What Big4 Consulting Firms are the Best

Overview of Big4 Consulting Firms

Big4 consulting firms are the largest and most sought after consulting firms in the world. They provide top-notch services to their clients and have a proven track record of success. These firms are Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and Ernst & Young.

This article will provide an overview of each Big4 firm and help you decide which is the best one for your needs:

• Deloitte
• KPMG
• PwC
• Ernst & Young

Deloitte

Deloitte is one of the world’s leading professional services firms. Providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to clients around the world, it has revenues in excess of $20 billion and more than 364,000 members in its global network of member firms.

Over the past few years Deloitte has seen an increase in its presence throughout Asia-Pacific and they were also crowned by Fortune as the number one “World’s Most Admired Organizations.” Deloitte prides itself on its commitment to quality service at every level and their “impact plus value” approach works to ensure that their clients receive the highest caliber advice in order to help them make informed decisions.

Deloitte provides a wide range of services tailored to meet their client’s particular needs including:

• Auditing & Assurance
• Human Capital Advisors & Consultants
• Enterprise Performance Consultants & Transformation Experts who assist large entities with organizational change initiatives such as digital transformation initiatives within enterprises
• Tax Services that help mitigate financial risks
• Believe Corporate Finance & Analytics providing highly specialized teams with expertise backed by technology platforms
• Risk Advisory helping organizations develop strategies for success
• Government Sector Consulting specifically designed for public sector organization planning including strategy, change management/organizational/operational process improvement as well as cutting edge technology implementation

These are all offered under a comprehensive portfolio designed to meet the needs of each individual client in order for them to maximize business outcomes.

EY

Ernst & Young (EY) is one of the largest professional services firms in the world and one of the so-called “Big 4” firms that dominate the accounting, tax, and consulting industries. Their services include external audit and assurance, risk advisory, tax, transaction advisory, and management consulting. As a global leader in these areas, EY has built strong relationships with clients from a wide range of industries including financial services, life sciences, energy & utilities and consumer products & retail.

At EY they strive to provide clients with quality solutions tailored to their individual industry challenges. With accomplished teams across multiple continents and in different regions around the world they are able to support all kinds of business strategies.

The team at EY are committed to providing continuous education to their employees in order to help them stay up-to-date on a variety of market trends and challenges. They also focus on developing innovative solutions for clients by leveraging technology as well as cultivating partnerships with startups across multiple industries. Additionally they have pioneered environmental sustainability initiatives such as launching carbon neutral businesses globally.

Ultimately this commitment to service excellence has helped them become one of the most sought after consultancy firms in the world today.

KPMG

KPMG is one of the Big 4 accounting firms and is considered one of the largest professional services networks in the world. The firm provides a wide range of services related to tax, audit and assurance, financial advisory, technology consulting, performance improvement and legal services.

KPMG has offices in more than 150 countries globally with nearly 200 000 professionals. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands the company is structured into three lines of services:

• Audit & Assurance
• Tax & Legal
• Digital Transformation & Strategic Consulting

KPMG’s Digital Transformation & Strategic Consulting team offers valuable advice for clients to manage major projects or plan strategy on organizational change issues such as process optimization, systems upgrades or data-driven decisions. Services provided include:

• Enterprise compliance solutions
• End-to-end project management
• Quality assurance consultancy
• Data science tools development
• Implementation/migration support

PwC

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is one of the world’s largest professional services networks and one of the “Big 4” accounting firms. Headquartered in London, PwC operates in over 158 countries and employs over 250,000 people. The firm has six main business units: assurance, tax & legal, consulting, deals, digital services and people & organization.

PwC has made a significant commitment to innovation via its network-wide PwC Innovation initiatives, which bring together subject matter experts from around the world to drive creative problem-solving and commercialization of ideas. Their Digital Services group have created a number of successful technology solutions for clients and new business opportunities for the rest of the firm.

