EY-Parthenon
{{Short description|Multinational strategy consultancy}}
{{Third-party|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox company
| name = EY-Parthenon
| logo = EY-Parthenon Logo 2021.svg
| caption =
| type = Subsidiary{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04328808 |title=Ernst & Young Global Limited |work=Companies House |access-date=2020-07-23}}
| location = London, New York
| foundation = {{start date and age|2014}} (first as Talisman, then The Parthenon Group then EY-Parthenon through merger of EY and The Parthenon Group){{cite web|url=http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Newsroom/Facts-and-figures |title=Facts & Figures |publisher= Ernst & Young |date=30 June 2011 |access-date=8 December 2011}}
| founder = {{ubl
|William "Bill" Achtmeyer
|John C. Rutherford}}{{cite web |author1=EY |author1-link=EY-Parthenon |title=About EY-Parthenon |url=https://www.ey.com/en_gl/strategy/about-ey-parthenon |website=EY - Global |access-date=8 October 2022 }}
| area_served = Worldwide
| Founders = William "Bill" Achtmeyer & John Rutherford
| industry = Strategy consulting
| key_people = {{ubl
|Andrea Guerzoni (Global vice chair EY-Parthenon)
Nadine Mirchandani (Deputy Global vice chair, EY-Parthenon)
|Mitch Berlin (Americas vice chair, EY-Parthenon; Constantin Gall, EMEIA EY Parthenon Leader)
|Shannon Cotter Asia-Pacific EY-Parthenon Leader)
}}
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.ey.com/parthenon}}
}}
EY-Parthenon is the transformative strategy and transactions arm of EY's global organization.{{cite web|url=https://managementconsulted.com/ey-parthenon/|title=EY Parthenon|website=managementconsulted|access-date=28 March 2021|date=12 June 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.eu/firms/ey-parthenon|title=EY-Parthenon|website=consultancy.eu|access-date=28 March 2021|date=2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/7699239Z:GR|title=EY-Parthenon|website=Bloomberg|access-date=28 March 2021}} With more than 25,000 professionals in 150 countries, EY-Parthenon adopts an investor mindset to focus on delivering real-world value – solutions that work in practice, not just on paper – with deep functional talent and sector capabilities, as well as proprietary AI-powered technology.
EY-Parthenon offers a broad range of market-leading solutions across strategy, transactions and corporate finance and benefits from EY's full-spectrum of services to advise top management (C-Suite) on strategic issues across a range of industries including Private Equity, Consumer Products, Government, Financial Services, Healthcare, Information & Media, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Oil & Gas and Technology.{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.eu/news/5387/ey-parthenon-global-chemicals-industry-set-for-consolidation|website=consultancy.eu|title=EY Parthenon: global chemicals industry set for consolidation|date=14 December 2020|access-date=28 March 2021}} The firm competes with strategy consultancies such as McKinsey, Bain and BCG as well as the strategy consulting arms of the other Big Four firms such as Monitor Deloitte and Strategy&. Consistently placing near the top of strategy consulting rankings, EY-Parthenon has a significant focus on private equity, corporate strategy, and mergers & acquisitions.
The Parthenon Group LLC was formed in 1991 by former Bain & Company directors William "Bill" Achtmeyer and John C. Rutherford. In 2014 The Parthenon Group merged with professional services firm EY forming the new entity EY-Parthenon.{{cite web |last=Agnew |first=Harriet |date=21 July 2014 |title=EY to merge with Parthenon Group |url=https://www.ft.com/content/54c8bd40-10df-11e4-b116-00144feabdc0 |access-date=28 March 2021 |website=Financial Times}}{{cite web |date=23 July 2014 |title=EY Advisory buys strategy firm The Parthenon Group |url=https://www.consultancy.uk/news/484/ey-advisory-buys-strategy-firm-the-parthenon-group |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611050153/https://www.consultancy.uk/news/484/ey-advisory-buys-strategy-firm-the-parthenon-group |archive-date=11 June 2021 |access-date=11 June 2021 |website=Consultancy.uk}}{{cite news |last1=Rapoport |first1=Michael |title=Ernst & Young to Buy Consulting Firm Parthenon Group |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ernst-young-to-buy-consulting-firm-parthenon-group-1405953538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611050524/https://www.wsj.com/articles/ernst-young-to-buy-consulting-firm-parthenon-group-1405953538 |archive-date=11 June 2021 |access-date=11 June 2021 |newspaper=WSJ}} The move was viewed as part of the continued efforts by the Big Four to move up the value chain from their traditional audit services into more lucrative areas of business, as well as to provide new points of entry to clients.
