The Top Ten Ideal Boutique Investment Bank Employers, 2024
The 8,000 people that voted in our Ideal Employer report like banks a lot. Their favorite is JPMorgan, but the top ten contained six banks in total - more than any other employer group. All of these banks are big, with huge balance sheets and tens of thousands of global employees. But there is another type of bank that is disproportionately popular with voters: the boutique investment bank.
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What makes an investment bank a boutique is somewhat subjective. It could be a bank that only offers advisory (M&A) services. It could be any bank that is not a retail bank.
By our count, however, Rothschild is a boutique. And Rothschild is our most popular boutique investment bank in the world, smashing the opposition with twice as many votes as second-placed William Blair.
The modern-day Rothschild & Co. is a product of the merger between N M Rothchild & Sons, the London branch of the Hamburg dynasty, and Rothchild & Cie Banque, the French branch. Initially publicly listed in Paris, the family took it private again last year.
Rothschild scores very well for compensation-related metrics, which the bank’s UK co-head, Majid Ishaq, describes as “designed to attract, motivate, and retain high quality” people without “any incentives for excessive risk-taking.”
The boutique also scores highly for its approach to hybrid & remote working. Alex Midgen, the chairman of its UK executive committee, says that the firm had “policies aimed at promoting work-life balance and increasing retention, performance and productivity,” with its flexible working policy and agile working charter both key parts of that.
Second-placed William Blair is one of the more unique investment banks on our list. The Chicago-based firm is entirely owned by its employees – the bankers themselves – and has a reputation for paying juniors lavishly. Or had, at least. It topped our ranking last year but not this year.
Download the full 2024 eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer report here.
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