The Consulting arm of PwC includes several specialized practice areas such as strategy & operations consulting; risk assurance; Sustainable Business Solutions; organizational transformation consulting; human capital consulting; and analytics capabilities such as artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, customers can access tools such as Xororo Visualization Studio for data visualization needs. Finally, PwC has invested heavily in digital marketing technologies with platforms such as Shifit to enable customers to undergo interactive digital transformations.

Areas of Expertise

The Big4 consulting firms, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC, are some of the biggest and most prestigious companies in the world, offering a wide range of services to their clients. From providing advice and assistance on strategy to financial audits and data analysis, these firms are experts in their field.

Let’s take a closer look at the areas of expertise in which these Big4 firms specialize:

Deloitte – Tax, Audit, Risk Advisory

Deloitte is recognized as one of the leading professional services firms offering audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services for businesses in a wide range of industries. Deloitte has been in business for over a century and is now one of the largest Big 4 firms. The company is committed to providing organizations with independent, accurate, timely and reliable advice.

Deloitte’s audit assurance practice provides independent and objective assessments that treat every client engagement with uncompromising commitment to quality.

The tax services offered by Deloitte provide organizations with an understanding of the relevant tax implications by focusing on holistically understanding underlying business objectives better. From analyzing current tax positions to tax planning strategies that improves an organization’s overall financial stability, Deloitte’s team works diligently to develop innovative solutions for each client’s needs.

Deloitte also provides risk advisory services which focus on identifying potential risks and advising clients on how to best manage them. They work closely with their clients to carry out comprehensive risk assessments that recognize exposures as well as opportunities in order to develop practical plans that reduce both current risk levels as well as build resilience against future risks while maintaining regulatory compliance requirements.

In addition to audit, tax, and risk advisory services, Deloitte offers a range of other consulting services including financial advisory services such as mergers & acquisitions support, corporate restructuring assistance, transaction support, strategy & operations consulting and cybersecurity solutions.

EY – Tax, Audit, Advisory

Ernst & Young (EY) is a multi-national professional services firm based in London and operating in more than 150 countries around the world. With about 231,000 employees, EY is one of the largest of the “Big Four” accounting firms. It offers a range of services including audit and assurance, tax, consulting and transaction advisory services.

Audit & Assurance: In an EY audit engagement, teams of professionals provide an independent assessment of organisations’ operations to enable management and stakeholders to make informed decisions. Their assurance supports clients on compliance with regulations and offers recommendations in areas such as IT security compliance or risk management performance. They also help organizations to anticipate changes that could warrant new or revised control systems or processes.

Tax: EY’s Tax practice assists individuals and organizations with tax planning strategies and support regarding compliance with taxation laws across international borders. They also aid companies in any mergers or acquisitions by providing a full range of tax advice from initial structuring onwards. Additionally, their professionals provide solutions for global information reporting for income taxes as well as value added taxes (VAT).

Advisory: The Advisory services at EY help their clients respond to specific business needs. Leveraging technology solutions, their consultants obtain a comprehensive view of risks across all areas within an organisation. They also assist organisations to better leverage environmental sustainability practices within its corporate routines by developing strategies that are tailored to meet local regulations globally. Lastly, EY experts support companies through design implementation plans that can make their operations more efficient while considering cost optimisation solutions.

KPMG – Tax, Audit, Advisory

KPMG is one of the most renowned names in the professional services and business consulting arena, with a strong presence in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide. KPMG brings extensive experience, technical knowledge and industry insight to advisory services, helping clients to achieve their goals faster, with better results.

KPMG’s Tax practice assists clients in navigating complex tax matters, including domestic and international compliance requirements. KPMG Audit professionals provide assurance of financial data via audit services. Financial Statement Audits are conducted to ensure accuracy in financial reporting and give potential investors insight into a company’s financial health.

KPMG’s Advisory practice provides specialized business analysis, consulting expertise and technology solutions to help organizations manage both organizational complexity and risk more effectively – a critical factor in maintaining good relationships with management teams, regulators and shareholders. These services help companies anticipate change while managing legal risk through the development of clear strategies that are easy to execute.