History and merger
EY-Parthenon was founded in 1991 as The Parthenon Group by William "Bill" Achtmeyer and John C. Rutherford, who at that time served as director at the management consultancy Bain & Company.{{Cite web |last=Mian |first=Namaan |date=2016-06-12 |title=EY Parthenon |url=https://managementconsulted.com/ey-parthenon/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=Management Consulted |language=en-US}} The founders established the firm to be a specialty boutique consulting firm leveraging the client relations they built during their time at Bain. In the subsequent years the firm grew rapidly and merged with Big Four professional services company Ernst & Young in 2014. In 2025, EY-Parthenon expanded significantly to encompass the whole of EY's Strategy and Transactions business creating a 25,000 person strong global proposition, a major move and the first of its kind in professional services.
Expansion under the EY brand
From 2014 EY-Parthenon pursued an aggressive expansion strategy growing its consultant base from approximately 350 in 2014 to 25,000 in 2025. This growth has been realized organically through expanding teams with new recruits as well as inorganically by acquiring consulting firms. Over the period 2016-2017, EY-Parthenon acquired the Benelux, French and German branches of OC&C Strategy Consultants.{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.uk/news/12500/pathenon-ey-acquires-benelux-arm-of-occ-strategy-consultants|title=EY-Parthenon acquires Benelux arm of OC&C Strategy Consultants|website=consultancy.uk|date=2 September 2016|access-date= 28 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.catalystadvisors.nl/en/occ-strategy-consultants-benelux-joins-parthenon-ey/|title=OC&C Strategy Consultants Benelux joins Parthenon-EY|website=Catalyst Advisors|date=2 September 2016|access-date = 28 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.uk/news/13871/occ-loses-french-partners-to-parthenon-ey-but-commits-to-rebuild|title=OC&C loses French partners to EY-Parthenon but commits to rebuild|website=consultancy.uk|date=21 August 2017|access-date=28 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.eu/news/498/ey-parthenon-adds-120-strategy-consultants-in-germany-with-occ-integration|title=EY-Parthenon adds 120 strategy consultants in Germany with OC&C integration|date=14 February 2018|access-date=28 March 2021|website=consultancy.eu}} It bolstered its Asia Pacific offering through its acquisition of Australian boutique Port Jackson Partners in May 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.asia/news/3227/ey-acquisition-bolsters-strategy-consulting-offering-in-asia-pacific|title=EY acquisition bolsters strategy consulting offering in Asia Pacific|website=consultancy.asia|date=11 May 2020|access-date=28 March 2021}} It announced its first innovation collaboration with the global start-up ecosystem Plug and Play in October 2020 to enable their clients to engage with disruptive digital technologies.{{cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ey-parthenon-announces-global-collaboration-with-plug-and-play-301142346.html|title=EY-Parthenon announces global collaboration with plug and play|website=PR Newswire|date=1 October 2020|access-date=28 March 2021}}
In March 2025, EY announced a major expansion of EY-Parthenon across its Strategy and Transactions service line globally, including a $250m investment in its proprietary AI-powered technologies.
The change saw EY-Parthenon strengthen leading positions in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), divestitures, corporate finance, value creation, turnaround, and optimization, as well as sector-driven strategic advisory and transformation services. As part of this transition, the EY-Parthenon brand identity was refreshed in line with the EY organization’s “Shape the future with confidence” brand expansion announced in June 2024.
Rankings
In 2023, EY-Parthenon was ranked 4th globally in the Vault Consulting 50 as well as the 5th most prestigious.{{cite web|url=https://www.vault.com/company-profiles/management-strategy/the-parthenon-group|title=EY-Parthenon|website=Vault|access-date=28 March 2021|date=2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vault.com/best-companies-to-work-for/consulting/best-to-work-for/selectivity|website=Vault|title=Best Consulting Firms to Work For|access-date=28 March 2021|date=2021}} It also ranked 8th in the Top 25 Strategy Consulting firms by consultancy.uk.{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.uk/news/27394/the-top-25-strategy-consulting-firms-in-the-uk|title=The Top 25 Strategy Consulting Firms in the UK|website=consultancy.uk|date=23 March 2021|access-date=28 March 2021}}