From Tax Suits to Tech Suites, it's a Recalibrate@Big4
Traditionally known for their strengths in audit, tax and deal advisory, the Big Four in India have discovered an unlikely crown jewel in technology consulting. On the back of a post-pandemic digital transformation push, this has grown into the fastest-expanding vertical — now leading in headcount, partner strength and accounting for more than half of all new hires in FY25. Ironically, these very firms — EY, Deloitte, PwC and KPMG — globally sold or spun off IT consulting divisions in the early 2000s, and only began rebuilding those capabilities in 2007-08.
That slow return has since turned into a full-fledged pivot — with India leading globally in both scale and pace of shift. 'Consulting is now the new frontier,' said Sanjeev Krishan, chairman of PwC India.
Among the top four professional service firms, 60% of Deloitte's India workforce and 45% of EY's now comprise the tech consulting vertical, while PwC and KPMG both have approximately half of their India headcount dedicated to this business.
Recruitment will be dominated by technology consulting in FY26. Deloitte plans to hire another 6,000-8,000 people in this vertical. At KPMG, nearly 45 of every 100 new hires in FY26 will be in technology roles. PwC will hire 6,000-7,000 in tech consulting in the fiscal year.
Sathish Gopalaiah, president, consulting, at Deloitte South Asia, said the firm had hired over 7,300 people as of April 2025, and by the end of May, that number will be close to 8,000. 'Our total headcount will cross 22,000 by then,' he said. 'Last year, our tech consulting business grew by 38%, and this year, we're on track to grow at 27% by the end of May.'
Back-of-the-envelope estimates indicate that IT consulting generated over ₹20,000 crore of the Big Four's combined ₹38,500-crore India revenue in FY24—a trend expected to hold in FY25 as well, once all books are closed.
Accelerating this business is India Inc's tech transformation drive gaining serious momentum, with large-scale projects underway at companies such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Shell, Unilever, HSBC, and several public sector units (PSUs).
'The Covid-19 crisis was a watershed moment, ushering in an unprecedented era of tech-led transformation powered by cloud, data and analytics,' said Rohan Sachdev, managing partner for consulting at EY India. 'Today, AI-driven change is taking centre stage.'
A look at tech transformation requests for proposals (RFPs) points to strong deal momentum in the consulting space—with over 30 RFPs valued above ₹100 crore, more than 50 above ₹50 crore and upwards of 75 proposals exceeding ₹25 crore. The firms now have built capabilities to provide services across the IT value chain.
'Iconic transformation happens at the intersection of consulting, technology & digital, and data & analytics. We're helping our clients move from opportunities to business outcomes by offering the best customised solution and service set,' said Sanjay Dawar, lead partner, One Consulting, at PwC India.
But why are clients increasingly turning to the Big Four? Akhilesh Tuteja, national leader, clients and markets and technology, media & telecommunications (TMT), at KPMG India, explained, 'The top firms now have deep domain expertise, inhouse consulting capabilities, a technology advisory setup and strong collaborations with global tech alliances, making them one-stop partners for digital transformation.'
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