A Career for Life Scientists in Management Consulting.

Abstract

Compared with life sciences, management consulting is a relatively new field. Nonetheless, leading firms have assumed a central role in the global business economy and command increasing influence as advisors to corporations and organizations in the public and social sectors. Offering robust analysis, independent and expert perspectives, and-in the best cases-valuable creative input, these companies focus on helping clients to improve their performance or more effectively execute their mission.Because the top firms tackle the most complex problems for the most successful organizations in the world, they attract top graduates. But the field is no longer the sole province of those with MBAs. In recent years, the profession has increasingly diversified and now actively recruits candidates with advanced degrees in a range of disciplines-including the life sciences.Those who join the field will find many parallels between the consulting approach and scientific inquiry. As a result, life scientists have many of the intrinsic skills needed to thrive in the industry, which can offer an extraordinary breadth of assignments, global experience, and an accelerated way to learn. At leading firms, the intensive training and development offered can pave the way for partnership, in which consultants counsel senior executives as peers. Many of those who leave become entrepreneurs or join top organizations-sometimes their former clients-at a leadership level.