Big Three (management consultancies)
The Big Three or MBB refers to management consulting firms McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company. The three companies are distinguished by the depth and rigor of their analyses and recommendations, rich histories of service dating back to their foundings in the mid-20th century, and strong client bases spanning some of the world's largest and more important companies.[1]
The MBB firms recruit consultants from universities, MBA programs and industry. While historically associated with strategy consulting, they also provide services in areas such as operating model design, performance improvement, mergers and acquisitions due diligence, human capital and digital transformation.
MBB firms have also been the subject of criticism over the years for alleged unethical activities, with a prominent example being McKinsey's role in helping Purdue Pharma "turbo-charge" its sales of OxyContin, which has been cited as a direct contributor to the opioid epidemic in the United States.[2]
The firms
McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company, collectively referred to as "MBB", are widely considered the three top and most prestigious strategy consulting firms in the world. Jobs at these firms are among the most sought after by MBA students and have a less than 1% acceptance rate.[3]
These three firms are among the world's largest strategy consulting firms by revenue. Their latest publicly available data is summarized in the table below:[4]
| Firm | Employees (year) | Revenue (year) | Revenue per Employee | Locations (cities) | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey & Company | 38,000 (2025)[5] | $16 B (2025)[5] | $421 K | 133[6] | New York[6] |
| Boston Consulting Group | 33,500 (2025)[7] | $14.4 B (2025)[7] | $429 K | 100+[8] | Boston |
| Bain & Company | 18,385 (2025)[9] | $7.5 B (2025)[9] | $407 K | 65[10] | Boston |
See also
References
- ↑ Cogar, Joshua (July 9, 2019). "MBB Firms". Management Consulted.
- ↑ Mann, Brian (December 13, 2024). "McKinsey & Company to pay $650 million for role in opioid crisis". NPR.
- ↑ "MBB explained: How hard it is to get hired and what it's like to work for the prestigious strategy consulting firms, McKinsey, Bain, and BCG". Business Insider. November 29, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ Chin, Eric. "The MBS Trio In Management Consulting". beatoncapital.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- 1 2 "McKinsey & Company | Company Overview & News". Forbes. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "McKinsey fact sheet" (PDF). December 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- 1 2 "BCG (Boston Consulting Group) | Company Overview & News". Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ "BCG Worldwide". Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- 1 2 "Bain & Company | Company Overview & News". Forbes. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Global Offices". Bain & Company, Inc. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
