India's leading audit and consulting firms are engaged in an intense battle for senior tax talent, with over 100 partners and executives changing firms in recent months. According to reports from Mint, this represents one of the busiest hiring cycles the sector has seen in recent years. The surge in demand for tax professionals comes as companies seek advice on issues including retrospective tax, cross-border transactions, tariffs, mergers and acquisitions. Artificial intelligence-enabled tax solutions are also fueling the hiring frenzy, with firms recruiting top executives and their teams from rivals.
Multiple executives at major firms told Mint that the opportunities offered included up to 30% raises, larger teams to handle, and promotions. As reported by Mint, a top tax executive at one of the Big Four firms noted that "a musical chair is going on in the tax business of these companies. The Big Four have hundreds of partners, and even if 2-3% of these senior executives shift, the numbers become big." One senior partner in a Big Four firm has joined a rival, taking along 30-plus team members, while some executives have updated their profiles on LinkedIn to confirm their moves.
The hiring war reflects a revolving-door market with firms repeatedly hiring from one another. According to Mint tracking, in May, Vinay Aggarwal moved from EY to PwC, while Sangita Prakash joined EY from Dhruva Advisors. Recently, Prashant Acharya joined PwC as a partner from EY. In March, Mohit Mittal left EY for Deloitte, while Komal Shah switched from Deloitte to EY and Pushkar Bhartia joined EY after leaving his independent practice. EY partner Pankaj Jain and Deloitte partner Anoop Kalavath have resigned, with Kalavath expected to join EY.
Major firms are implementing significant expansion plans to meet growing demand. As reported by Mint, EY confirmed it has over 300 partners and close to 7,000 professionals in its tax practice, with recent partner promotions of 38 partners. The firm is upskilling its team of 650+ tax AI specialists as demand for AI-enabled tax solutions grows. KPMG expects about 20% growth across partners and teams to align with client needs and complex regulatory landscape, while deepening capabilities in AI, technology, and sector execution. BDO's India tax practice has seen significant expansion over the last six months, with partner strength rising approximately 25%.
The hiring war reflects how the industry has evolved, with firms competing across tax, consulting and advisory services. According to Mint, firms that traditionally derived much of their identity from audit work now compete across these areas. Dhruva Advisors has hired about half-a-dozen partners and senior managers from the Big Four over the last six months, while BDO's expansion plan has largely been around strategic partner hires in areas where they expect significant growth including transfer pricing, international tax, customs, and emerging markets.
