Chart Your Course · Insights
Where consultants go after they leave
What 23,443 career histories tell us about the paths to the top
Rich Rosser, Founder
Every consultant asks it eventually: what next?
At The Movemeon Group we have an unusual way to answer. Our database holds the career histories of more than 40,000 people who have worked at McKinsey, BCG, Bain and the top tier-1 strategy firms. We looked at the 23,443 who have left, and followed what they did next.
Some of it confirms what you'd expect. Some of it should change how you plan your own move. Here's what we found.
What the data says about life after consulting
Most advice on leaving consulting is based on anecdote: the friend who went to PE, the partner who became a CEO. We wanted the full picture.
So we traced the career histories of 23,443 people who left MBB or a tier-1 strategy firm (Oliver Wyman, L.E.K., Roland Berger, Strategy&, Kearney, OC&C, EY-Parthenon and Monitor Deloitte), and looked at where they went first, how far they climbed, what they earn, and how they reached three of the most asked-about roles: CEO, Chief of Staff and Operating Partner.
Free with this article: the full 14-page report, Life After Consulting, with the step-by-step routes to CEO, Chief of Staff and Operating Partner, pay benchmarks and a self-test on which path fits you.
1. Two in three go straight into industry
The most common first move is an in-house role at a corporate or scale-up: 66% of alumni go this way, most often into strategy, transformation or operations.
About 1 in 8 invest or build instead. 6.7% join PE or VC as their first move, and 6.6% found their own business. Only 6.5% move to another consultancy or advisory firm.
2. Your title on leaving changes your options
Where you go depends a lot on when you leave.
Analysts are the most likely to go into PE or VC (9.4%). Managers and EMs are the most likely to go in-house (69%). Partners spread out the most: 14% join another consultancy and 5% go independent, around three times the analyst rate.
3. MBB and tier-1 start alike, then diverge
First moves look similar from MBB and tier-1 firms. The big difference is staying in consulting: 11.2% of tier-1 alumni join another consultancy, against 4.7% from MBB.
The gap widens over time. 15+ years after leaving, 47% of MBB alumni are C-suite, partner or founder, against 35% of tier-1 alumni.
Thinking about your own next move? The full report shows the step-by-step routes to CEO, Chief of Staff and Operating Partner, and what each pays.
4. The climb keeps going for 15 years
Consulting is a strong launch pad. Ten years after leaving, two in three alumni hold a director-level title or above, and one in three are C-suite, partner or founder.
Pay follows the same curve. Ex-consultants report a median base salary of £75k with 3 to 6 years’ experience, £100k at 6 to 10 years and £150k with 15+ years.
5. Three paths, three very different profiles
CEO: 9% of alumni have held a CEO title since leaving, and just over half founded the company. Principals and partners get there most often. The most common step before an appointed CEO role is a COO, GM or MD job: running a P&L.
Chief of Staff: 7% have held the role, usually as their very first job out of consulting. The median stint is 1.3 years, and about 1 in 3 move into a C-suite, GM, CEO or founder role next.
Operating Partner: only 1.2% make it, a median 4.7 years after leaving. Ex-partners are ten times as likely to get there as ex-analysts.
What this means for you
Treat your first move as step one. 4 in 5 appointed CEOs and Operating Partners held another role first.
Get a P&L early if you want the top job. COO, GM and MD roles are the most common step before CEO.
Time your exit to your goal. Leaving early favours Chief of Staff and PE; staying to principal or partner opens the CEO and Operating Partner routes.
About the data: Movemeon candidate database (CV work histories), October 2026. 23,443 alumni of MBB and tier-1 strategy firms who have left and recorded a next role. Figures are indicative.
Where will your next move take you?
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Consulting exit data · 2026
Life After Consulting
Where 23,000+ ex-MBB and tier-1 consultants went next, and the real routes to CEO, Chief of Staff and Operating Partner.
23,443
career histories
15+ yrs
of careers tracked
3
paths decoded
From Rich Rosser · ex-McKinsey, founder of OnUpBeyond, built on career data from 40,000+ current and former consultants.
