®

Excerpted from the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2017 Edition. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2016 Vault.com, Inc. Photocopying is illegal and expressly forbidden.

Life Sciences Specialists, Poised for GrowthOver the last 25 years Putnam Associates has grown into a premier strategy consulting firm serving biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, medical device, and related clients in the healthcare space. The firm provides objective, high impact strategic advice and analytical services, helping to support clients in crucial business decisions at all stages of the product and franchise lifecycle. Putnam’s clients range from venture-backed biotechs (smallest client: 3-employee startup) to fortune 500 companies, including the majority of the world’s major biopharmaceutical companies—indeed, despite being based in the US, more than half of Putnam’s projects are global in focus. Putnam’s commitment to client success has sustained many relationships that stretch back more than a decade and supported continued expansion into new client opportunities every year.

Product EvolutionPutnam focuses solely on the life sciences, offering services focused on both development-stage and marketed products. That’s good news for the firm’s clients, who can spend more than 10 years developing new products—including wading through years of discovery, comprehensive testing, regulatory reviews, and commercialization prep—before the products even make it to market. Services include portfolio prioritization, market opportunity evaluations, competitive landscape assessments, product development strategies, in-licensing assessments, and growth strategies.

Committed to Long-Term RelationshipsBy providing insight and long-term support, Putnam has become the strategic partner of choice to a growing roster of clients. That long-term commitment also goes for the firm’s employees—rather than being a landing spot for a year or two, the firm wants employees to see the potential for a longer-term career at Putnam. Accordingly, the firm provides both formal and informal mentorship, and cultivates an enriching professional culture. Formal training and tuition reimbursement programs encourage employees to continue learning. Firm knowledge development projects delve into the latest breakthroughs in areas like cell, gene, and tissue therapy. The firm also sponsors community engagement and personal growth—from summer “Days of Service” initiatives (e.g., Habitat for Humanity) where junior staff play significant leadership roles in choosing and developing initiatives, to firm support for staff teams in Boston sports leagues, to the consultant-organized monthly book club.

The firm’s commitment to employee development is partly demonstrated by an outstanding MBA-admissions track record—since 2005, almost 2/3 of MBA-bound Putnams have attended Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, UPenn Wharton, Northwestern, Stanford GSB, or INSEAD. Additionally, several recent MBA graduates have elected to take advantage of the firm’s expanded tuition-reimbursement program and return to Putnam in senior leadership roles.

Finally, when Putnam’s consultants do leave, the firm is committed to fostering the professional success of alumni, recently launching a program of alumni outreach and events that bring together a growing roster of former staff that have gone on to success in other biotech pursuits.

Putnam Associates

Quality of life

#1 Compensation#1 Innovation#1 Internal Mobility#2 Travel Requirements#3 Satisfaction#3 Vacation Policy#4 Exit Opportunities#5 Benefits

#5 Firm Culture#5 Informal Training#5 Overall Business Outlook#5 Relationships with Supervisors#6 Ability to Challenge#6 Firm Leadership#7 Promotion Policy#7 Selectivity

#7 Work/Life Balance#8 Hours#9 Formal Training#10 International Opportunity#12 Interaction with Clients

overall

#6 Diversity#11 Vault Consulting 50

FiRm inFo

ConTACT inFo501 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 456-5200Fax: (617) 849-7489www.putassoc.com

77 Geary St., 5th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94108Phone: (415) 548-6495

PRACTiCE AREASCorporate Strategy • Portfo-lio, Licensing & Development Strategy • New Products Strategy • Established Prod-uct & Franchise Strategy • Pricing, Reimbursement, & Market Access • Other Stra-tegic Projects

ThE STATSemployer type: Private Company Partner, Boston office Head: Remco op den Kelder 2016 employees: 842015 employees: 77

EmPLoymEnT ConTACTwww.putassoc.com/careers

#1 BouTiquE ConSuLTinG FiRm

2017 Top 50 ConsulTing Firm

ThE SCooP

®

Excerpted from the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2017 Edition. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2016 Vault.com, Inc. Photocopying is illegal and expressly forbidden.

