Over the last ten years, the Big Four firms have succeeded in making major in-roads into the global consulting industry, to a point where, in 2015, these firms’ consulting practices accounted for 35% of the total market.

There are three areas into the Big Four’s success, these are: regulation, risk and implementation. 

Since the Sarbanes Oxley Act was passed in 2002, in the aftermath of Enron’s collapse, the Big Four have become the place to go for help in understanding, and complying with, new regulation, a position that was reinforced during the global financial crisis and has meant that these firms dominate consulting in the financial services sector in particular. 

The link with their audit practices have meant that, as the risks organisations faced broadened, the Big Four became the first port of call for this type of consulting, too.