The 2023 Best Firms to Work For: Berkeley Research Group (BRG)

Client Industries Served: Legal, Energy, Health Care, Financial Services, Capital Markets, Telecommunications, Media & Technology, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain & Digital Assets, Insurance, Construction & Infrastructure, Government/Public Sector, Retail & Consumer Goods, Higher Education.

Consulting Service Lines: Financial Consulting, Strategy, Operations Management

CMAG: How would you say you've managed to stay among the industry's Best Firms to Work For amid these unprecedented times?

We have remained focused on staying true to who we are, what we do and how we do it and on achieving our growth aspirations through careful and considered expansion in areas that align with our core focus and the recruitment of experts and professionals who share our values.

CMAG: Were there any specific programs or initiatives (internal or external) that contributed to you being a Best Firm to Work For?

We view any acknowledgment or accolade as a reflection of the general sentiments of our people and/or our clients. Internal communication has remained a priority and we have increased the number of ways we have to connect with all of our people as we grow and to ensure we are listening to, as well as informing, them. We have also continued to increase our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and the ways in which we can make a positive difference internally and externally.

CMAG: What's unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

• Our people – BRG is home to some of the most talented, knowledgeable and creative people in the world
• Collegiality – our focus on collaboration and removing barriers is really very different to the realities of many larger or more siloed firms
• Entrepreneurialism – the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders is something we work hard to ensure remains as we grow. This means checking ourselves on barriers to innovation and flexibility
• It is the blend of deep expertise and rigorous analysis that our clients tell us sets us apart. We have the best experts and professionals, backed by the most sophisticated data and analysis, and deep firsthand experience in our primary industry sectors
• At BRG we stress the concept of community, not corporation, both at a specific business area level and, collectively, as one master community
• Because we take stewardship seriously we're more focused on long term than short term results and are able to take a long-term focus.

CMAG: What's the top priority over the next 6 to 12 months?

• People: continuing to ensure we are the best firm to work for in our field remains at the top of our priority list. We are recruiting across all areas of our business, at all levels, and our focus on finding the most talented individuals, and making sure we provide the best environment in which to build their careers, has never been more important
• Growth: and with that, ensuring that the areas – practices and new geographies – that we expand into are aligned with our core direction and values and that we work hard to ensure new groups and individuals are fully integrated into the rest of the firm
• Equally important is making sure we understand – and help our clients navigate – the macro-economic picture which will continue to evolve over the coming months. This plays very much to our strengths as a firm whose foundations are in integrating data and expert insights
• Thought leadership also forms the bedrock of the way we build the profile of our brand and our experts and professionals. We launched some exciting platforms over the past 12 months and will continue to do so.

CMAG: When you look at the remainder of this year and 2024, what excites you? What opportunities do you see in your future?

• The growth we are set to achieve whilst staying true to our values is exciting and rewarding for us all
• Our expansion in Europe, particularly in the antitrust and competition policy space
• New issues and markets in areas including the digital economy, digital transformation and artificial intelligence
• Continuing to be able to see more of my colleagues and our clients in person around the world.

CMAG: What impact do you think being a Best Firm to Work For has on the firm? Employees? Clients?

• I hope it reflects back to our colleagues the pride they have in the firm and the place they have made it. It's confirmation and affirmation and cause for celebration. It's external acknowledgment of the things we know internally are special
• Clients want to know we share values and that we nurture and reward our people in order to continue to bring the best talent to their most complex problems. Accolades like this are an important reflection of those attributes.