At OC&C Strategy Consultants we have more than 30 years of experience at unpicking the most complex business challenges with simple, uncommon sense. We’re an international consulting firm, but we’ve never seen size as an end in itself.

Our expertise is focused on a few core specialisms, allowing us to deliver results that get noticed. Our people are agile thinkers, cut from different cloths but united by a relentless curiosity and desire to solve problems. To us, each client challenge is unique, so boilerplate solutions don’t cut it.

We interrogate a problem until we find its root. Then we develop a powerful way to solve it. We don’t duck the difficult answers, we give clients the strategies they need.

We’re an international consulting firm, but we’ve never seen size as an end in itself. Our expertise is focused on a few core specialisms, allowing us to deliver results that get noticed. 

Our people are agile thinkers, cut from different cloths but united by a relentless curiosity and desire to solve problems. 

To us, each client challenge is unique, so boilerplate solutions don’t cut it. We interrogate a problem until we find its root. Then we develop a powerful way to solve it. We don’t duck the difficult answers, we give clients the strategies they need.

By focusing our efforts in our key areas of expertise, we are able to ‘hit the ground running’ as soon as we start a project rather than building in time to learn the basics.

Click on the each of the below to find out more about our sectors.

• Analytics
• B2B Products & Services
• Consumer Goods
• Leisure & Hospitality
• Private Equity and M&A
• Retail
• TMT
• Digital

We are a diverse group of intellectually curious individuals who thrive working in teams to solve the complex issues our clients face. Our people are our success and we endeavour to celebrate and support them throughout their careers.

• We know what we're great at
• We're relentless in pursuit of the right answer
• We're surprisingly human

At the heart of our operations lies a dedication to the environment, society, and firm governance, shaping the way we do business for a sustainable and socially responsible future. Whether we call this ESG or Sustainability or Corporate Responsibility does not really matter – it’s an ethos and belief that underpins how we’ve worked historically without ever putting a name to it, and that in recent years we’ve articulated more proactively as an element at the core of our strategy to drive impact.

Making an impact at OC&C goes beyond business success—it reflects our dedication to creating enduring positive change for the world around us. As a Certified B Corporation™, we recognise the interconnectedness of our actions with the well-being of the environment, society, and our stakeholders. We strive to not only meet high ESG standards but work diligently toward exceeding them.

Our 2023 ESG Impact Report highlights our progress and actions to date, from committing to set ambitious emission reduction targets across our 12 globally integrated offices, to helping our clients and pro-bono partners tackle complex problems with the very best strategic advice. We’re determined to make a tangible impact and are honest with ourselves – and the broader community – about what we can do to keep improving.

Our Approach

We seize opportunities to champion ESG initiatives through three outlets: OC&C’s internal operations, pro bono work for community partners, and our quintessential commercial work for clients. Each of these spans environmental, social and governance-minded principles – and all have seen exciting growth.

OC&C's initiatives aren't propelled by a specific team or corporate headquarters. Virtually every member of our global team chooses to actively contribute, whether driving a non-profit’s mission forward via a pro bono project, amplifying the reach of our in-house diversity networks, structuring and prioritising opportunities for our clients to minimize their carbon footprint, and much more.

Our Planet

Environmental sustainability stands as a cornerstone in our corporate strategy, deeply embedded in the way we try to work every day.

Historically, we have taken action because it was the right thing to do – without us necessarily having a centrally guided ESG strategy. In recent years, we've adopted a more systematic approach, enabling us to set effective targets and meticulously track our progress. Whilst we measure our environmental impact quite broadly, our most important metric within this pillar is that of greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, we’ve worked with carbon accountants Normative to put together a detailed understanding of our footprint, which you can find in our latest ESG Impact Report.

Yet measurement is not enough. Moving forward, we’ve committed to reducing our carbon emissions both short and long-term, guided by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We’ve set a goal for net-zero emissions in our value chain by no later than 2050, aligning with the Business Ambition for 1.5°C and UNFCCC Race to Zero campaign.

While carbon reduction is the primary ambition, we’re also taking responsibility for emissions that we’ll invariably have on our route to net zero. We're consciously navigating the complex world of offsetting with a strategic carbon removal plan. Balancing permanent removals and community-benefiting offsets is key, and our partners Klimate and Gold Standard guide our portfolio selection for impact across diverse geographies. We believe that supporting permanent carbon removal is critical for the industry to scale and meet global needs. We could wait until there is a more proven and cost-effective way, but in waiting, we could also prevent the very progress we seek. So, we’re acting now by permanently removing all our Scopes 1 and 2.

To help us achieve our broader environmental goals, we’ve set a series of initiatives and processes in place, championed by our senior leadership. We also believe it’s important for each office to drive local projects led by individual ‘Green Teams’ with colleagues from all parts of the firm. It ensures not only are we taking local actions that relate to the interests and goals of our local colleagues but also that we are sharing education and excitement for our ESG mission throughout the firm.

