Frost & Sullivan has a rich, 60 year history. Over the 60 years, Frost & Sullivan has grown into a global firm with a strong market research and growth strategy consulting focus. Unlike other consulting firms which are more generalist in nature, Frost & Sullivan has a clear focus on growth, which Frost & Sullivan views as a key business mandate. Frost & Sullivan’s consulting team provides clients with strategic advice and implementation strategies. Frost & Sullivan couples this consulting service with strong research covering industry trends.
This article will share more on Frost & Sullivan’s careers, practice areas, and salary.
Firm Key Stats
Firm Website: www.frost.com
Firm Headquarters: San Antonio, Texas
Firm Number of Employees: 1,200+
Firm Number of Locations: 45
Firm Chief Executive: Darrell Huntsman
Firm Revenue: Undisclosed
Frost & Sullivan History
Frost & Sullivan has a rich history dating back to 1961 when Lorne Frost and Daniel Sullivan founded the company. During its founding, Frost & Sullivan hoped to assess the latest global trends. From there, Frost & Sullivan continued to expand. For example, in the 1970s, Frost & Sullivan expanded to Europe, and in the 1990s Frost & Sullivan expanded into Asia.
Frost & Sullivan also broadened its service offerings over time. For example, in 2000, Frost & Sullivan created its customer analytics team. Finally, while Frost & Sullivan made significant strides organically, it supplemented its organic growth inorganically. Frost & Sullivan acquired Technical Insights in 2001 to expand its technology expertise.
To read more about Frost & Sullivan’s history, please click here.
Frost & Sullivan Careers
Similar to careers at other consulting firms, a career at Frost & Sullivan enables you to grow professionally. The professional growth is supported by the fact you are working with a global team of subject matter experts. In addition, during a career at Frost & Sullivan, you will be able to work closely with your client teams and support their overall growth-trajectory. Given Frost & Sullivan’s narrower focus, the ability to really hone in your skills on what makes a company grow (versus what makes a company run more efficiently) is unique.
Finally, Frost & Sullivan emphasizes the importance of a diverse and international team, as well as the importance of providing multiple career paths. Per Glassdoor, individuals get into the Frost & Sullivan recruiting process by either applying online or through their university. Tactically, you should ask your university’s career center if Frost & Sullivan is partaking in on campus recruiting that year. If they are not coming on campus, it is best to find a Frost & Sullivan alumni that you can network with ahead of time. That way, when you apply online, your application can be flagged / prioritized.
Frost & Sullivan Internship
Similar to other consulting firms, Frost & Sullivan hires college interns. The internship is designed to give you an up close look at who Frost & Sullivan is and the day in the life at Frost & Sullivan. During the internship, you will be able to:
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- Work with a global team of SMEs
- Develop professional skills and business development (e.g., quantitative and qualitative analysis)
- Network across the Frost & Sullivan firm
Practice Areas
Frost & Sullivan’s practice areas are:
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- Growth consulting, e.g., pipeline
- Research, e.g., best practices
- Events, e.g., live events
- Leadership council, e.g., on growth topics
Industries
Frost & Sullivan’s industries are relatively diverse and include:
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- Aerospace and defense
- Healthcare
- Oil and gas
- Industrials
- Telecom
- Renewable energy
- Notably, Frost & Sullivan doesn’t focus on retail or CPG.
Frost & Sullivan Locations
Frost & Sullivan’s locations are global in nature and include:
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- San Antonio
- Silicon Valley
- Miami
- Toronto
- Buenos Aires
- Dubai
- Mumbai
- Singapore
- Paris
- Milan
- Frankfurt
- Cape Town
Career Path
Frost & Sullivan cares about employee growth and engagement. Frost & Sullivan makes this ambition tactical by providing employees with stretch opportunities and ways to try multiple career paths. Trying multiple career paths within Frost & Sullivan can enable you to build a well-rounded toolkit. Given Frost & Sullivan talks about career longevity and growth on its website and in its job descriptions, Frost & Sullivan has less of an up and out culture.
