Frontier Economics is a consulting firm specializing in economic advisory services that range from public policy, regulation, and competition to energy and climate change. As the firm has grown, it has developed an excellent reputation for rigorous and imaginative analysis, with a highly adaptive client-centered approach. The firm has also gained recognition for its work in the areas of environmental sustainability.
With climate change promising to impact every individual, company, and government on Earth, consulting services that focus on environmental, energy, and climate-related issues will be in increasingly high demand for the foreseeable future. If you’re an aspiring consultant interested in applying your economic skills to help companies and government institutions invest in a more sustainable and resilient future, Frontier Economics may be an ideal workplace for you. In this article, we’ll give you all the information you’ll need to better understand what a Frontier Economics consulting career involves, and how you can get started.
Firm Key Stats
Firm Website: www.frontier-economics.com
Firm Headquarters: London, UK; Melbourne, Australia
Firm Number of Employees: 400-500
Firm Number of Locations: 11
Firm Chief Executive: Gus O’Donnell (Europe); Stephen Gray (Australia)
Firm Revenue: $75-100 million
Frontier Economics History
The Frontier Economics history begins with the company’s founding in 1999. Frontier Economics was employee-owned from the beginning, with a starting roster of 25 consultants. Since its founding, the firm has focused on offering economics consultancy services to both private and public sector clients. The company began expanding rapidly, and in 2003 opened its first office in Cologne, Germany. In the following years, Frontier Economics continued opening additional European offices. In 2013, Lord Gus O’Donnell—the former British Cabinet Secretary—took over as Chairman. The Australian and Singapore offices are operated under the sister company Frontier Economics Pty Limited. In 2022, Vault ranked Frontier Economics as the #5 EMEA economic consulting firm, as well as a top 10 firm for environmental sustainability and top 15 for energy consulting.
Frontier Economics Careers
If you’re interested in using economic tools to help companies deal with issues like climate change and environmental sustainability, then Frontier Economics could be an ideal firm for you. In this section, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about Frontier Economics careers, including information about internships, salaries, and interviews.
Frontier Economics Internship
If you’re interested in a Frontier Economics career, then a great place to start is the Frontier Economics internship, which is available to second- and final-year Economics undergraduates, as well as postgraduate students. The Frontier Economics internship is offered on both a short-term (8-12 week) and long-term (6-12 month) basis. Interns work closely with every level of leadership on real projects, and they benefit from significant training and mentorship. As part of your Frontier Economics internship interview, you will be asked to complete a case study. The case study may involve a sector that you’re unfamiliar with, but it is designed less to gauge sector-specific expertise than your general economics and consulting skills.
Practice Areas
The main Frontier Economics practice areas are:
- Behavioral economics
- Competition
- Data science
- Dispute support
- Finance
- International trade
- Public policy
- Regulation
- Strategy
- Transfer pricing
industries
The primary Frontier Economics industries include:
- Automotive
- Climate change
- Communications
- Digital
- Energy
- Financial Services
- Health and social care
- Post
- Retail and consumer
- Technology
- Transport
- Water
Frontier Economics Locations
The list of Frontier Economics locations includes:
- Frontier Economics Berlin, Germany
- Frontier Economics Brisbane, Australia
- Frontier Economics Brussels, Belgium
- Frontier Economics Cologne, Germany
- Frontier Economics Dublin, Ireland
- Frontier Economics London, UK
- Frontier Economics Madrid, Spain
- Frontier Economics Melbourne, Australia
- Frontier Economics Paris, France
- Frontier Economics Singapore
- Frontier Economics Sydney, Australia
Career Path
The Frontier Economics career path for consultants begins with the Consultant position, then advances to Senior Consultant, Manager, and eventually, Director.
Exit Opportunities
The services Frontier Economics offers its clients are relevant to virtually every public and private sector organization interested in planning for the future. Every organization needs to consider the economic conditions and impacts surrounding its decision-making. Further, every organization needs to consider how climate change and environmental sustainability will influence their long-term challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities. Therefore, the Frontier Economics exit opportunities should be quite rewarding. Departing employees are well positioned to offer their economic expertise to other companies and consulting firms, and they should also be well positioned to work for organizations that are thinking deeply about how to invest in the future as they navigate a changing climate.
Diversity Programs
Frontier Economics has a stated commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. There are many Frontier Economics diversity programs run through its dedicated Diversity and Inclusion Programme, overseen by the People director. The firm offers regular D&I-focused seminars, employee led networks, and holidays & cultural events that celebrate staff diversity.
Frontier Economics Culture
The Frontier Economics culture is driven by an emphasis on applying rigorous and imaginative economic analysis to some of the most important, complex, and intellectually challenging problems facing companies and governments today. The culture is driven by collaboration and transparency. Reviews from past and current employees highlight the smart, friendly, and helpful people that make up a highly rewarding work environment. Compared to other firms, the Frontier Economics culture supports a healthy work-life balance and allows employees a great deal of autonomy in determining their own career trajectory.
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Frontier Economics Interview
If you’re interested in working for Frontier Economics, then of course you’ll need to get through the Frontier Economics interview. Let’s take a look at what you can expect, so you can be prepared.
Firm Interview Process
The firm interview process at Frontier Economics begins with an online application, then involves a two-stage interview process. The first stage primarily involves questions designed to assess the applicant’s behavioral fit with the firm. The second stage assesses the applicant’s technical competency. This stage includes questions regarding the applicant’s background and expertise. Most importantly, it includes a case study.
The case studies are described as relatively straightforward, and designed to test your knowledge of “Econ 101” principles and theories. For example, one previous case study involved the applicant designing an evaluation of a specific policy intervention. This required the applicant to be specific about how they would collect the data necessary to conduct the evaluation. The interviewers assessed the applicant’s knowledge of microeconomics and econometrics. The case study also tests the applicant’s ability to apply their academic learning in a practical consulting context. Interviewers gauge how the applicant would collaborate with colleagues and interact with clients.
Frontier Economics Salary
Of course, if you’re interested in a Frontier Economics career, then one of the most important pieces of information you’ll be seeking is compensation. The Frontier Economics salary for employees working in the London office is:
- Consultant: £70,000
- Senior Consultant: £80,000
- Manager: £113,000
- Finance Director: £240,000
The Consultant salary, according to current exchange rates, works out to nearly $90,000. This is an impressive figure, although it doesn’t quite match up to the starting consultant salaries at other top firms. For example, the Big 3 consulting firms offer an average starting salary of $110,000-112,000.
For more comprehensive salary information on hundreds of consulting firms, be sure to check out our current Salary Report.
Conclusion
In a little over two decades, Frontier Economics has established itself as a leading presence in the EMEA and Australian markets, offering world-class economic advisory to clients dealing with some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including energy transitions, environmental sustainability, and a changing climate. With offices in Europe, Australia, and Singapore, Frontier Economics works with leading companies and public sector institutions to improve their analysis and decision-making as they navigate a complex future.
If you’re an aspiring consultant with an interest in developing your economic toolkit and using it to help major clients tackle some of the most complex challenges of our time, Frontier Economics might be the perfect place to launch your consulting career.
Additional Resources:
- Top Consulting Firms of 2023
- Top 10 Boutique Consulting Firms in US
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide