Big Three (management consultancies)
The Big Three or MBB refers to the name colloquially given to the world's three largest strategy consulting firms by revenue. They are also considered the most prestigious employers in the management consulting industry.[1] McKinsey is the biggest of these with an annual revenue of +$10bn (2017) followed by Boston Consulting Group ($7.5bn revenue; 2018) and then Bain & Company ($4.5bn revenue; 2019).
Contents
The firms[edit]
The three consulting firms widely regarded as constituting the Big Three or MBB are McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company.
McKinsey & Company[edit]
This firm was founded in Chicago by James McKinsey in 1926. The firm has grown significantly since then, establishing 104 offices located in 60 countries as of 2014.[2] McKinsey & Company has been voted number one in "The Best Consulting Firms: Prestige" list of the Vault.com career intelligence website consecutively for 14 years since 2002.[3][4] The firm currently serves two-thirds of the Fortune 1000. Their areas of expertise include management, organisation, operations and IT.[5]
Boston Consulting Group[edit]
BCG was founded in 1963 by Bruce D. Henderson, a former Arthur D. Little consultant and a Vanderbilt University and Harvard Business School alumnus.[6] Starting out with only two consultants, the firm quickly grew. It currently employs 18,500 people over 85 offices in 48 countries.[7] BCG also has been consistently featured in Consulting Magazine’s "Best Firms to Work For" lists since 2001.[8] Their areas of expertise include corporate development, business growth and innovation.[9]
Bain & Company[edit]
Bain was founded by Bill Bain in 1973. The firm pioneered Private Equity consulting and the fund Bain Capital was founded by partners from Bain & Company and led by Mitt Romney. It currently has 59 offices in 37 countries.[10] Their areas of expertise include private equity, mergers and acquisitions and retail.[11] Bain has been ranked #1 "Best Place to Work" by Glassdoor and leads the Vault Consulting 50 ranking, as well as Vault's "Best Consulting Firms to Work For" ranking.[12]
These three firms are among the world's largest strategy consulting firms by revenue. Their latest publicly available data is summarised in the table below:[13]
| Firm | Employees (Year) | Revenue (Year) | Revenue/employee (Year) | Change | Locations | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey & Company | 21,000 (2017)[14] | $10.0 B (2017)[15] | $476,000 (2017) | ~4% | 120+ [16] | New York, NY |
| Boston Consulting Group | 18,500 (2018)[17] | $7.50 B (2018)[18] | $405,000 (2017) | 19% | ~90 | Boston, MA |
| Bain & Company | 10,500 (2017)[19] | $4.5 B (2019)[20][21] | $430,000 (2019) | ~10%[22] | ~60 | Boston, MA |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Szczerba, Marta (5 March 2014). "The Big Three: meet the world's top consulting firms" (72). The Gateway. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "McKinsey & Co History". Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "The Best Consulting Firms: Prestige". vault.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ Greiner, Larry; Olson, Thomas (25 June 2004). Contemporary consultant casebook: educating today's consultants. Thomson/South-Western. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-324-29019-6.
- ^ "McKinsey Client Expertise". mckinsey.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ Hayes, Thomas C. (July 24, 1992). "Bruce Henderson, 77, Consultant And Writer on Business Strategy". New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ^ "BCG History". bcg.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Best Firms to Work For Ranking". consultingmag.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "BCG Expertise". bcg.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Worldwide offices - Bain & Company". Bain.com. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Bain Worldwide Offices". bain/com. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ^ "Awards & Recognitions - Bain".
- ^ Chin, Eric. "The MBB Trio In Management Consulting". beatoncapital.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "McKinsey fact sheet". McKinsey. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "McKinsey & Company on the Forbes America's Best Midsize Employers List". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Locations - - McKinsey & Company". www.mckinsey.com. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ ""Boston Consulting Group Revenues Reach $7.5 Billion"".
- ^ "The Boston Consulting Group Hits $6.3 Billion in Sales - The Boston Consulting Group". bcg.com. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ "Bain & Company and Endava announce strategic partnership". Bain. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "To the brainy, the spoils". 11 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2019 – via The Economist.
- ^ Company, Bain & (20 November 2017). "Bain & Company Elects Manny Maceda as Worldwide Managing Director". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Associate Consultant". Bain. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