Exit Opportunities
Given Frost & Sullivan has less brand recognition than MBB firms and Big 4 firms, the exit opportunities may be narrower. In addition, given the sector-focus of the firm, you may not have exit opportunities in CPG or retail, given Frost & Sullivan doesn’t play there. Example Frost & Sullivan exit opportunities include:
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- Moving to another consulting firm
- Going to business school
- Working in research in industry
Notable Alumni
Frost & Sullivan does not publish its notable alumni. However, based on a LinkedIn search, notable alumni include:
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- CEO at Crowded (LinkedIn here)
- Co-Founder, ideamix (LinkedIn here)
- Principal at LifeSciences Consultant (LinkedIn here)
Target Schools
Unlike other consulting firms, Frost & Sullivan does not publish its list of Frost & Sullivan target schools. However, it does recruit heavily out of schools in Texas, which reflects its San Antonio headquarters. Schools with a heavy presence at Frost & Sullivan include:
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- University of Texas at San Antonio
- Texas A&M University
- St. Mary’s University
- Texas State University
Diversity Programs
Similar to other consulting firms, Frost & Sullivan has employee resource groups for diversity and inclusion. Specifically, Frost & Sullivan has a GLOW program which stands for Growth and Leadership of Women. GLOW was spearheaded in 2015 to support women’s development goals both professionally and personally. For example, through the program, women can receive coaching, mentoring, and training. Frost & Sullivan also set a goal that by 2020, 40% of its employees would be women.
Frost & Sullivan Culture
On Glassdoor, Frost & Sullivan has a 3.6 star rating out of 5 stars, with 70% of respondents recommending Frost & Sullivan to a friend and 93% approving of the CEO.
Positive comments included:
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- Strong work life balance, e.g., one employee said: “The company treats the employees well in terms of leave and work pressure. work and personal life balance is assured”.
- Great people / friendly colleagues, e.g., one employee said: “Friendly and approachable senior team members”.
Negative comments include:
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- Limited training, e.g., one employee said that Frost & Sullivan “Needs to invest more in training and employee development”.
- Low pay, e.g., one employee said: “Salary is not competitive enough”.
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Frost & Sullivan Interview Questions
Similar to other consulting firms, Frost & Sullivan interviews consist of fit interview questions and more technical / case interview questions.
Fit interview questions can include:
- Why consulting?
- Why Frost & Sullivan?
- What are your main strengths? How will they benefit our clients?
- Why this role?
The quantitative / case portion of the interview may include a presentation case, in which you will be asked to make a PowerPoint presentation about a specific topic.
Firm Interview Process
Like other consulting firms, the Frost & Sullivan interview process is not always standardized. It can vary based on your university, level of experience, time applying, etc. Anecdotally, based on Glassdoor, the firm interview process contains multiple rounds, including a Zoom interview for the first round and an in-person second round interview.
Frost & Sullivan Consultant Salary
Per a Frost & Sullivan job description, the salary range for a senior consultant is ~$90,000-110,000 plus bonus. Of note, the senior consultant role is preferably a post MBA role. However, the salary level at this role is more equivalent to a post-undergraduate role across the MBB firms. For example, the MBB post undergraduate base is ~$110,000 – 115,000 and the post MBA starting salaries are ~$190,000. For a detailed report on consulting salaries, please click here.
Conclusion
Therefore, Frost & Sullivan is a growth-focused consulting firm and market research agency that is based in San Antonio. Frost & Sullivan has a global mandate with 45 offices. Frost & Sullivan focuses on career development, with focus on skill development and exposure to global SMEs. Similar to other consulting firms, Frost & Sullivan’s interviews generally have a qualitative / fit component and a more quantitative component potentially with a written case. However, Frost & Sullivan’s pay appears to be below market standards (especially for post-MBA roles).
If you are looking to ace an interview with Frost & Sullivan and want to prep with an ex-MBB consultant, please click here.
Additional Resource:
- Top Consulting Firms of 2023
- Boutique Consulting Firms
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide