India is increasingly moving beyond its traditional role as a back-office outsourcing destination to become a strategic innovation and leadership hub for global professional services firms. As multinational consulting and advisory companies deepen their investments in digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and cross-border delivery capabilities, India’s vast talent pool and technology expertise are becoming central to their long-term growth strategies.
Global consulting and accounting firm RSM is among the organisations accelerating this shift. The firm, which focuses on serving middle-market businesses worldwide, is significantly expanding its India operations as part of a broader global integration strategy.
Today, RSM employs more than 6,000 professionals across 18 offices in India, including teams aligned with both domestic operations and international markets. The company has rapidly scaled its India presence over the last few years, reflecting the growing importance of the country in global consulting delivery models.
“A few years ago, India was largely viewed as a delivery engine,” says Ashokkumar Prabhakar, known as Pash, who recently took charge as RSM US India Leader. “That is changing rapidly as India is moving from scale to strategic relevance. It is no longer only about capacity. It is about capability, leadership and long-term value creation.”
According to the company, India teams are now deeply integrated into global engagements across the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, supporting services across assurance, tax, consulting and digital operations. The integration comes at a time when clients are demanding more technology-led and globally coordinated solutions from advisory firms.
Industry experts say this trend mirrors a broader transformation underway across the professional services sector. Large consulting firms are increasingly redesigning their operating models to combine global talent, AI-enabled delivery and domain expertise in order to improve efficiency and client outcomes.
“Clients today are not simply looking for execution support,” says Prabhakar. “They are looking for insight, judgement and the ability to help them navigate complexity. That changes the role India can play in the global consulting ecosystem.”
Globally, RSM operates in over 120 countries with combined revenues of about $10 billion. The company recently announced a trans-Atlantic integration involving its US, Canada, UK and Ireland businesses, creating a larger and more interconnected delivery platform.
The firm has also committed significant investments towards AI and digital capabilities globally. These investments are aimed at enhancing workflow automation, predictive analytics and decision-making tools across service lines.
Role of AI
“Professional services are shifting from effort-based work to insight and judgement,” states Prabhakar. “AI is becoming embedded into workflows, but human oversight and accountability remain critical. Technology should augment expertise, not replace it”.
The rapid adoption of AI across consulting firms is also reshaping workforce requirements. Companies are increasingly seeking professionals with skills spanning analytics, cybersecurity, automation, cloud technologies and business advisory.
India’s strong engineering and technology talent base has made it particularly attractive for such investments. Industry analysts note that global capability centres (GCCs) in India are also moving higher up the value chain, contributing not just operational support but strategic innovation and product development.
For RSM, India teams contribute 35-40 per cent of its global innovation submissions under its internal NextWave programme, highlighting the country’s growing influence within the organisation’s broader digital agenda. The company has additionally expanded its physical footprint in India, with nearly 400,000 sq ft of office infrastructure across key cities. At the same time, it continues to strengthen leadership hiring and build specialised capabilities to support future growth.
The broader consulting sector is expected to witness continued momentum in India as global firms look to optimise costs while accessing specialised talent and innovation ecosystems. Analysts believe the convergence of AI adoption, digital transformation and cross-border collaboration will further accelerate India’s strategic role in the global services economy.
For firms like RSM, the focus is increasingly on creating integrated operating models, where India is not treated as a support location but as a core part of global business strategy. “We want India to be fully embedded in the global model,” affirms Prabhakar. “The opportunity ahead is to build an organisation that is digital, globally connected and compelling for both clients and talent.”