Our work toward environmental sustainability extends beyond OC&C’s internal operations to pro bono partners like climate action NGO WRAP, and our commercial clients across sectors.

Our people

As a service-led company, people are at the core of what we do. Our business is built upon the dedicated work of our employees, and ensuring their success is a fundamental part of our culture.

Flexible working schemes, voluntary unpaid leave and long-term international transfers are some of the opportunities available for staff, ensuring we offer maximum flexibility and a sustainable working culture.

We also have a strong focus on diversity and inclusivity. A people-oriented business like ours thrives on a diverse workforce, and this is only possible if inclusivity makes everyone feel welcome. We have programmes to embed this, such as inclusivity training and reverse mentoring, as well as initiatives within our recruitment processes so that we start with the fairest recruitment possible.

To ensure inclusivity is really brought to life on a daily basis, we have a Diversity & Inclusion Council that sets the agenda and oversees a series of employee-run networks focused on all elements of diversity within the firm. Highlights include the successful launch of a social diversity team within our Ethnic, Cultural and Social Diversity (ECS) network, as well as gaining widespread recognition for the work done by our LBGTQ+ Network which led to us ranking in Stonewall’s Top 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive employers.

Our communities

Our responsibility to have a positive social effect extends to the wider communities in which we operate. Our pro bono projects help to advance important causes and drive real impact outside of our own organisation, and much of these serve to uplift the people in our local communities.

We’ve delivered numerous successful projects in our pro-bono work across the globe and dedicate 1.5% of our revenue to this cause. These partnerships have had tangible benefits for the likes of the NSPCC (Leading child protection charity in the UK) and the Robin Hood Foundation (New York’s largest poverty fighting organisation).

In addition, whilst our commercial client work is not often directly addressing social impact, our clients often work in industries which touch on the livelihoods of individuals and communities. To that end, we are conscious of the impact we have through our clients and our responsibility to consider all stakeholders. This ranges from projects considering agriculture and its impact on workers and the communities, to those advising testing and inspection companies overseeing critical health and safety.

People really are at the heart of our business, and whether looking internal at our own impact or through the lens of our clients, we are keen to drive positive influence wherever we can, aligned with the B Corp mantra that business can be a force for good™.

Our governance

Many people associate “ESG” with environmental impact or social causes, but critical processes around governance structures, ethical practices, and protecting data and information security are important pillars too, especially for a business like ours.

We believe that ESG is so critical to our business and the way we work that we have embedded it within our governance and management structures, creating a Head of ESG role to be part of the firm’s Executive Committee. We have also built it into our legal founding documents, so that the need to care for all stakeholders (including the environment) is a principle upon which the firm is founded and governed. This commitment ensures ESG isn’t an afterthought but is at the heart of how we run our firm.

We are committed to ensuring our business practices are ethical and responsible, and we’ve set in place policies and processes to achieve this, which are brought to life both by ongoing training and our everyday culture. This includes our Code of Conduct, which enshrines our values and expected behaviours that guide us in how we work with our clients, our broader stakeholders, and each other. We have detailed policies that guide our ways of working and on which all our staff receive training. These are supported by a clear whistleblowing policy.

We take seriously the obligation to protect the personal information and the rights and freedoms of individuals. It’s an essential element to maintaining the trust and confidence of our clients as we engage their customers and employees, and it’s equally important for our prospective, current, and former employees. Our approach is primarily built reflecting the requirements of the European General Data Protection Regulation (one of the most stringent requirements across jurisdictions where we have integrated offices) and complies with the regulations in all the countries and legal jurisdictions where we operate.

As our business expands and develops, we will continue to update these policies to ensure they remain relevant guidelines for everything we do.

A note to our clients

To us, ESG is more than a mere promise; it is a requirement for the future. We believe in building for the long term, and this includes ensuring the sustainability of our own business and our clients’ businesses as well.

From that perspective, ESG should not be a side topic but part and parcel of a good strategy. Strategy is our heartland, so we often help clients navigate the complexities of embedding ESG in their businesses, making sure they drive impact alongside long-term success and profitability.

We take pride in tackling significant ESG issues across various sectors, such as improving planning in the fashion industry to reduce wastage and advising on emission reduction strategies in the food manufacturing supply chain. We also offer strategic support to companies squarely focused on the sustainability economy, including those in waste management, environmental consulting services, plant-based food manufacturing, and much more.

You can read more about our recent ESG related projects in our ESG Impact Report and on our Insights page, or please reach out to us to discuss your needs.

While conscious that we work in a very specific part of the business environment, we have found that the application of our approaches and people can help charities and not-for-profit organisations achieve step changes in their performance.

We leverage our resources and expertise in multiple ways, to maximise our impact and provide opportunities for all of our staff to make a difference.

