More big four pros landing at C-suite spot as firms become leadership pipeline

Mumbai: The Big Four are fast emerging as a powerful pipeline of C-suite talent, with their breadth of exposure, sector expertise, commercial acumen and ability to drive change now valued well beyond their finance and tax roots.

Industry experts say around 30 to 50 leaders make the leap each year from professional services into corporate boardrooms, part of a two-way exchange that is gaining ground as the Big Four firms themselves increasingly draw senior talent from the industry.

While management consulting firms like McKinsey have long been seen as a leadership pipeline, the roster of Big Four alumni moving into C-suites is now steadily expanding.

From EY, Sandeep Ghosh now serves as group country manager for India and South Asia at Visa, Arindam Bannerji leads State Street in India and Shiney Prasad heads Guardian Life.

PwC has produced industry leaders such as Sudhir Kesavan, COO of CitiusTech; Jane Sequeira Kumar, who heads pharma and healthcare investment banking at ICICI Direct; and Kartik Rishi, now global head of consulting and digital business services at HSBC.

KPMG alumni include Arjun Vaidyanathan, COO at One97 Communications, and Harsha Razdan, CEO for South Asia at Dentsu, while Deloitte counts Sanjeev Rastogi, CEO of Adani Group's global capability centre, and Shekhar Tiwari, global head of managed services at GEP Worldwide, among its senior alumni.

The pattern holds true even for professional services firms beyond the Big Four.


Broad, varied experience

Vivek Vikram Singh, now managing director and group CEO of Sona Comstar, earlier led Grant Thornton’s advisory practice for the industrials and auto sectors.

“A professional services environment is a unique learning opportunity by having clients that span several sectors and industries. Even within each industry or sector, our people are required to comprehend in depth a wide range of issues that their clients may face—and be able to help out navigate them. Most of them also lead large teams and are deeply embedded into a quality first mindset,” said Sanjeev Krishan, chairperson, PwC.

EY, India’s largest Big Four firm, has the largest set of alumni who have been successful in the industry. “EY leaders are not just consultants; they possess hands-on implementation experience that enhances their credibility. Similarly, CXOs thrive here: they co-create and execute strategies alongside clients and are rewarded for delivering tangible outcomes,” said Rohan Sachdev, consulting leader, EY India.

The Big Four was once seen mainly as a training ground for future CFOs, but in recent years its alumni have been moving into a much wider range of leadership roles as the firms’ advisory businesses in consulting, technology and deals have grown, giving senior partners broad and varied experience.

“Professionals from Big Four firms operate at the cross section of domain expertise and industry insight, with exposure to diverse Indian and global client situations and business models. Their ability to connect strategic thinking with operational execution makes them highly sought after in leadership roles across sectors,” said Debasish Mishra, chief growth officer, Deloitte South Asia.

Also, the professional services talent is increasingly being recognised in high-demand areas such as technology, global capability centres (GCCs) and forensics. Former KPMG partner Jagvinder Singh Brar now leads forensics at The World Bank Group.

From EY, Bhargavi Sunkara has taken over as CIO and CTO at Barclays India, while Burgess Cooper heads cybersecurity at Adani Enterprises as CEO. Deloitte alumni include Joyce Rodriguez, who leads cybersecurity at Airbus, and Prithwijit Chaki, who serves as Genpact’s global leader for financial advisory.

It is equally telling that the Big Four are also now hiring aggressively from industry, as large transformation projects demand hands-on expertise and deep operating experience.