KPMG also provides exceptional thought leadership with global experts from all areas of the firm who share their knowledge through research papers, conferences and other insights for today’s dynamic business environment. The firm helps its clients become quick adopters of new discoveries so that they remain ahead of their competitors. Additionally, KPMG strives for ever-improving quality measures by offering value-based solutions that meet client needs through the implementation of fit-for-purpose processes tailored for each organization type or stage along its life cycle.

PwC – Tax, Audit, Advisory

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is one of the four largest global accountancy and professional services firms, also known as the ‘Big Four’. PwC is known for their expertise in tax consulting, audit, assurance and advisory services.

On the audit side, PwC helps organisations with IFRS reporting and assurance to meet lengthy financial reporting requirements, including Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. They also offer insights on how to strengthen financial controls and systems in order to manage risk into the future.

PwC’s Tax practice supports companies with international tax compliance obligations that introduce complexities due to merging local finances with foreign entities. Their tax lawyers are well-versed in both domestic and international laws, meaning that they can understand how localised regulations interact with global initiatives such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) orders or US Tax Reform initiatives.

Their Advisory practice works across industries to provide commercial advice on a broad spectrum of topics including:

• Risk management/compliance
• Salesforce effectiveness strategies
• Forensic analysis/business intelligence implementation strategies

Working together with their clients to help them gain better insights into their businesses for investment planning purposes, business performance improvement contracts etc., PWC has become an invaluable resource for many organisations around the world.

Reputation

When it comes to Big4 consultancies, reputation is key. Not all Big4 firms are created equal, and each firm has its own reputation in the market. The firms that have the best reputations are viewed as the most desirable places to work and can therefore offer the highest compensation and the best opportunities for career growth.

In this section, we will discuss the reputation of the Big4 firms, and which one is generally viewed as the best:

Deloitte – Most Prestigious

Deloitte is the largest consulting firm in the world and is considered by many to be the most prestigious. This firm offers a range of services including strategy and operations, tax, risk and financial advisory, human capital, digital transformation, and more. Deloitte also has offices in more than 150 countries.

Deloitte has earned recognition for its exceptional client service. In 2020 it was recognised as a leader among consulting firms for both customer satisfaction and success outcomes across industries such as financial services, life sciences, retail and manufacturing. Deloitte is also well-known for investing heavily in technology innovation to meet customer needs. Companies like Microsoft consider Deloitte a trusted partner to help them implement their own digital strategy framework.

In recent years Deloitte has positioned itself as an industry leader with clients ranging from globally recognized businesses to smaller start-ups. It often provides advice tailored to specific business issues while developing long term relationships with its clients through deep sector knowledge and technical expertise. By working closely with its customers on different projects – whether that be long-term projects or shorter focuses – Deloitte works together driven by mutual trust to devise effective solutions that lead to real results for companies undergoing change.

EY – Innovative & Adaptive

EY (formerly Ernst & Young) is a well-recognized name and one of the Big4 professional services firms. They are one of the top global players in assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services with a reputation for being adaptable and innovative.

One way that EY stands out from the other Big4 firms is their streamlined business model that focuses on providing clients with world-class customer service. They actively work to keep up to date with changing regulations and trends while using advanced analytics capabilities to adjust their services appropriately. With a focus on developing trust-based relationships between their employees and clients, EY prides themselves on taking an individualized approach to problem solving – allowing them to better serve their clients.

Their success as an organization has also enabled them to dedicate substantial resources to philanthropic activities through their foundation, EY Foundation, which supports social impact initiatives in local communities across the globe.

At the same time, EY follows a blended learning approach which allows individuals who work there early in their career paths to develop under the guidance of professionals while learning new skills based on relevant experiences within industries they serve – this further demonstrates how they are able propel their organization forward in regularly adapting to new trends. Making sure employees feel connected to the company’s goals helps ensure that employees stay motivated throughout changing times and reach maximum potential – resulting in exceptional results for both employees and clients alike.

KPMG – Strong Global Presence

KPMG is one of the most well-known of the Big Four consultancies, due both to its strong global presence and its expansive service offerings. With offices in 159 countries – including all major business hubs – and two distinct lines of consulting services (strategic performance management and risk consulting), KPMG was recently recognized by Forbes as the second-best employer in professional services.

