Good stepping stone but not a place to work if you care about your career long-term. - Account Manager Wood Mackenzie Employee Review

2.0
8 Jan 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you are new or inexperienced in the Energy industry Wood Mackenzie is a great stepping stone to help you get up to speed and gain experience.

Cons

It is well known in the third party information space that WM salaries are low compared to their peers. The benefits of the company culture and the exposure to the industry initially out-weighed the lower salary. Just like the other reviewers mentioned the management and senior leadership team is very political and very "good old boy". Despite this I enjoyed my first 2 years until WM was sold to private equity firm H&F. The culture and the direction of the company changed overnight. In order to prepare the business for IPO they relied on consultants to change every part of the business. After the changes the company immediately started to under-perform and miss earnings targets. With private equity money comes greed and that is exactly what happened, the targets and the pricing for the analysis skyrocketed. The changes left everyone across the business units very unhappy and moral was incredibly low. It made for a very miserable working environment. The learning and development completely dried up and the only training that was available was to help you squeeze every last dollar from your clients. Soon company gatherings were nothing more then a venting session for people to express their concerns for the direction of the business.. Management relies on reporting from SFDC and the last year I was there my role was nothing more then a data admin. I could not focus on my job to be in front of clients because I was busy logging meetings and interactions into SF. H&F runs weekly reports through SF and employees across the business who appear to under perform in SF were fired immediately without explanation. Colleagues that I had worked with for years were let go for no real reason other then the business was cost cutting due to over-shot revenue forecasts given by upper management to H&F. HR is also not available to help you with a career path or guidance they are only there to hire new employees. Line managers in Dubai are also not qualified to help in your career path or provide support for your day in day out role. If you are the type that needs this type of guidance then I would avoid the Dubai office. If you work well alone without any input from others then this is the office for you. The Dubai office has a problem with professionalism and often times collegues left feeling very confused about our careers and if it was the right place for us to grow and be successful. I did very much enjoy my time at WM the first 2 years but the last 2 were not pleasant and ultimately it was time to move on. With the company culture completely shifted I would think twice about what you are looking for in a career at WM. There is a reason the turn over is so high.

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

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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.

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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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