Bain & Company - Knowledge

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the wait for Henderson's retirement, the firm's project-based approach to consulting, and the refusal of management to help clients execute on the firm's advice. Around this time, he is quoted to have said to feel like "a consultant on a desert island, writing a report, putting it in a bottle, throwing it in the water, then going on to the next one." Bain was the expected successor of Henderson within BCG in the early 70s. However, in 1973, three years after Henderson's competing team decision, Bill Bain resigned to start his own consulting firm. Most of the senior members of the "blue team" followed him to his newfound company, which was started from his apartment in the

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Scotch whisky companies, growing profits six-fold. During this time, Bain made an exception to company policy by allowing a consultant to serve as an interim board member and head of finance for Guinness. Bain & Company was not accused of any wrongdoing and no charges were pressed against the firm for the manipulation of the stock price, but having a Bain consultant work as both vendor and client drew criticisms of its handling of a situation that involved a conflict of interest.

449:. It found that in 2015 Bain & Company billed $ 11 million for consulting projects, where the firm gave bad advice. After interviewing just 33 employees over six days, Bain provided a restructuring plan that included downsizing the SARS Business Centre, which produced one-third of the tax agency's revenues. An investigation found that then-SARS head Tom Moyane followed an unusual procurement process favoring Bain, who Moyane had been in touch with before his appointment at SARS. 3757: 34: 347:, an independent private equity firm that would buy companies that Bain & Company partners would improve and re-sell and whose funds these partners invested in. Romney allowed managers to know each other's salaries, re-negotiated the firm's debt, and restructured the organization so more partners had an ownership stake in the firm. Romney convinced the founding partners to give up $ 100 million in equity. Bain and most of the founding partners left the firm. 3746: 3409: 2807: 351: 2496:

1989 Price Waterhouse audit, the market value of all of Bain's clients was shown to have increased 456 percent since 1980. The audit was based on the in-house Bain Index. It compares the performance of clients' stocks with that of the Dow Jones industrial average, which was up only 192 percent. Bain claims that, for every dollar it charges clients, they increase their profits by a factor of 5 to 10.

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year, reaching $ 150 million in revenues by 1986. The number of staff at the firm tripled from 1980 to 1986, reaching 800 in 1987. By 1987, Bain & Company was one of the four largest "strategy specialist" consulting firms. Employee turnover was 8 percent annually compared to an industry average of 20 percent. Some of the firm's largest clients in this period were

314:. Tension was growing over the firm's partnership structure, whereby only Bain knew how much the firm was making and decided how much profit-sharing each partner received. The stock market crashed the same year, and many Bain clients reduced or eliminated their spending with the firm. There were two rounds of layoffs, eliminating about 30 percent of the workforce. 560:

boardrooms. However, since Bain insists on long-term engagements and implements the advice they provide, competitors claim Bain seeks out insecure CEOs that are looking to outsource their jobs. In some cases, Bain's billings increase every year, but the client becomes so dependent, and the firm so embedded in the client's operations, that Bain becomes unfirable.

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was growing once again. The firm went from 1,000 employees at its peak, to 550 in 1991, and back up to 800. The firm opened more offices, including one in New York in 2000. From 1992 through 1999, the firm grew 25 percent per year and expanded from 12 to 26 offices. By 1998, the firm had $ 220 million in annual revenues and 700 staff.

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head of the tax agency, a Zuma collaborator, that hand-picked the SARS employees Bain interviewed. SARS officials said Bain's reports were based on false and outdated information and that senior SARS officials were not consulted. Bain replaced its executive in South Africa and offered to refund the consulting fees.

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For one thing, Bain has seldom had to market itself; it lets satisfied customers do the job. Word of Bain's unique product has spread, primarily by word of mouth, from boardroom to boardroom. Chief executives at Baxter Travenol, Chrysler Motors, Dun & Bradstreet, Owens Illinois, and Sterling Drug

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Over the years, Bain's list of major clients grew to encompass some of the leading corporations of the nation, including the likes of Baxter International, Burlington Industries, Dun & Bradstreet, Hughes Tool, Iowa Beef, Monsanto and Wells Fargo. The results have often been impressive. In a March

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Bain & Company provides management consulting services primarily to Fortune 500 CEOs. The firm advises on issues such as private equity investments, mergers & acquisitions, corporate strategy, finance, operations, and market analysis. It also has departments focused on customer loyalty, word

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as worldwide managing director in July 1993. Gadiesh improved morale and loosened the firm's policy against working with companies in the same industry to reduce its reliance on a small number of clients. London-based Gadiesh has been serving as chairman since. By the end of 1993, Bain & Company

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In 1985 and 1986, Bain & Company took out loans to buy 30 percent of the firm from Bain and other partners for $ 200 million and used the shares to create an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). These shares of the company were bought at five times Bain & Company's annual revenue, more than

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In order to guarantee clients a proprietary strategy, he promised that his firm would not work for their competitors. The notion was unique; other consultants thought nothing of working for two or more competitors simultaneously. In return for abiding by that restriction, Bain ultimately expected a

