MBB consulting firms

In consulting, MBB is an acronym that stands for the three most prestigious management consulting firms in the business: McKinsey, The Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company. Occasionally, the top firms are called the MBBB, with Booz & Company thrown into the mix.

McKinsey & Company employs about 17,000 people globally, including 9,000 consultants. Its clients include top organisations, businesses and governments. The company is particularly known for its expertise with issues related to senior management. It is one of the best graduate employers in the business. It was founded in 1926 in Chicago by James O. McKinsey, a former accounting professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

The Boston Consulting Group was founded in 1963 by by Bruce D. Henderson, who graduated from Vanderbilt and Harvard Business School and was recruited by Arthur D. Little and subsequently The Boston Company, where he started his own consulting unit. Today, The Boston Consulting Group employs about 4,400 consultants in 71 offices across 41 countries worldwide.

Bain & Company is based in Boston, Massachusetts and employs over 5,000 people in 30 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1973 by seven former partners from The Boston Consulting Group, headed by Bill Bain. The company’s line of service include strategy consulting, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, operations, organization and technology.

MBB consulting firms are not to be confused with the Big Four, the world’s four largest audit firms; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Pwc (Pricewaterhouse Coopers), Ernst & Young and KPMG.

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