBA programmes provide access to firms, alumni networks, visa pathways, and brand credibility.

Dyuty said, “My MBA helped me build structured problem-solving skills, practise thinking out loud, establish credibility in North America, and learn a shared language for presenting prior experiences.” Dyuty comes from a background in HR in Unilever and BAT, which gave her a macro view of how leaders think and make decisions. That helped her in her second career as a consultant to connect the dots on how strategy would play out on the ground. She said that the MBA also helped her close gaps in financial modelling and case-based structuring.

Mashiath explained how target MBA schools help with two major components of getting into consulting: case interview prep and networking. She said, “A major part of consulting interviews is a case interview, where real consulting problems are compressed to test whether the candidate can structure the issue, ask the right questions, interpret information, and communicate under pressure.” The programme also provides intensive handholding through consulting clubs, casebooks, frameworks, and tools for structured preparation. These programmes partner with top firms to run a lot of networking events and coffee chats, enabling students to build relationships with people who can eventually vouch for them. She added, “Coffee chats are not just casual conversations; they are a way for firms to assess whether someone is credible and prepared enough to be introduced internally.” Coming from a background in finance, Mashiath was able to leverage her numbers-driven and analytical thinking, and the MBA helped her manage the gaps around networking in a Western context, and staying socially engaged to make the right connections, even when it felt draining.

An MBA is the most structured path to consulting in the West, but not the only path. Shajia advised that an alternative path is to first move into a regional or international market such as the Middle East or Southeast Asia, where major consulting firms operate. This could happen through industry or strategy roles, before gradually moving into consulting in that market and then carving a path toward North America or Western Europe. She said, “Expertise in high-demand areas like digital transformation or advanced analytics can be a plus here.” This route, however, is usually longer and subject to many uncertainties.

Skills firms look for

At the post-MBA level, firms are looking for self-starters who are resilient, adaptable, geographically mobile, and good at networking. Internships are a way for firms to test these qualities at the workplace, before extending return offers. Once inside, people who tend to do well are structured thinkers with strong communication skills. They can break down complex problems logically, articulate clearly, and adapt quickly. As consultants move up, leadership and emotional intelligence become increasingly important.

According to Shajia, at senior levels, the ability to align resistant stakeholders who initially disagree, motivate teams through uncertainty, and make decisions amid ambiguity becomes extremely critical.

These skills, combined with exposure to different industries, leadership styles, and business models, give consultants a highly transferable toolkit, over time enabling them to move into leadership roles within many corporations, startups, public institutions, or other leadership tracks.

Top tips for aspiring consultants

Aspiring consultants should start by believing in themselves, even when imposter syndrome says otherwise. Build that confidence by taking on stretch assignments early on and building a track record of excellence. At the same time, be honest about whether the industry is the right fit; it helps to ask: Are you comfortable being challenged and corrected? Do you enjoy learning new industries quickly? Internalise that the path will come with setbacks, and have the mindset to steer through regardless.

And for those who do make it through, there is also a larger purpose: as Shajia put it, “Success becomes more meaningful when it opens doors for others.” For Bangladeshis entering these spaces, making the path even slightly clearer for the next generation may be one of the most meaningful outcomes of all.

Syeda Adiba Arif is the Head of Talent, OE & Inclusion - APMEA Central at BAT. She completed her Bachelor's in Business Administration from IBA, University of Dhaka, and her Master's in Data Science & Analytics from East West University.