The results of this year’s Executive Outlook survey, combined with exclusive interviews with 15 firm leaders, would indicate a very
positive year lies ahead for the consulting
industry. Of course, global unrest and the
threat of inflation looming large could throw a
wrench into—or even derail—what figures to be
a very rosy year ahead for the profession.
Based on our interviews, consulting
firm leaders feel as confident as they
have in quite some time. There’s simply
no denying they all feel good about the
economy and their firms' overall financial
performance in 2015, and are especially
bullish about the year ahead.
Several say they just concluded one
of their best years ever and plenty used
words like “optimistic,” “successful,”
“momentum,” “extraordinary” and “double-
digit growth.” Some firm leaders are even
reporting growth north of 20 percent. Not too
shabby. Gone is the mantra of “cautiously
optimistic” that seemed to punctuate nearly
all of previous years’ interviews. While no
one is predicting economic euphoria, most
would agree that the year ahead should be
very, very healthy. The news is good.
Happy days may be here again, but they
are measured. Economists are quick to point
out that we are still stuck in a slow growth
mode and the global economy will have to
continue settling for growth in the 2 percent
to 3 percent range.
And Europe and China’s economic
troubles will continue to have a ripple
effect. However, consulting firm leaders
27%
13%
20% 22%
10%
8%
24%
20%
21%
18%
17%
FIRM SIZE (employees)
More than 10,000
5,000-9,999
1,000-4,999
251-999
Less than 250
TYPE OF FIRM:
Strategy
Operations
IT Consulting
Financial Consulting
Human Resources
Multi-Service
WHO TOOK THE EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK SURVEY?
Consulting® JANUARY 2016 7