Ensuring a Successful LaunchNearly half of Putnam’s projects in the past year have addressed the challenges of bringing cutting edge medical innovations to market. In a typical recent project, Putnam helped validate the epidemiology of untreated patient populations, then worked with the client to better define unmet medical needs in the therapeutic area. This led to recommendations around endpoints in Phase III trial designs. Putnam then worked with the commercial team to build strategies around introducing the product to target markets. At the same time, Putnam helped build forecast models for key countries and conducted pipeline assessments to help the client keep abreast of fast moving clinical developments among competitors (which also informed in-licensing scans). Whether Putnam’s clients are honing their portfolios, developing new products, or trying to grow marketed products, the firm’s strength lies in its ability to consistently deliver exceptional work and superior insights on the industry’s complex challenges.

Vault’s Verdict: With around a quarter of a century of success under its belt, Putnam Associates has carved out a nice niche for itself in the life sciences field, and seems to be focused on widening its footprint and influence in the years to come. Given its boutique size and specialty, it’s a firm that will appeal to a very specific type of candidate, but for those with the right skillset and the willingness to work hard, it’s a place with a lot of potential to build a strong career in a growing field.

Insiders are particularly keen on the firm’s culture, and the development opportunities they’re exposed to from an early stage in their tenure with the firm. A low travel model helps to take the sting out of the long-hours culture that permeates the industry at large, while also helping colleagues to create genuine bonds with one another due to the time they spend working together in the firm’s offices in central Boston and San Francisco (Union Square). For those seeking the boutique life sciences experience, this is definitely a firm that’s worth investigating further.

2017 Top 50 ConsulTing FirmPutnam associates

ouR SuRvEy SAyS

Firm Culture• “If you are prepared to work hard, this is a place that will reward

hard work with appropriate compensation and promotion, additionally rather than fighting for promotions, people work together to better themselves as individuals and professionals every day.”

• “The people at the office make all the difference, they are the most enjoyable people to work with and the team dynamic provides motivation for every employee to contribute their absolute best.”

• “There is a huge ethos on getting things right—asking the right questions, answering them convincingly, drawing strategic implications, and communicating it all well. Nothing is ‘cookie-cutter.’ […] You do get the sense working at Putnam that you are working with the best of the consulting industry, and that view is frequently reinforced with positive client feedback.”

quality of Life• “The office culture at Putnam is truly a blessing to work with.

The company is full of people that, while being extraordinarily talented and driven, are some of the most approachable and welcoming people you’ll meet. It’s an exciting prospect every day to be able to collaborate in a team setting with such great team players.”

• “Although our hours are pretty standard for the consulting industry and can be harsh, we have management that cares about work-life balance and tries to manage around the cyclical nature of project work.”

Career Development• “Putnam offers unparalleled opportunities to expand and diversify

your experience and skillset within the biotech and pharma industries. Within just a couple of months, I was able to gain enormous improvements in insight into various fields within the

pharma world […] I truly believe that very few firms offer the opportunity to expand your roles and responsibilities within the company as Putnam does.”

• “Many mid-level consultants and managers are those who have started out as entry-level associates. The internal promotion policy and mentoring is top-notch to keep internal talent as well as provide excellent exit opportunities into the healthcare industry and business schools.”

• “The training program for new hires is very comprehensive and helpful. The senior colleagues always encourage me to make one step further.”

Compensation• “Putnam provides profit sharing which is a clear sign that they

want to reward its employees for the hard work they do and personally acknowledge that Putnam would not be as successful as they are without them.”

• “Compensation is highly competitive and makes large jumps with promotions, especially for advanced degree holders.”

outlook• “The firm has been growing significantly over the years, adding

clients at a fast pace and maintaining the top 20 pharm clients that we’ve had over the past 25 years.”

• “Putnam is a rapidly growing firm, constantly expanding in its diversity of expertise and business as well as its growth in employees. Putnam approaches firm growth in an aggressive but disciplined manner, giving its employees tremendous confidence in its progress.”

• “The partnership has a clear direction for the firm and it will continue to thrive. We are the best consulting company in the healthcare industry, bar none.”