The company offers a wide range of services, including:

• strategy and transformation
• operations
• finance and tax
• technology risk management
• data protection & privacy

KPMG also has significant experience in industry verticals such as healthcare, banking & insurance, energy & natural resources, automotive & manufacturing, retail & consumer markets and more.

KPMG also takes pride in its commitment to sustainability initiatives like diversity hiring programs and its support for human rights organizations such as UNICEF. In addition to these activities, KPMG also benchmarked itself against ISO standards for sustainability (UN Global Compact) research program “Climate Change: Making it Happen” which looks into investing strategies that tackle climate change while delivering positive financial results through innovative financing models.

PwC – Comprehensive Solutions

PwC or PricewaterhouseCoopers is one of the Big Four auditors of the world. The firm is known to provide expert services in a wide range of industries like private equity, consulting and more. With extensive experience and teams that are highly specialized, PwC remains one of the most important entities in the world of corporate advisory.

Through its network spread across 157 countries, PwC offers a comprehensive range of solutions that covers finance, strategy and operations. Clients looking for professional advice on any subject can find it here because the firm offers access to its extensive knowledge base and extensive expertise.

The firm also assists with mergers & acquisitions and focuses equally upon both formal transaction processes as well as informal negotiations. Furthermore, it helps clients develop long-term growth strategies that involve launching joint ventures, benefiting from cross-border alliances and solving complicated organizational issues amongst many other aspects. In addition to providing guidance on strategizing objectives or optimizing resources, PwC also specializes in developing software implementations as well as data analytics & modelling solutions for clients from various industries.

Employer Branding

When researching big 4 consulting firms, it is important to consider employer branding. Employer branding is the process of creating an employer brand that creates a unique and attractive employee experience, and it can help differentiate a large consulting firm from its competitors. Employer branding relies on the core values of the organization, the skills and abilities of their people, and the quality of their products and services. It also requires a strong commitment from the leadership of the firm.

Let’s look at what makes the best Big 4 consulting firms stand out from the rest:

Deloitte – Flexible Hours & Benefits

Deloitte is well-known for its generous benefits and flexible working hours. This enables employees to create a customized work-life balance that supports their desired lifestyle. Notably, the company’s consulting services cover 130+ countries and territories making it an ideal choice if you are looking for international opportunities.

From a retirement perspective, Deloitte is one of the big four firms that offer a 401(k) matching contribution. It also has robust health and wellness programs, including medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage with low premiums for both single and family members. Additionally, Deloitte offers multiple free online legal advice sessions as well as financial planning support through their Total Wellbeing program.

In terms of paid time off (PTO), Deloitte’s policies are competitive in the industry as they offer flexible vacation/holiday days in addition to standard maternity/paternity leave time allowances. Moreover, working at Deloitte comes with additional perks such as paid professional development training programs and job shadowing opportunities. That said, Deloitte also has robust rewards systems such as performance awards that recognize employees excellence on particular projects or achievements in certain career paths.

EY – Collaborative & Inclusive Culture

Ernst & Young (EY) prides itself on a collaborative and inclusive work atmosphere that encourages its professionals to continuously learn, progress and be their best. A typical EY employee is enthusiastic about taking on challenges, committed to excel, and conscientious of helping others succeed. Here, individuals from different backgrounds bring unique perspectives to problem-solving.

Additionally, employees are encouraged to take charge of their own development path and experience the global opportunity that EY offers. There are many avenues for employees to develop skills within a given field or venture into uncharted territories with ongoing support from leadership that enable them reach their fullest potential. An excellent example is EY’s Professional Year Program which allows experienced individuals the opportunity to build competencies by exploring market trends or by getting involved in teams working on special projects.

At EY, work-life balance and well being are top priorities as well. Between flexible hours, paid vacation time off, remote working arrangements and access to employee benefits like counseling services or fitness clubs memberships – the firm creates an environment designed for its consultants wellbeing while enabling them to get the most out of their careers high performance potential at the same time.