• We provide pro bono strategic support to charities and not for profit organisations – over the last decade we have provided support to over 30 charities and are now proud to be partnered with the NSPCC and YEF (more details here)
• … and we actively encourage wide participation with our people involved in ‘Hackathon’ type events, and training and mentoring opportunities
• We run local office networks addressing environmental and social issues - local office ‘Green Teams’, and our Ethnic, Cultural and Social Diversity network and Women’s network
• We also run volunteering and fundraising organised throughout the year by our Charity network, such as our annual charity auction, bake-offs, fashion show, sporting events and much more
• In addition, we support corporate clients to address social and environmental considerations – helping them embed sustainability at the core of their strategy.

At OC&C, we recruit the best people and provide them with the training and support to develop their careers in a workplace that allows them to flourish, irrespective of background.

We encourage brave thinking and challenging the status quo and we see diversity as an integral factor to the success of our business. Fundamental to this success is the fresh perspective and insight that the diversity of our team bring.

OC&C have an active programme that encourages and fosters inclusion. After joining the firm, you will be teamed up with a mentor who will become your go-to person as you navigate the course you wish your career to take. In addition, we have active networks to support individuals throughout their time at OC&C which are largely led by our consultants.

If you want to work for a firm where you can make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

At OC&C we have a number of initiatives to support women throughout their careers. This starts with our Women’s Network which connects women across grades and tenures, both within and across offices. The Women’s Network works alongside the other Diversity Networks to promote equal opportunities.

The Women’s Initiative aims to provide support and guidance from day one, both through informal mentoring and frequent social events to more formal coaching and quarterly meetings with the full women’s network to share ideas and issues in a collaborative environment.

In addition to this, we also encourage women from all our offices to attend a networking brunch at our annual International Training Week.

Our LGBTQ+ network aims to build and maintain an environment within OC&C in which all individuals feel able to bring their whole self to work and feel empowered to succeed, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

We do this by creating a space for people to express and discuss their LGBTQ+ identities through a range of social forums, both internally and with other consultancies; panel and speaker events to raise awareness and educate the firm around LGBTQ+ issues and identities; and informal mentoring mechanisms within our network. We also work with our HR team to ensure that the needs of LGBTQ+ employees are addressed throughout the employee lifecycle.

All members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies are welcome, including bisexual people, LGBTQ+ people of colour or of faith, trans and non-binary people, and we work actively to support their inclusion in the network and in the firm. All employees are warmly encouraged to participate - both LGBTQ+ people and allies, in all of OC&C's offices.

We appreciate that there is a huge opportunity to go further and contribute to LGBTQ+ communities beyond our own offices. We are very pleased to be working in partnership with two charities: Just Like Us and SpeakOut Boston. Just Like Us is a UK-based charity which works with schools to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and tackle homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. SpeakOut Boston is the USA’s oldest LGBTQ+ speaker’s bureau which uses the power of storytelling to help people understand and challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in schools, workplaces and faith groups. OC&C is proud to be a founding member of their Sponsorship Circle. We offer both financial and in-kind support to these organisations through training their volunteers and offering strategic advice on a pro bono basis.

We were also delighted to be named one of Stonewall's Top 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive employers in the UK in 2022, and to be given a gold award. We have been part of Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme for several years and are pleased that the work we have done to build a more LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace has been recognised.

At OC&C, we recognise the value that a diverse pool of individuals brings to the firm and we strongly believe that diversity enriches our work environment. As more and more of our clients are facing business challenges at a global level, being able to draw on a wide array of backgrounds and experiences when solving problems is now more important than ever.

This is where our Ethnic, Cultural & Social network fits in. Our mandate includes celebrating the diversity that exists within the firm, ensuring staff from all backgrounds feel supported and realising the benefit that diverse opinions can have for our clients. There is a shared understanding and commitment across the firm to ensure that staff from diverse cultures all feel welcome, supported and able to thrive during their careers at OC&C.

We understand that ensuring the next generation of OC&Cers are even more diverse than the current generation is critical for our long-term success. As such, we proudly partner with organisations such as SEO to run events and encourage BME and students from a variety of backgrounds to apply for a career in strategy consulting.

At OC&C, we recognise that an individual's background does not limit their ability to be successful in consulting. Instead, it is the diversity of our teams that offer a broader range of perspectives and experiences, allowing us to reach a stronger, more well-rounded answer for our clients. That is why we are committed to ensuring individuals from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to be successful at OC&C.

We believe that performance is relative and, in partnership with Performance in Context (PiC), have implemented procedures to identify individuals that have been successful in comparatively challenging circumstances – ensuring they are assessed on their true performance and ability.

We know there is always more that can be done for social mobility, which is why beyond our internal policies, we continue to support charities such as IntoUniversity with pro bono consulting and mentoring, and work with SEO to provide students with an insight into consulting.

OC&C is a meritocracy. Success isn’t determined by where you’ve come from or where you started, we care about maximising your potential.