Top 10 Accounting Firms Across the Globe

When you are starting your career, you are hungry for success. This success-driven mind drives you to apply for the best firm, and your sole aim and concentration is to crack the interview and be hired. It’s the prestige and brand name that we want to be associated with our resume. We often miss out that our resume also speaks about the kind of work and responsibility we handled. It speaks about our ability and choices to move ahead in our career concerning our hunger to better ourselves in our chosen field. Hence, it is good to search for the best, but it is better to become one of the best.

In your search for achieving the best and becoming the best, we have decided to help you understand them. The rankings have been taken from the vault.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is synonymous with the word best of the best and prestigious. Anyone who wants to start a career in the accounting profession dreams of becoming a part of this accounting firm. This firm is headquartered and provides professional services through a network of firms operating in 157 countries, employing approximately 208,000 people, and serving more than 90 percent of the FT Global 500 (a snapshot of the world's 500 largest firms). The company is dedicated to providing services to 16 key industries that include but are not limited to human resources, deals, forensics, and consulting services. By revenue, it’s the second-largest accounting firm in the US.

Pros:

• The company seeks the best individuals looking for qualities like intelligence, helpful and caring nature.
• Every week is a great training and learning experience with amazing opportunities to get promoted. The company is a great stepping stone for freshers to start their careers as there are immense opportunities to learn.
• If you get to work with Fortune 500 companies daily, the challenges are sure to be rewarding and ones that will make your adrenaline rush.

Cons:

• Client demands are going to put you under stress, and you will be forced to toil for insane working hours.
• Well, being at the top, they have learned to become snobbish and arrogant.

Deloitte takes a close second stand on the list. It might be second but worth working out for. Here are the figures. The U.S. member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited spans an international network of dozens of member firms that operate in more than 150 countries. It employs more than 220,000 people, and each firm provides services according to the rules and regulations of the country in which it operates.

Deloitte's operations work in the four key business areas of audit, advisory, consulting, and tax. Its clients include service professionals across more than 20 industry sectors: data analytics, cybersecurity, technology strategy, finance and accounting, tax, risk, strategy and operations, and human capital.

Pros:

• The company has a stellar reputation in the industry and chooses to live by it by hiring professionals who are competent and motivated with a zeal to achieve higher success.
• The work environment promotes teaching and teamwork as there are various clients to work for, which ensures the rapid growth of one's portfolio in the company.

Cons:

• The staple of all accounting firms is their lack of time predictability. Working for long hours should be considered a norm with no higher wages.
• The larger the firm, the more the politics and bureaucratic attitude that one needs to learn to cope with.

Imagine a company where the founders never met, yet their companies are linked together and are member firms of Big 4 accounting legend EY. A.C Ernst and Arthur Young's companies merged after four decades of their death to form Ernst & Young. The company offers advisory, assurance, tax, and transaction advisory services, and the firm’s industry specializations include consumer products; financial services (asset management, banking, and capital markets, private equity, and insurance); real estate (construction and hospitality and leisure); life sciences (biotechnology, medical technology, and pharmaceutical); media and entertainment; mining and metals; technology; automotive; telecommunications; oil and gas; power and utilities; cleantech; government and public sector; provider care; retail and wholesale; and support of entrepreneurial businesses.

Pros:

• There are immense opportunities to meet the who and who of every industry as clients and work closely with them to increase the value of your experiences and resume.
• Everyone loves challenging work, but it becomes a passion when it becomes enjoyable, with good people as colleagues to support you in your endeavor, and it is exactly so in EY.
• Great salary packages and perks are thrown at you every now.

Cons:

• The unpredictable hours are part and parcel of this industry but what hurts more is the unpredictable nature of the client commitments
• The working environment expects a lot out of you within the stagnant old mode of thinking

KPMG has rightfully earned its fourth position and secured a place among accounting's Big 4. For the last two years, it has been one of the fastest-growing accounting firms in the Big 4.  KPMG is the independent U.S. member firm of a Swiss entity named KPMG International Cooperative and whose member firms can be found in 155 countries. The company boasts of employing 174,000 employees with more than 9,000 partners. The company provides a service line of audit, tax, and advisory, with an industry-specific focus. KPMG works for clients in 16 industry sectors: banking and finance; building, construction, and real estate; insurance; investment management; alternative investments; retail; food, drink, and consumer goods; diversified industrials; energy, natural resources, and chemicals; healthcare and pharmaceutical; government and public sector; technology; media and telecommunications; high growth mid-market; private equity; high growth emerging markets; and Japanese Practice, which works closely with KPMG member firms in Japan to serve Japanese companies doing business in the U.S.