KPMG – Dedicated Mentorship & Training

KPMG is an illustrious provider of audit, tax and advisory services with an expansive global presence. KPMG reviews potential new hires for their commitment to adding value to the firm as well as their professional integrity, ensuring that newcomers are brought up-to-speed quickly and their unique perspectives are nurtured.

KPMG utilizes a comprehensive approach to talent acquisition and onboarding because they recognize the importance of instilling the corporate culture into new hires from the get go. To expedite the process, KPMG assigns each starter a mentor who will help them adjust to life at KPMG by discussing job expectations, familiarizing themselves with industry trends and answering any questions they may have regarding best practices in particular domains.

In addition to assignment advisors, KPMG offers a wide range of digital trainings to equip each individual with the necessary knowledge and skills before they actually start working on projects or liaising with clients. Learning scenarios come in multiple suiting formats such as e-learning modules or webinars giving employees control over their own education efforts–allowing them study whatever aspect of their job it is that needs further refinement with minimal guidance from supervisors.

Numerous additional great opportunities for self-improvement extend into other departments besides consulting – whether it’s data analytics or human capital management, no area requisite training is forgotten which makes KPMG stand out from other Big4 firms in this regard. Moreover all trainings are designed with individual career development goals in mind making sure no excess effort is wasted during the acclimatization process while still maintaining high standard of quality expected from experts at KPMG’s level.

PwC – Comprehensive Benefits & Opportunities

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is one of the Big4 consulting firms and one of the “Big Three” accounting giants. As an employer, PwC prides itself on offering comprehensive and competitive benefits and a wide range of opportunities for career development. While many employers have started to offer adjustable work/life balance initiatives, PwC stands out in this area as they are renowned for their comprehensive benefits and flexible work environment.

With a global network that includes offices in 157 countries, PwC offers an unparalleled work environment. Employees can expect competitive salaries with bonus opportunities, generous vacation time, competitive health care plans, discounts on merchandise with partner companies and much more. Further to this employees will have access to training programs such as the Leadership Education Program and Budget Boot Camps which help equip employees with the necessary tools needed for success in the workplace.

Apart from basic financial compensations and benefit packages, PwC is committed to creating an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity across all departments of their organization. They place immense value on team building activities such as intramural sports teams that can consist of both offices located around the globe or just within ones own local office region. Furthermore they encourage volunteerism through corporate days built around philanthropy programs giving back to communities where they do business not just locally but abroad too!

Simply put if you are looking for an employer who provides true professional growth paths coupled with extensive cultural experience then look no further than PricewaterhouseCoopers!

Conclusion

After thorough research and comparison, it can be concluded that the best Big4 consulting firms are Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY. They possess some of the best competitive advantages in terms of client satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and financials.

The primary aspects that set these Big4 firms apart are their size, global reach, industry expertise, and trustworthiness.

Deloitte – Best Overall

Deloitte is a leader in the field of consulting, offering expertise in a wide range of areas, including strategy and operations, consulting for digital transformation projects, financial advisory services and risk management. Deloitte was ranked #2 on the 2019 Vault Consulting 50 list. This global firm employs more than 286,000 people worldwide and has an impressive list of clients in virtually every industry.

Deloitte’s approach to solving problems is based on their commitment to research-backed solutions that create practical change for organizations. Their innovation centers provide client companies with resources to test out ideas and explore opportunities:

• Deloitte University provides education and training opportunities for both employees and clients.
• Deloitte Consulting Immersive Studios let teams collaborate while they work on solving complex problems.
• Tax & Legal Centers promote knowledge of relevant compliance regulations.
• Strategy & Analytics Centers provide educational opportunities in the disciplines of data analytics and business strategy.
• Digital Experiences help bring innovative customer experiences to life by connecting content, customer feedback and user data.
• R&D Brainstorms allow teams to use creative thinking techniques as part of an innovative process for managing customer needs.

Deloitte’s commitment to excellence has earned them a spot as one of the best Big4 consulting firms worldwide. They offer comprehensive services tailored to each customer’s unique needs while also providing ongoing access to resources that support ongoing growth – making them an ideal choice regardless of size or industry.

