L.E.K. Consulting is an international strategy consulting firm, with headquarters in London.

Started in 1983 by three partners from Bain & Company, James Lawrence, Iain Evans and Richard Koch, L.E.K. has since grown to over 850 consultants and 20 offices worldwide. The firm now operates as a single global partnership and advises 20 percent of the world's largest companies, as well as leading private equity firms and governments. It stands out as the only major global strategy consulting firm to have grown from a UK base.

L.E.K. is generalist strategy consultancy with expertise across all major industries. It is a principal adviser to private equity, and was the number 1 adviser in number of transactions in Europe during 2007. L.E.K. is a leading adviser to the biotech industry and is known for its airline, surface transport, financial services and media and entertainment practices, as well as its expertise in alternative energy.

L.E.K.'s primary service lines consist of:

• Corporate Strategy
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Operations

L.E.K. is notable among it peers for its strong M&A concentration.

Recent activities

In 2007, L.E.K. was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise, one of the most prestigious commercial awards in the UK, for achieving a 50% increase in export revenues and in recognition of the achievement of being a UK professional services firm that has grown a substantial business in the US.

L.E.K. was hired in 2007 by Ofcom to perform a financial review of Channel 4, which revealed that the channel could face losses of up to £100m in the next five years and concluded that the broadcaster's business model was unlikely to be sustainable

Other recent work includes advising the UK government on achieving its targets for renewable energy L.E.K. announced that the firm would be the world's first strategy consultancy to become 100% carbon neutral and has developed a tested methodology for carbon pricing

Criticism

L.E.K. attracted strong criticism when it undertook a study of the Rugby Football Union in 2007 for its radical proposals to reform the sport, its unconsultative process, and its excessive fee structure - the company reportedly received £1m in fees for its report "The Way Forward"

Offices

Americas

Boston
Chicago
Los Angeles
New York
San Francisco

U.K.-Europe

London
Milan
Wroclaw
Munich
Paris

Asia Pacific

Auckland
Bangkok
Beijing
Melbourne
Mumbai
New Delhi
Shanghai
Singapore
Sydney
Tokyo

Notable former employees

• Jim Lawrence - Chief Financial Officer, Unilever
• Richard Koch - author and entrepreneur
• Damon Buffini - Managing Partner, Permira
• Boris Johnson - journalist, MP and Mayor of London
• Robert Boyle - Commercial Director, British Airways
• Philip Goulding - Chief Financial Officer, Allegheny Energy

External links

• Official Web Site
• Vault - L.E.K. Company Profile