Pros:

• The company believes in the family culture and works as a close-knit family.
• The company enjoys a large international presence and a great rate of growth. this directly reflects its employee's professional advancement and rise in position.
• great people and family-like culture.”

Cons:

• The working hours are erratic and put a lot of undue stress on the professionals
• A great deal of traveling needs to be done, and Compensation is a sour pint
• The firm does not enjoy a very good brand image and is the least prestigious of the Big 4.

Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is one of the world's largest organizations of independent audit, tax, and advisory firms. The company operates in 59 offices, with more than 550 partners and 7,000 employees. It enjoys a great working exposure with a broad range of publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations.

Pros:

• Grant Thornton hails the philosophy of “bring-your-whole-self-to-work,” thereby bringing in a great deal of diversity and flexibility, which results in the empowerment of its staff.
• The company enjoys a working portfolio with great clients and is the best second-tier firm.
• The company helps its employees in maintaining a work/life balance. Flexible in its ways and significantly pushes to foster.
• The company may be large in terms of its international presence and staff, but they have maintained the culture of a small firm.”

Cons:

• The company is unrealistic in its expectations of its employees and makes the staff slog for long hours during a busy season.
• The compensation is not up to the mark.

BDO has approximately 1,300 offices in 150 countries. It offers a diverse range of services, including assurance, tax, transaction advisory, investment banking, and corporate real estate. The firm's consulting division offers litigation, investigation, business restructuring, and valuation services. Through BDO Capital Advisors, BDO offers investment banking and services. The firm's industry expertise includes real estate, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology; energy; not-for-profit; health care; manufacturing and distribution; financial services, entertainment, technology, and retail and consumer products.

Pros:

• A company's work ethic always speaks a great deal about its work culture, and BDO is firm in its idea of putting 'people first'—whether an employee or a client. It is the idea that brings out the essence of BDO's great people with great culture, and it permeates throughout the company.
• BDO, as noted, is a company that firmly believes in its service to the people. Hence, the work/life balance of its employees is taken utmost care of, and a great deal of flexibility is ensured to ensure the comfort of its employees
• Despite being a mid-tier firm, the company takes care of providing amazing employee benefits and competitive compensation packages
• The company is extremely professional in its work environment and recruits only excellent technical expertise

Cons:

• Work hours are too long and stressful, and it is always piled up with deadlines that need to be adhered to always.
• The company cannot go gaga about its great list of clientele as it is quite restricted. Thus professionals do not have the advantage of enjoying a great exposure.

It is quite amazing to note that the companies in the top 10 list are competing against firms that have been established in the twentieth century. Crowe Horwath established its consulting group in the 1960s to become one of the most well-known and respected firms, which has become a unique alternative to the Big 4.  The company has 3,000 employees serving out of 28 offices from coast to coast, and it provides audit, performance, risk consulting, and tax services to companies in numerous sectors, including construction, education, finance, food and agriculture, health care, manufacturing and distribution, not-for-profit, private equity, and state and local government.

Pros:

• Crowe Horwath can claim a higher level of service and value it brings to its clients. The company specifically enjoys the core competencies of its thought leaders, an innovative approach to client needs, and a high level of service commitment from all its employees.
• The co-workers are friendly and helpful and believe in being flexible in their schedules to adjust to the needs of their colleagues.
• For starters, there is a great deal of opportunity to work with a variety of clients in a variety of industries, plus there is the chance of attaining greater positions very early on in their career
• The managers and the partners of the company are its strength as they provide great leadership and are on friendly terms with the workers

Cons:

• Working hours continue to hassle, especially during the busy season
• It is extremely difficult to maintain Work/life balance as the company provides no extra support. It creates a stressful atmosphere for workers.

RSM US LLP (RSM) focuses on providing audit, tax, and consulting services to the middle market. The firm was previously known as McGladrey LLP. It changed its name very recently in October 2015, merging with other member firms in the RSM International network to be rebranded as RSM. The firm totals several 8,000 employees in 80 cities nationwide. The firm operates in more than 120 countries with more than 38,000 people, greatly enhancing its international endeavors. The company is growing at a faster rate than the managers can handle. There is too much emphasis on new business at the expense of satisfying current clients.