EY – Innovative & Adaptive

Ernst & Young (EY) is one of the Big 4 global management consulting firms, offering a comprehensive range of services in strategic and operational management, tax, compliance, financial and business advice. EY prides itself on being innovative, forward-thinking and agile in its approach.

In the past few years, EY has invested heavily in technological advances such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain technology, Digital transformation and Cloud computing to help their clients stay ahead of the competition. With over 250 active start-up partnerships worldwide, EY has a deep understanding of the tech start-up ecosystem. This enables them to offer high-impact advice that can create real value for both new businesses or well-established enterprises alike.

In an increasingly fast-changing world on both macro and micro levels, large companies can benefit from EY’s unique lens in helping them understand their markets faster and more effectively than ever before. In addition to taking advantage of their unparalleled access to economic trend analysis and data analytics monitoring capabilities around the world, EY also provides support in many different arenas such as:

• Business planning & strategy development
• Restructuring
• Cost containment initiatives
• Financial advisory services
• Venture capital financing activities
• Tax consulting services
• Risk advisory services
• Audit insights & advisory offerings
• Many other specialised areas of expertise matching its clients’ needs perfectly.

KPMG – Global Presence

KPMG is recognized as one of the leading organizations in the professional services space, due to its commitment to providing quality service and advice based on best practices. KPMG was founded in 1987 and since that time has grown to become a global leader with offices in all major financial centers around the world. The firm is well-respected for having one of the strongest global footprints in its industry, with expertise across industries and countries.

Due to its global presence and focus on quality, KPMG is often referred to as one of the “Big 4” consulting firms, along with Deloitte, PwC, and EY. KPMG leverages its vast network of professionals throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa & Middle East and Latin America to offer top-tier audit & assurance, tax & legal services as well as business & technology solutions. This means that clients receive essential benefits such as global insights that help inform decisions drawn from different regions or countries around the world – something only a limited number of other firms can offer due to their wide range of geographical reach.

In addition to providing expertise across various areas from public accounting operations to investment management services or corporate social responsibility (CSR) assessments for organizations worldwide through frameworks designed by KPMG professionals in conjunction with Deloitte’s Sustainability Strategy Framework Model (SSAF), clients also benefit from cutting-edge technology used by KPMg such as Blockchain or AI implementation projects for predictive analytics purposes that can revolutionize internal operations performance management systems resulting into an impressive data-driven outlook for companies engaging these services from KPMG.

Overall, KPMG has been making big strides towards becoming a true global leader with presence spanning all continents while maintaining very high standards in terms of helping clients attain sustainable growth which sets them apart from its competitors making it one of the most recommended “Big 4” No Matter where you are located around the Globe.

PwC – Comprehensive Solutions

PwC, formerly known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, is one of the Big4 professional services companies. The company operates in 158 countries with over 275,000 people around the world, encompassing many service lines including audit and assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions.

PwC has a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet the demands of businesses that seek more than just traditional audit and assurance services. This includes IT Consulting in financial management; supply chain management; risk and regulatory compliance; human capital management; operational improvements; reorganization; and security & resilience. PwC also provides consulting in areas such as tax structure and compliance; Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A); digital transformation/strategy development for navigating an ever-changing landscape of industry disruption; design build procure (DBP) transition services for projects that involve complex organizational networks with suppliers/subcontractors to provide integrated end-to-end solutions from fire protection to airport operations.

Furthermore, PwC’s Business Solutions arm provides cloud computing solutions which enables customers from all industries leverage their expertise to help implement a range of technologies from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to bringing professional knowledge directly into a company’s workforce. Lastly, the Risk Assurance line helps businesses identify threats specific to their business operations as well as evaluate their internal data security programs or internal controls over financial reporting processes. With years of experience right at their disposal in every above mentioned aspect – it is reasonable to consider PwC one of the premier Big4 Consulting Firms due its incredibly wide breadth within its service offering coupled with years worth of market knowledge and understanding.