The 2025 Best Firms to Work For: Stax

CONSULTING SERVICE LINES: Strategy: Commercial due diligence, value creation and exit planning

Stax is a global strategy consulting firm specializing in commercial due diligence, value creation, and exit planning for private equity firms, PE-backed companies, hedge funds, and investment banks across a broad range of industries including software/technology, industrials, business services, health care, consumer, events and the education/public sector. The firm partners with clients to provide data-driven, actionable insights designed to drive growth, enhance profits, increase value and make better investment decisions. Headquartered in Boston, Stax also has offices in Chicago, New York, London and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

CMAG: What characteristics and elements would you attribute to your firm’s inclusion as a Best Firm to Work For?

Being named a Best Firm is really about our people. At Stax, we’ve built a culture that puts them at the center—where talented, driven individuals are supported, challenged and given room to grow. More than 30 years in, what continues to set us apart is that we never lose focus on our people: their growth, their voice and their ability to thrive. That commitment has always been, and will always be, the foundation of our success.

CMAG: Are there any specific programs or initiatives that contributed to you being included as a Best Firm?

Our recognition as a Best Firm in 2025 reflects how we’ve continued to build on the foundation we set in prior years. After expanding our ERGs, enhancing benefits, and introducing unlimited PTO in 2023, our focus now is on deepening those commitments by strengthening ERG programming, broadening wellness and professional development resources, and creating more flexibility in how our people grow their careers. What sets Stax apart is that these initiatives aren’t one-offs; they’re part of an ongoing dialogue with employees.

CMAG: In describing your firm, what would you say sets it apart from other consulting firms?

I said this last year, and it remains the foundation of who we are: what sets Stax apart is our people and our exclusive focus on private equity. We’ve built a team of some of the brightest minds in consulting, all united around delivering data-driven, actionable insights at the pace of private equity. In 2025, that focus is sharper than ever, our teams are not just validating assumptions but uncovering opportunities and helping clients capture value across the entire investment lifecycle in an ever more complex global environment. It’s this combination of talent and focus that enables us to consistently deliver impact well beyond expectations.

CMAG: Where your workforce is concerned, what would you say your priorities look like for the upcoming year and beyond?

The year ahead is going to be one of growth and opportunity for our people. With the exit of our private equity sponsor Blue Point Capital and Stax joining the Grant Thornton Advisory platform, our priority is to ensure that employees are supported as we scale, while continuing to offer the entrepreneurial, high-impact work that has defined our culture. We are proud to have built a 30-year reputation for excellent client service, unique tech-enabled solutions and impressive growth. As part of Grant Thornton Advisors, those characteristics will endure, only now with greater scale, speed and amplification of our impact. This means our employees will have more opportunities to build on their strengths, expand their expertise, and deliver even greater value to the world’s leading PE firms, portfolio companies and investment banks.

CMAG: What opportunities do you see as the most promising?

The biggest opportunities ahead come from the scale and reach we gain by joining Grant Thornton’s Advisory platform. Stax’s 30-year focus on private equity, delivering diligence, value creation and exit planning, now combines with Grant Thornton’s global capabilities to support clients across the investment lifecycle with greater depth and speed. This means stronger relationships, broader reach, and the ability to amplify the impact we’ve always delivered to our clients.

CMAG: What market forces do you see as the most challenging?

Private equity consulting in 2025 isn’t without challenges—elevated interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs and supply chain pressures, all against the backdrop of tighter deal timelines and higher client expectations. But with Stax now part of Grant Thornton’s Advisory platform, we’re built to meet this moment. By expanding our offerings, reaching new markets, and continuing to invest in our people, we see these challenges as an opportunity to stand out and deliver even greater value to our clients.

CMAG: What impact do you think Best Firm to Work For honors will have on your employees? The firm overall? Clients?

As a professional services organization, our people are at the core of everything we do. For the Stax team, being recognized as a Best Firm is a meaningful validation of the culture we’ve built, one that prioritizes well-being, growth and opportunity. It reinforces to our teams that their contributions are valued and that they are part of a firm invested in their success, which in turn drives satisfaction, loyalty and innovation. For the firm overall, the honor strengthens our position as an employer of choice, helping us continue to attract and retain top talent. And for clients, it signals that they are working with a partner whose culture of excellence and employee engagement translates directly into the quality, consistency, and impact of the services we deliver.