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which charts the performance of Bain client stocks against various indexes. The index, audited for FORTUNE by Price Waterhouse, shows that the stock market value of all Bain's U.S. clients has increased 319% since 1980, compared with 141% for the Dow Jones industrial average and 67% for an index of

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Critics claimed Bain intentionally collaborated in then-President Zuma's corrupt acts to favor his wealthy allies and help Zuma avoid taxes, contributing to a dysfunctional tax agency in the process. Bain claimed the consulting firm was an unintentional pawn in Zuma's conspiracies working under the

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decided to divide his firm into three competing mini-firms: blue, red, and green. Bill Bain and Patrick Graham headed the blue team. The blue team accounted for over half of BCG's revenue and profits and won the internal competition. After the competition, Bill Bain grew increasingly frustrated by

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began with Britain's Department of Trade and Industry investigating whether Bain's client Guinness illegally inflated its stock price. Bain had helped Guinness trim 150 companies from its portfolio after a period of excessive diversification and expand into hard liquor with the acquisition of two

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Bain & Company grew quickly, primarily through word-of-mouth among CEOs and board members. The firm established its first formal office in Boston. This was followed by a European office in London in 1979. Bain & Company was incorporated in 1985. The firm grew an average of 50 percent per

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announced that Bain & Company had been barred from tendering for UK government contracts for three years after its “grave professional misconduct” in state corruption in South Africa. The decision was overturned and the ban was lifted in March 2023, with Bain now once again able to bid for

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from business schools, and was one of the first firms to hire consultants with a bachelor's degree. The firm is organized primarily by geographic office, with each location acting somewhat independently. It also has a mix of overlapping functional (such as M&A, technology, or loyalty) and

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was created to work with non-profits as an independent nonprofit itself. Bain & Company also maintains an in-house social impact practice and pledged in 2015 to invest $ 1 billion in pro bono consulting by 2025. This practice is built upon different pillars, including social and economic

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increased 192 percent during the same time period. Bain promises clients it will not work with competitors but in exchange requires that the client commit to a long-term engagement. The firm's approach to non-competition was unique and helped Bain grow through word-of-mouth among corporate

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Later in the 2000s, Bain introduced service packages for specific areas of expertise, such as the supply chain. The firm also became more heavily involved in consulting with private equity firms, advising on what companies to buy, facilitating a turnaround, and then re-selling the company.

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Bain & Company is known for being secretive. The firm was referred to as the "KGB of Consulting in the 1980s." Clients are given codenames. Employees must sign nondisclosure contracts, promising not to reveal client names, and are required to adhere to a "code of confidentiality."

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Bain created two technology consulting practice groups, bainlab and BainNet, in 1999 and 2000 respectively. bainlab was originally founded as Bain New Venture Group. It helped startups who otherwise might not afford Bain's fees and accepted partial payment in equity.

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Even in these bad economic times, the top three have also been increasingly working with governments around the world - in healthcare, for example, and helping to support struggling and restructuring industries (BCG has been an important adviser on the US automotive

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reported that Bain had chosen Christophe De Vusser, the head of its European private equity advisory business, to become the firm's global chief executive. De Vusser, a Belgian, would succeed Maceda from July. He would be the first European to hold the post.

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as managing director. Around 2000, the firm became more involved in consulting private equity firms on which companies to invest in and collaborating with technology consulting firms. By 2005, Bain had the largest share of the market for private equity consulting.

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to facilitate the take over of SARS; and that this takeover was at least partially motivated to prevent SARS from using its powers to investigate incidents of corruption. It was noted that Bain & Company attempted to bribe a former company employee,

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was hired back as interim CEO of Bain & Company in January 1991 and is credited with saving the company from bankruptcy during his one-year stint in the position. Romney had originally left Bain & Company in 1983 after being appointed to lead

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of Boston. A significant part of the firms for which he was responsible at BCG also followed Bain to the new company. Within a few weeks, Bain & Company was working with seven former BCG clients; this included two of BCG's largest clients,

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This also helps the firm achieve another of its objectives -- to grow its billings from a client every year. With Bainies swarming all over them, it becomes difficult for clients to disengage themselves from the firm. Says one:

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If a satisfied chief executive is worth his weight in billings, a dependent one is even better. Indeed, competitors carp that the Bain approach demands an insecure C.E.O. To that end Bainies stick around to implement their

528:. Bain's pro-bono work was in 2015 awarded by Consulting Magazine as a winner of their Excellence in Social and Community Investment Awards for having "redefined how companies approach corporate social responsibility." 243:

In the 2000s, Bain & Company continued to expand and create additional practice areas focused on working with non-profits, technology companies, and others. It developed a substantial practice around working with

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The inquiry recommended that the South African National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) institute criminal proceedings in connection with the award of the consulting contract to Bain & Company.

