The Big Four accounting firms — EY, PwC, KPMG, and Deloitte — are no longer just training grounds for finance and tax professionals. They are now becoming a major leadership pipeline, supplying 30–50 executives annually to the C-suites of leading corporations in India, according to industry experts.
With their combination of sector expertise, consulting exposure, and transformation skills, Big Four alumni are increasingly being sought after for CEO, COO, CIO, and other leadership positions, extending far beyond the traditional CFO track.
Big Four Alumni in India’s C-Suite
- EY: Sandeep Ghosh (Visa India & South Asia, Group Country Manager), Arindam Bannerji (State Street India, Country Head), Shiney Prasad (Guardian Life, CEO)
- PwC: Sudhir Kesavan (COO, CitiusTech), Jane Sequeira Kumar (Head of Pharma & Healthcare IB, ICICI Direct), Kartik Rishi (Global Head of Consulting, HSBC)
- KPMG: Arjun Vaidyanathan (COO, One97 Communications), Harsha Razdan (CEO, South Asia, Dentsu)
- Deloitte: Sanjeev Rastogi (CEO, Adani GCC), Shekhar Tiwari (Global Head of Managed Services, GEP Worldwide)
Even beyond the Big Four, professional services firms like Grant Thornton have contributed to corporate leadership, with Vivek Vikram Singh now serving as MD & Group CEO of Sona Comstar.
Why Big Four Professionals Make Strong Leaders
Broad Exposure Across Sectors
According to Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC India, professionals in consulting environments work with diverse clients, develop cross-sector insights, and manage large teams — skills that naturally translate into executive leadership roles.
Strategy Plus Execution
EY India’s consulting leader Rohan Sachdev noted that EY alumni bring not just advisory skills but hands-on implementation experience, making them effective leaders in corporate environments.
Beyond Finance to Tech and Transformation
Debasish Mishra, Chief Growth Officer, Deloitte South Asia, emphasized that professionals from Big Four firms connect strategic thinking with operational execution, making them valuable across technology, deals, global capability centres (GCCs), and even emerging fields like cybersecurity and forensics.
New Domains Driving the Shift
- Technology & Cybersecurity: Bhargavi Sunkara (CIO & CTO, Barclays India), Burgess Cooper (CEO, Cybersecurity, Adani Enterprises), Joyce Rodriguez (Cybersecurity Head, Airbus).
- Global Capability Centres (GCCs): A fast-growing leadership domain with Big Four alumni leading Adani’s GCC and Genpact’s global financial advisory unit.
- Forensics & Risk Management: Former KPMG partner Jagvinder Singh Brar now heads Forensics at The World Bank Group.
A Two-Way Talent Exchange
The trend is not one-way. The Big Four themselves are hiring aggressively from industry, seeking executives with deep operating experience to lead large-scale transformation and technology projects.
This two-way talent exchange reinforces the positioning of the Big Four as not just service providers but strategic leadership hubs for global corporations.
Outlook: Big Four as a Sustainable Leadership Pipeline
Historically, consulting firms like McKinsey have been viewed as leadership factories. Today, the Big Four firms are steadily expanding their alumni footprint across India’s corporate boardrooms, producing CEOs, COOs, CIOs, and other senior leaders.
With their blend of sectoral breadth, commercial acumen, and change management expertise, Big Four professionals are set to remain a core leadership pipeline for India Inc. in the years ahead.
Read more full news: Here
