Poor leadership, undervalues employees, hierarchical - Managing Consultant Wood Mackenzie Employee Review

1.0
21 Aug 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The firm places a high priority on benefits besides financial - 5 weeks of vacation, good health insurance. That is about the only good thing. If you are fresh out of university, this is a good place to learn and absorb content before moving on or returning to school. People who leave happy seem to be those who get out while the getting is good, usually less than two years.

Cons

Salary is well below comparable firms, there is always some excuse not to pay bonuses, they move targets mid year to avoid paying bonuses, leadership is quite poor, there is a disproportionate influence from Edinburgh (HQ) and from people who have never worked anywhere else, it is more important to spend time in place than to do go work, you get punished for doing too well and standing out, mid level management works very hard to defend territory and demotes managers who don't get with their program, the firm doesn't commit to anything fully and consequently never really does anything well. Best advice for applicants - read the review thoroughly. The number of starts I see in the reviews doesn't truly reflect the tone of the review. The stars suggest positive reviews, but read between the lines in the text and you'll see people aren't very happy.

Explore other reviews about Wood Mackenzie

5.0
31 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work life balance and interesting work

Cons

Nothing much to say on this.

3.0
2 Feb 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good people with good intentions. Work-life balance is above average.

Cons

The reality of being owned by a PE backed firm: Large scale cost reductions including mass layoffs. Woefully lean teams requiring higher workloads including much time spent on tasks outside of primary role. New leadership- since the hiring of Jason Liu, it’s hard to discern if we can trust the GLT. Observations causing concern include blame shifting, lack of accountability, and statements inferring that radical candor is actually not welcome (despite devoting an entire training module on the topic). Directors and managers do not have any power, and yet they are our conduit to executive leadership. The work has no joy anymore. We spend our days putting out fires on internal data issues, chasing lofty goals with next to nothing budgets, and trying to keep up with the ever-changing policies and procedures that impact our day to day. I rarely get a chance these days to do the job I was hired for.

1
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Wood Mackenzie Response
4mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. Wood Mackenzie is undergoing a bold transformation as we sharpen our focus on delivering the most connected, trusted intelligence for the energy and natural resources industries. This has brought change across many parts of the organisation as we evolve how we work, how we operate, and how we support our customers. We recognise that periods of transformation can feel challenging and, at times, uncomfortable. At the same time, this work is central to our long-term ambition to transform the way we power our planet and to build a Wood Mackenzie for the future. We remain committed to creating an environment where people can do meaningful work, contribute to a bold mission, and feel proud of the role they play in what we are building together. If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend speaking about the issues you've raised through our internal feedback channels such as our your line manager or speak to your HRBP. All feedback on Glassdoor is summarised and shared with leadership monthly so I can guarantee the themes in your review will be aired. We appreciate your honesty and your dedication to Wood Mackenzie over the past decade. Even when the feedback is challenging, it helps us build a stronger company and a better experience for our people. Thank you again for sharing your perspective. Eilish Henson, EVP, HR
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