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as the head of North America in hopes that new leadership could bring about a turnaround, but Dawkins' leadership led to even more turnover. Bill Bain tried to sell the firm but could not find a buyer.

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South Africa's National Treasury announced on 29 September 2022 that Bain & Company had been banned from South Africa state contracts for 10 years, for alleged ‘corrupt and fraudulent practices’.

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Bain & Company does not publish its revenues, but it is estimated to have experienced double-digit annual growth in the 2000s. Although the market for management consulting was declining, the

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Bain & Company denied the commission's findings of "wilfully" facilitating state capture within the SARS and claimed that they had "offered full cooperation to enforcement authorities."

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Bain & Co said it was disappointed that the report "mischaracterises" its role at South Africa's revenue service (SARS) but that it would continue to co-operate fully with authorities.

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By 2018, Bain's private equity group was over three times as large as that of the next largest consulting firm serving private equity firms and represented 25% of Bain's global business.

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They anchor themselves in the stomach of the business. They forge a dependent relationship: 'If you have a problem, call us.' There should be a weaning-away process.

290:. As a result, Henderson accused Bill of stealing BCG's clientele. It is believed that the competition Henderson put out laid the foundation for Bain & Company. 3832: 310:

In the late 1980s, Bain & Company experienced a series of setbacks. A public relations crisis emerged in 1987, due to a controversy involving Bain's work with

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industry (financial services, healthcare, etc.) teams. An elected worldwide managing director is allowed up to three three-year terms under the firm's bylaws.

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Romney left again in December 1992 to pursue a career in politics, but not before he organized an election the following year that lead to the appointment of

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double the norm, and cost the firm $ 25 million in annual interest fees, exacerbating the firm's financial troubles. Bain hired former U.S. Army general

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Bain employees are sometimes called "Bainies." It was originally a pejorative term but was adopted by employees as an affectionate term. According to

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development, climate change, education, and local community development. Organizations that Bain has supported through pro-bono work include

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are credited with returning the firm to profitability and growth in their sequential roles as the firm's CEO and chairman respectively.

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Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State

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Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State

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In February 2022, Bain announced the acquisition of ArcBlue, a procurement consulting firm active in the Asia-Pacific region.

3445: 1911:"Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report: Part 1 Vol. 1: South African Airways and its Associated Companies" 1590: 1486: 1069: 587:. Bain has an active LGBT employee group called Pride (formerly BGLAD), and has been highly ranked as a firm for LGBT people 379:

In February 2000, Gadiesh was elected for her third consecutive term as the firm's chairman, and Tom Tierney was replaced by

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and his colleagues, including Patrick F. Graham. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the firm grew rapidly. Bill Bain later

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The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Winning Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, & Securities Trading

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as its first CEO. Bain experienced several setbacks and financial troubles from 1987 to the early 1990s. Romney and

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In 2012, Robert Bechek was appointed CEO and was later ranked as the most-liked CEO in Glassdoor employee surveys.

469:(better known as the Zondo Commission) found that Bain & Company worked together with then President Zuma and 404:, was elected to succeed Bechek as the worldwide managing director effective March 2018. In an interview with the 3271: 484:

The release of the report led to significant criticism of Bain & Company, including calls for expulsion from

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The idea for Bain & Company was conceived by co-founder William Worthington Bain Jr. during his time at the

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agency based in Minneapolis, in 2018. Additionally, it acquired an analytics firm, Pyxis, the following year."

1947:"DAYS OF ZONDO: Five things to know about the State Capture Commission's findings and recommendations on SARS" 1303: 3230: 3076: 2923: 442: 410:, Maceda announced a focus on the expansion of Bain's digital practice. "Bain & Company acquired FRWD, a 252: 686: 1243: 556: 555:

found that the aggregate market value of Bain clients increased 456 percent from 1980 to 1989, whereas the

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On November 20, 2017, Bain announced that Bob Bechek would step down as the worldwide managing director.

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of mouth marketing, and digital technology. Most of its consulting is on corporate strategy.

206: 202: 69: 2423:"Consulting Magazine Announces Its Excellence in Social Community Investment Awards Winners" 3749: 3465: 3431: 3291: 3101: 3071: 2140:"Bain & Co barred from UK government contracts over 'grave misconduct' in South Africa" 1450: 1410:"Biz Idol: How a stint in the Army taught Orit Gadiesh lessons to lead Bain & Company" 8: 3761: 3412: 3261: 3256: 3141: 3043: 842:"Bain Capital Sees Three Investments Stumble: Toys 'R' Us, Guitar Center And iHeartMedia" 708: 278: 209:. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. One of the 3286: 3251: 3185: 3038: 3023: 3003: 2482: 1341: 1304:"A Company Saved From Bankruptcy By Romney Was Just Named The Best Employer In America" 1054: 1003: 948: 536: 221: 19:

This article is about the management consulting company. For the investment firm, see

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in 2017, the results of Bain's consulting "have often been impressive." An audit by

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Bain has been the subject of recent controversy related to its involvement with the

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