India stands at the crossroads of the international business consultancy market. On the one hand, it is the preferred destination for the local offices of all international strategy and accounting firms. 

On the other hand, it is the birthplace of many domestic consultancies that specialise in addressing the needs of Indian and emerging-market companies and their international partners.

Below is a list of the top 10 business consultancy firms, which includes their founding date, owners, areas of expertise, and services.

Quick Comparison

Rank	Company	Founded	Owner / Founders	India Entry / HQ	Core Focus
1	McKinsey & Company	1926 (Chicago)	Global partnership	India office opened 1992	Strategy & Organisational Consulting
2	Boston Consulting Group (BCG)	1963 (Boston)	Global partnership	India office opened 1995	Strategy, Digital & Advanced Analytics
3	Bain & Company	1973 (Boston)	Global partnership	India office opened 2006	Strategy, Private Equity & M&A
4	Deloitte	1845 (London)	Global partnership	Long-standing India presence	Audit, Tax, Consulting & Risk Advisory
5	EY	1989 (merger; roots to 1849)	Global partnership	Long-standing India presence	Assurance, Tax, Consulting & Strategy
6	PwC	1998 (merger; roots to 1849)	Global partnership	Long-standing India presence	Assurance, Tax & Advisory
7	KPMG	1987 (merger; roots to 1870)	Global partnership	India entity established 1993	Audit, Tax & Advisory Services
8	Zinnov	2002	Pari Natarajan (Co-founder & CEO) and co-founders	Bengaluru	Technology Strategy & Globalisation Consulting
9	RedSeer Strategy Consultants	2009	Anil Kumar (Founder & CEO)	Bengaluru	Consumer Internet & Startup Strategy
10	Praxis Global Alliance	2017	Founder-led	Gurugram	Management Consulting & Advisory

McKinsey & Company – The Most Prestigious Name in Global Strategy Consulting

 Image Courtesy: McKinsey & Company Official Website

• Founded: 1926, in Chicago, United States 
• Owner: Structured as a global partnership, with no public shareholders in India 
• Presence: First India office opened in Mumbai in 1992

McKinsey & Company is a management consultancy that was established in 1926. As of today, it remains one of the world’s leading management consultancies that specialise in developing thorough, methodical approaches to business strategy and organisational change. 

Since McKinsey first opened its offices in India in Mumbai in 1992, the company has expanded its presence to Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, supporting major corporations, government agencies, and numerous small businesses and start-ups.

What McKinsey does: Provides strategic advisory, organisational transformation, and digital consulting to corporations, governments, and institutions.

Services offered: Corporate strategy and growth advisory, organisational design and transformation, digital and technology consulting, and sustainability and ESG advisory.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) – Strategy With a Strong Digital and Analytics Edge

 Image Courtesy: Boston Consulting GroupOfficial Website

• Founded: 1963, in Boston, United States 
• Owner: Structured as a global partnership in India 
• Presence: Entered India in 1995

BCG has been providing consulting services since its foundation in 1963 by Bruce Henderson. The company has built an excellent reputation for itself as an organization that combines top-tier strategy consulting with cutting-edge digital transformation and analytics. 

Since its establishment in India in 1995, BCG has expanded its presence to 7 offices in Mumbai, Chennai, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, serving a diverse clientele in consumer goods, healthcare, IT, and industrials.

What BCG does: Provides strategy, digital, and operational consulting to corporations and private equity firms.

Services offered: Corporate and growth strategy, digital transformation through BCG X, pricing and commercial excellence, and public sector advisory.

Bain & Company – A Leader in Private Equity and M&A Advisory

 Image Courtesy: Bain & Company Official Website

• Founded: 1973, in Boston, United States 
• Owner: Structured as a global partnership in India 
• Presence: Established its India office in Gurugram in 2006

Bain & Company is a consultancy company founded in 1973 and is one of the most reputable firms worldwide for its superior work in the private equity area, which is its main competitive advantage. 

It provides the best organizational development, strategy, and operational performance consulting services. Bain&Company’s India offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi help VC, private equity, and large organizations achieve their goals.

What Bain does: Provides strategy consulting, private equity advisory, and organisational transformation services to global and domestic clients.

