PwC to Goldman Sachs: TIME lists top 150 companies that help shape America's future leaders

TIME and data firm Statista analysed resumes of 20,000 people in America, including award-winning academics, political figures, and CEOs of large companies

TIME and data firm Statista have come together to list as many as 150 companies that play a huge role in shaping America’s leaders. They analysed resumes of 20,000 people in America, including award-winning academics, political figures, and CEOs of the largest companies. The list, notably, does not include government, nonprofit, and educational job experience.

TIME and data firm Statista have come together to list as many as 150 companies that play a huge role in shaping America’s leaders (REUTERS/Lewis Jackson/File Photo, AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Most of the companies that appear on the top of the list are firms in consulting, tech, and finance. Many a time, bagging a job in these companies is very hard. For example, McKinsey & Company is reported to have received more than a million applications last year. However, it hired less than 1% of applicants, according to TIME.

However, after the employees are hired, the organisations have a “very strong learning and development function,” said Bernard Banks, associate dean for Leadership Development and Inclusion at Northwestern Kellogg. “They have cultures that prize growing people's capacity to lead, and they make investments from a resourcing standpoint, to support that emphasis.”

The list, which is in combination with TIME’s Best Colleges for Future Leaders list, has revealed how to become a leader in America.

Here’s a look at the top 10 companies on the list:

1. McKinsey & Company: A worldwide management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, the company is known for offering professional services to corporations, governments, and as well as other firms.
2. General Electric: The American multinational conglomerate was founded in 1892. Headquartered in Boston, the company has many divisions, such as aerospace, power, renewable energy, digital industry, additive manufacturing, and venture capital and finance.
3. IBM: According to IBM’s website, the company brings together “all the necessary technology and services to help our clients solve their business problems”. The multinational technology corporation specialises in computer hardware, middleware, and software, and provides hosting and consulting services in areas such as mainframe computers and nanotechnology.
4. Procter & Gamble: The American multinational consumer goods corporation was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. “Our brands are trusted in millions of living rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms—and have been passed down from generation to generation. We are the people behind the brands you trust, and we’re committed to making peoples’ lives better in small but meaningful ways, every day,” the company's website says.
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC): The multinational professional services brand of firms is the second-largest professional services network in the world. “With offices in 151 countries and more than 364,000 people, we are among the leading professional services networks in the world. We help organisations and individuals create the value they are looking for, by delivering quality in Assurance, Tax and Advisory services,” the website of the company says.
6. Accenture: The Irish-American professional services reported revenues of $64.1 billion in 2023. The company is considered the largest consulting firm in the world. The company’s website says, “Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 733,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.”
7. Goldman Sachs: The bank and financial holding company is known for offering investment banking, commercial banking, securities, and investment management services. “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial institution that delivers a broad range of financial services to a large and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals,” the company’s website says.
8. Deloitte: The multinational professional services network is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professionals in the world. It is also among the Big Four accounting firms, the others being EY, KPMG and PwC.
9. Bank of America: The American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company is the second-largest banking institution in the United States, after JPMorgan Chase. It is also the second-largest bank in the world by market capitalization. “Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, and governments with a full range of banking, investment management and other financial and risk management products and services,” the website says.
10. Ernst & Young: The multinational professional services partnership operates as a network of member firms structured as separate legal entities in a partnership. It includes 312,250 employees in more than 700 offices in over 150 countries around the world. “At EY, our purpose is building a better working world. The insights and services we provide help to create long-term value for clients, people and society, and to build trust in the capital markets,” the website of the company says.