So I’ve been at my consulting firm for about three years now, and the exit question is getting real. I know plenty of people jump to tech PM or startups, but corporate strategy keeps coming up in conversations, and honestly? I had no idea what the actual path looked like.
I started asking around the community—not the polished LinkedIn version, but the real talk. What I’m realizing is that corporate strategy isn’t some obvious next step. It’s more like a choice you have to actively understand before you make it. The difference between landing at a Fortune 500 doing actual strategy versus being a glorified project manager seems to come down to how you position your consulting work and who you talk to during the process.
What surprised me most was that a lot of successful transitions happened because people asked specific questions early: What does your first year actually look like? Who are you reporting to? How much of this is strategy versus execution? These aren’t things you figure out from a job description.
I’m still sorting through my options, but I’m getting a clearer picture by just listening to people who’ve actually done this. Has anyone here made this move and found that the reality of day-to-day work was totally different from what you expected going in?
Your instinct to dig deeper is exactly right. The corporate strategy title masks a lot of variation across companies and industries. What I’d recommend is building a small list of people who’ve made similar moves and asking them three specific questions: first, how much of their time is spent in meetings versus actual analysis; second, where they see the role leading in three to five years; and third, whether they felt their consulting background was viewed as an asset or a liability. These answers will tell you far more than any job description. The move is absolutely doable, but your success depends on finding the right org structure where strategy actually influences decisions.
Corporate strategy roles vary significantly by company stage and industry. At established tech firms, strategy typically involves product roadmap alignment and M&A evaluation, whereas at financial services, it’s often more operations-focused. Studies from our community suggest that ex-consultants with explicit experience in market sizing, competitive analysis, and business case development transition most smoothly. A critical differentiator is whether the role reports directly to the CFO or CEO—this determines your scope and influence significantly. Track this distinction as you interview.
here’s the thing tho—corporate strategy at most places is fancy project management. sure, you’ll see some real strategic work, but honestly? most of it is defending decisions already made by executives and building the business case afterward. i’ve seen plenty of ex-consultants come in thinking they’ll shape the company’s future and end up in meeting hell instead. the key is actually asking during interviews what got blocked in the last two years and why. if they can’t give you a specific answer that’s not about ‘politics,’ run.
this is super helpful! i’m thinking about corp strat too and hadn’t thought to ask about the types of projects. so do you mean like, you shld find out what’s actually in progress before you join? that makes a lot of sense lol.
You’re asking exactly the right questions! Corporate strategy is genuinely exciting when the org values it. Your consulting background is a huge asset—lean into it!
also worth noting—check their recent headcount changes in strategy. if they’ve churned through the role a lot, that’s a red flag. stable teams with low turnover? that usually means the role’s actually valued and you’re not just filling a gap.
oh wait, so turnover in the role is a big signal? i wouldn’t have thought to check that, thanks!
Turnover is indeed a measurable proxy for role satisfaction and organizational dysfunction. Additionally, examine the ratio of strategy headcount to company size. Organizations with more than one strategist per two thousand employees typically have clearer mandate and resource allocation. Less than that suggests the role may be understaffed or strategic priorities aren’t well-defined.