Services offered: Growth and corporate strategy, private equity and M&A advisory, digital transformation, and operational performance improvement.

Deloitte – One of the “Big Four” With Deep India Roots

 Image Courtesy: Deloitte Official Website

• Founded: 1845, in London, United Kingdom (founded by William Welch Deloitte) 
• Owner: Structured as a global network of member firms in India 
• Presence: Long-standing operations across major Indian cities

Deloitte was founded in 1845; hence, it is one of the oldest firms that provide professional services. The company has excellent experience in consultancy, auditing, and financial services. 

It has managed to form one of the biggest Indian consulting, audit, and advisory service companies. Among the “Big Four” accounting and consulting firms, Deloitte has managed to serve a wide range of organizations at the level of India’s manufacturing, financial services, technology, and public sectors.

What Deloitte does: Provides audit, tax, consulting, and risk advisory services to businesses and government agencies.

Services offered: Financial audit and assurance, tax advisory, technology and digital consulting, and risk and regulatory advisory.

EY – Global Assurance and Advisory Services

 Image Courtesy: EY Official Website

• Founded: 1989 (through the merger of Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young; earlier roots trace to 1849) 
• Owner: Structured as a global network of member firms in India 
• Presence: Long-standing operations across major Indian cities

EY (Ernst & Young) started as a result of the merger in 1989, but the firms that merged had been operating since the middle of the 19th century. In India, 

EY has one of the largest staffs of consultants and advisers among the Big Four, covering a range of audit, tax, and accounting services as well as growing technology and consultancy practices.

What EY does: Provides assurance, tax, consulting, and strategy and transactions advisory services.

Services offered: Financial audit and assurance, tax and regulatory advisory, technology and digital consulting, and M&A advisory.

PwC – A Global Advisory Leader With a Long India History

 Image Courtesy: PwC Official Website

• Founded: 1998 (through the merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand; earlier roots trace to 1849) 
• Owner: Structured as a global network of member firms in India 
• Presence: Long-standing operations across major Indian cities

PWC is an international auditing and consulting company formed by the merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand in 1998. The firm has been operating in the market since the mid-19th century. In India, PWC provides a wide range of advisory and consulting services in addition to traditional audit and tax services. 

The company offers its services to large corporations and government organizations, being engaged in consulting on digitalization and regulatory issues.

What PwC does: Provides assurance, tax, and advisory services to businesses across industries.

Services offered: Financial audit and assurance, tax and regulatory advisory, management and technology consulting, and deals and forensic advisory.

KPMG – A Global Audit and Advisory Firm With a Formal India Entity Since 1993

 Image Courtesy: KPMG Official Website

• Founded: 1987 (through a merger; earlier constituent firms trace back to 1870) 
• Owner: Structured as a global network of member firms in India 
• Presence: KPMG India Private Limited established in 1993

KPMG is a global professional services network that was formed through the merger in 1987 of two historic accounting firms with an established presence at the end of the 19th century. 

KPMG India Private Limited was incorporated in 1993 and has grown to become one of the largest professional service providers in India, offering corporate, tax, and advisory services.

What KPMG does: Provides audit, tax, and advisory services to businesses, financial institutions, and government agencies.

Services offered: Financial audit and assurance, tax advisory, risk consulting, and deal advisory and restructuring services.

Zinnov – An Indian-Origin Leader in Technology and Globalisation Strategy

 Image Courtesy: Zinnov Official Website

• Founded: 2002 
• Owner: Co-founded by Pari Natarajan, who continues to serve as CEO 
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka (with offices in New York, Santa Clara, Houston, Seattle, and Paris)

Zinnov was founded in 2002 by Pari Natarajan, concentrating his efforts on the niche sector of consulting global technology companies on the setup of engineering and R&D centers in India and other emerging countries. 

Today, the company has been advising more than 250 Fortune 500 corporations on Global Capability Center strategies, technology development, and the artificial intelligence revolution.

What Zinnov does: Provides management consulting focused on Global Capability Centre (GCC) strategy, technology strategy, and Globalisation advisory.

Services offered: GCC setup and scale advisory, technology growth strategy, M&A and private equity advisory for technology companies, and AI transformation consulting.