Pros:

• The people in RSM are happy to announce their love for their colleagues and enjoyment at work. It undoubtedly speaks of its work culture and people.
• The firm initiates the learning process but hands over the control of growth in the professional's career to them. Endless opportunities and a good amount of work are provided to increase experience provided the employee grabs it to their favor.
• A company prospers with its employees, and RSM Partners ensure that the good performances are recognized and acknowledged.

Cons:

• The company expects you to toil for long hours for months at a time
• The compensation is on an hourly basis of work done, and it sometimes makes you unsure of where you stand performance-wise in the company.

Moss Adams is a global network of more than 100 independent accounting and auditing companies with over 35,000 professionals working under its roof and spread across more than 102 countries and territories. It claims it has approximately 2,300 personnel, including nearly 270 partners. The company has a strong regional (West Coast) firm growing rapidly.

This accounting firm has three main service lines (assurance, consulting, and tax). It serves industries including apparel, communications and media, construction, automotive, financial services, agribusiness, forest products, wine, health care, life sciences, manufacturing and consumer products, not-for-profit, government, real estate, hospitality, restaurants, technology, tribal and gaming, and utilities. The company also indulges in services to private clients and high-net-worth individuals, providing investment banking and asset management services through two affiliate companies: Moss Adams Capital LLC and Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC. Moss Adams has a diverse client list, including public, private, and not-for-profit enterprises.

Pros:

• The work culture is inspiring as a group of fantastic people comes together to work and create a collaborative and engaging environment.
• Though the company does not enjoy a brand recall value, it surely knows to get it there with great compensation and vacation policy."
• A plethora of interesting clients to work with

Cons:

• The leaders cannot be claimed to have a great quality of office leadership, and therefore the management varies.

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (commonly known as Baker Tilly) provides accounting, tax, and assurance services. Baker Tilly offers a range of business consulting services, including business technology, financial and estate planning, forensic, valuation, and litigation services, governmental software and systems, international, mergers and acquisitions, operations and process improvement, private equity, private investment banking, search and staffing, retirement plan consulting, risk management, strategic tax, and wealth management.

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (commonly known as Baker Tilly) is merging continuously to increase its share of firms to rise to the Big 4. In June 2013, the firm merged with Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP, while in October 2014, it merged with Philadelphia-based accounting firm ParenteBeard to create one of the 15 largest accounting firms in US.

The company provides services in accounting, tax, and assurance services; Baker Tilly also offers a range of business consulting services, including business technology, financial and estate planning, forensic, valuation, and litigation services, governmental software and systems, international, mergers and acquisitions, operations and process improvement, private equity, private investment banking, search and staffing, retirement plan consulting, risk management, strategic tax, and wealth management.

The firm serves several industries, including construction and real estate, distribution, energy and utilities, the federal government, financial institutions, government contractors, healthcare, higher education, law and professional, manufacturing and distribution, not-for-profits, restaurants, renewable energy, retail and commercial, and state and local governments.

Pros:

• No company can become great without the contribution of its people, and Baker Tilly is in the right direction with wonderful people who work in a friendly environment.
• The company is poised toward growth, and so is the learning and advancement of its employees.
• Employees enjoy a healthy Work/life balance

Cons:

• The busy season poses the challenge of meeting expectations and balancing life.
• Considering the rising nature of the company, the employees expect better pay than what is being offered.

The word prestige seems to be completely fixed in the mind of professionals, and brand names have come to break or make your resume. These top names offer lucrative career opportunities, great projects, big clients, and rewarding work, but…there is a downside to sticking to just a brand without weighing your credentials and goals. It is very important that before you establish your life's goal to be hired as one of the employees of these big companies, you decide where you want to go and what you want to achieve. If you have a rough idea about your long-term plans, running after these companies seems a good point.

This has been a guide to Accounting Firms Across the Globe. Here we provide the top 10 accounting firms across the globe and their pros and cons. You may also have a look at our accounting articles below to learn more –

• US Accounting Firms Overview
• Accounting Firms in Canada Overview
• Overview of Accounting Firms in Australia
• Accounting Firms in Singapore Overview