The Big Four are the four largest professional services networks in the world: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC. They are the four largest global accounting networks as measured by revenue. The four are often grouped because they are comparable in size relative to the rest of the market, both in terms of revenue and workforce; they are considered equal in their ability to provide a wide scope of professional services to their clients; and, among those looking to start a career in professional services, particularly accounting, they are considered equally attractive networks to work in, because of the frequency with which these firms engage with Fortune 500 companies.
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certified Accountant or Certified Public Accountant, or Registered Public Accountant. Such professionals are granted certain responsibilities by statute, such as the ability to certify an organization's financial statements, and may be held liable for professional misconduct. Non-qualified accountants may be employed by a qualified accountant, or may work independently without statutory privileges and obligations.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is a multinational professional services network. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of employees in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms along with EY, KPMG and PwC.
The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) is a registered charity and the leading professional body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation. The CIOT deals with all aspects of direct and indirect taxation.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports chartered accountants and students around the world. As of July 2022, it has over 198,000 members and students in 147 countries. ICAEW was established by royal charter in 1880.
Grant Thornton LLP is the American member firm of Grant Thornton International, the seventh largest accounting network in the world by combined fee income. Grant Thornton LLP is the sixth largest U.S. accounting and advisory organization. The firm operates 59 offices across the US with approximately 8,500 employees, 550 partners, and produces annual revenue in excess of US$1.9 billion.
Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA). It has 240,952 members and 541,930 future members worldwide. ACCA's headquarters are in London with principal administrative office in Glasgow. ACCA works through a network of over 110 offices and centres in 51 countries - with 346 Approved Learning Partners (ALP) and more than 7,600 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide employee development.
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is a professional body for Accounting Technicians, with over 150,000 members worldwide.
A financial planner or personal financial planner is a qualified financial advisor. Practicing in full service personal finance, they advise clients on investments, insurance, tax, retirement and estate planning.
Private banking is a general description for banking, investment and other financial services provided by banks and financial institutions primarily serving high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) – those with very high income and/or substantial assets. Private banking is presented by those who provide such services as an exclusive subset of wealth management services, provided to particularly affluent clients. The term "private" refers to customer service rendered on a more personal basis than in mass-market retail banking, usually provided via dedicated bank advisers. It has typically consisted of banking services, discretionary asset management, brokerage, limited tax advisory services and some basic concierge services, typically offered through a gateway provided by a single designated relationship manager.
A tax advisor or tax consultant is a person with advanced training and knowledge of tax law. The services of a tax advisor are usually retained in order to minimize taxation while remaining compliant with the law in complicated financial situations. Tax Advisors are also retained to represent clients before tax authorities and tax courts to resolve tax issues.
RSM US LLP is an audit, tax, and consulting firm focused on the middle market in the United States and Canada and is a member of the global accounting network RSM International. It is the fifth largest accounting firm in the United States and employs more than 17,000 professionals across 93 cities nationwide and in Canada. RSM US also maintains offices in India and El Salvador. Since 2012, RSM US has been headquartered in downtown Chicago.
Grant Thornton is the world's seventh-largest by revenue and sixth-largest by number of employees professional services network of independent accounting and consulting member firms which provide assurance, tax and advisory services to privately held businesses, public interest entities, and public sector entities. Grant Thornton International Ltd. is a not-for-profit, non-practising, international umbrella membership entity organised as a private company limited by guarantee. Grant Thornton International Ltd. is incorporated in London, England, and has no share capital.
Robert (Bob) Wigley, OStJ, BSc, HonDBA, FCA, CCMI, is Chairman of UK Finance, a Non Executive Director of R3 LLC and Lightico Ltd, an Executive Member of Seraphim Space Enterprise LLP and is an investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is author of a book about the effects of technology on Gen Z, Born Digital: The Story of a Distracted generation. He is a non-executive director of the Qatar Financial Centre and chairman of its audit committee. He was a Founding Global Britain Commissioner during its life, is a member of the Trade Advisory Group for Financial Services at the Department for International Trade and a member of the UK's Economic Crime Strategic Board at the Home Office, co-chaired by the Home Secretary and Chancellor.
Deepak Parekh is an Indian businessman and the former Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, India's leading housing private development finance institution. It is based in Mumbai.
Richard Murphy is a British chartered accountant and political economist who campaigns on issues of tax avoidance and tax evasion. He advises the Trades Union Congress on economics and taxation, and founded the Tax Justice Network. He is a Professor of Accounting Practice at University of Sheffield Management School.
David Graham Russell, is an Australian barrister who specialises in international tax law.
Saffery is a firm of chartered accountants in the United Kingdom. It has nine offices across the UK as well as offshore. The firm acts for clients across specialty sectors including private wealth, landed estates and rural businesses, not-for-profit, entrepreneurs, sports and entertainment.
BDO is an international network of public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firms that provide professional services under the name BDO. It is the fifth-largest accounting network in the world. Global fee income of the member firms in the network for the year ended 30 September 2021, including the members of their exclusive alliances, totaled US$12.8 billion. Each BDO member firm is an independent legal entity in its own country. The network, founded in 1963 as Binder Seidman International Group by firms from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, is coordinated by BDO Global Coordination B.V., with an office in Zaventem, Belgium. In 1973, the organisation adopted the name BDO, made up from the initials of the three founding firms: Binder (UK), Dijker (Netherlands) and Otte (Germany).
Muhammad Mamman Nami is a Nigerian accountant, management professional, tax administrator and public officer. He is the immediate past Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS, the agency responsible for assessing, collecting and accounting for tax and other revenues accruing to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He has almost three (3) decades of practical working experience in Auditing, Tax Management and Advisory and Management Services to clients in the Banking, Manufacturing Services and Public Sectors as well as Non- Profit organizations.
