One on One with Oliver Wyman's Matthew Bennett

Oliver Wyman's Matthew Bennett: Recruiting Strategies

As Head of North American Recruiting for the General Management Consulting Track for newly formed Oliver Wyman, Matthew Bennett has a pretty big challenge. Oliver Wyman, which broke off from Mercer in May, is growing so rapidly these days that the new-talent pipeline has to be constantly flowing. And a new brand means a new story to tell to each recruit. Is Bennett worried? Nope. Here, he discusses the new brand as it applies to his stomping grounds: recruiting and retention.

Consulting: As a firm, Oliver Wyman has existed only since May when Mercer Oliver Wyman, Mercer Management Consulting and Mercer Delta were combined. Doesn't having a new brand make recruiting more difficult?

Bennett: We look at the re-branding as a wonderful opportunity. From a recruiting standpoint, we're spending a lot time really focused on how we get our story out. Our first focus is making the brand as strong as we can in the markets we're in. Then, when we sit down with recruits, we want to make sure that we're being crystal clear about what Oliver Wyman is now.We recruit as one firm, but candidates can apply to both the General Management track or the Financial Services track. The General Management track allows you to work in a variety of industries such as aviation and retail, and consultants specialize at their own pace. The Financial Services track lets you focus on a wide range of financial services sectors, across retail banking, investment banking, insurance, private equity and hedge funds, with deeper specialization after year three. This ability of our people to specialize is another way that Oliver Wyman accelerates growth and a path to partnership, it's part of the story that we're telling.