RedSeer Strategy Consultants – A Go-To Advisor for India’s Startup Ecosystem

 Image Courtesy: RedSeer Strategy Consultants Official Website

• Founded: 2009 
• Owner: Anil Kumar (Founder and CEO) 
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka

RedSeer was started by Anil Kumar in 2009. Kumar lost his job at Zinnov during the global financial crisis and decided to start his own consulting business. He focused his efforts on the Indian consumer internet and startup scene. 

This niche was neglected by many large global consultancies due to the small size of projects. The company has developed its own know-how in the field, which has allowed it to collect and analyze data with its own team of employees using tele-calling and mystery shopping. RedSeer has expanded its activities to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

What RedSeer does: Provides strategic consulting and market research services to consumer internet and startup clients.

Services offered: Market sizing and competitive intelligence, growth strategy, consumer and industry research reports, and go-to-market advisory.

Global Alliance – A Newer, Research-Driven Management Consultancy

 Image Courtesy: Global Alliance Official Website

• Founded: 2017 
• Owner: Founder-led 
• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana

Praxis Global Alliance was established in 2017 and focused on providing a “next-generation” platform that combined “pragmatic, research-driven advisory services with more traditional management consulting.”

Praxis Global Alliance is different from conventional firms of strategic management consulting and market research because it offers consulting services in strategy, digital, and operations to its clients.

What Praxis Global Alliance does: Provides management consulting and advisory services focused on strategy, digital, and operations.

Services offered: Strategy, growth, and market-entry consulting, digital and AI transformation advisory, operational excellence consulting, and investment and M&A advisory.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the “Big Three” strategy consulting firms operating in India?

McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Bain & Company, otherwise known as MBB, are considered the “Big Three” strategy consulting firms operating in India.

What are the “Big Four” consulting and accounting firms in India?

The “Big Four” consulting and accounting firms in India are Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG.

Which is the oldest consulting firm on this list?

While several firms on this list trace their origins to the 1800s, Deloitte is the oldest, having been founded in 1845.

Which consulting firms on this list are genuinely Indian-origin rather than local offices of global firms?

Zinnov, RedSeer Strategy Consultants, and Praxis Global Alliance are Indian-origin consulting firms.

Which firm specialises specifically in helping global companies set up operations in India?

Zinnov was founded to help multinational technology companies launch and scale their operations in India and other emerging markets.

Which consulting firm focuses specifically on India’s startup and consumer internet sector?

RedSeer Strategy Consultants is the consulting firm that focuses specifically on India’s startup and consumer internet sector.

When did McKinsey, BCG, and Bain each enter the Indian market?

McKinsey opened its first India office in 1992, BCG entered the Indian market in 1995, and Bain & Company established its India office in 2006.

What is the difference between strategy consulting firms like McKinsey and the Big Four firms like Deloitte?

The main difference between strategy consulting firms like McKinsey and the Big Four firms like Deloitte is that the former specialise in corporate strategy, while the latter provide a wide range of services, from auditing to strategy consulting.

Are global consulting firms like McKinsey and Deloitte owned by individual founders today?

No, consulting firms like McKinsey and Deloitte are not owned by individual founders today. All consulting firms on this list either have a global partnership structure or are networks of independent firms.

Why has India produced its own boutique consulting firms rather than relying solely on global players?

India has produced its own boutique consulting firms because multinational corporations are often reluctant to pay exorbitant fees for services that are not directly related to their core operations, whereas local consultants can offer narrower but more affordable services. For example, Zinnov, RedSeer Strategy Consultants, and Praxis Global Alliance were founded to bridge the gap between large multinational consulting firms and local businesses.

Conclusion

India’s top business consultancy firms offer a diverse range of services from strategy development to tax advisory. The market is dominated by the “Big Three” strategy consulting firms – McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Bain & Company, and the “Big Four” audit and consultancy firms – Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG.

 Local players like Zinnov, RedSeer Strategy Consultants, and Praxis Global Alliance provide a wide range of services to multinational corporations and local start-ups. These firms have acquired their strong reputation by addressing the unique challenges faced by organisations doing business in India and are well positioned to continue to serve their domestic and international clients in the years to come.