Poets & Quants article mentions an upset in the Vault Boutique Ranking as ghSMART is named new #1 Best Boutique Firm

January 13, 2021 | Publication

Clients gravitate towards prestige. They seek out companies that have been tested and produced results. These decisions mitigate risk in their view – and bathe them with the halo effect too.

Alas, prestige often comes with a subjective interpretation. Most times, it simply reinforces the status quo. That’s one reason why the Vault Consulting 50 often features the usual suspects – MBB, Deloitte, EY, PwC – in prominent positions. Consultants enjoy greater exposure to the big names, which are involved in more industries and functions. As a result, they tend to earn higher scores from competitors who score them, a wicked circle that prevents emerging players – particularly boutiques – from ever cracking the Top 5.