Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
Company History
Deloitte History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1845 in London, United Kingdom
When was Deloitte founded?
Deloitte was founded in 1845 in London, United Kingdom by William Welch Deloitte, George Touche and Nobuzo Tohmatsu, making it 181 years old.
- Founded
- 1845
- Founding place
- London, United Kingdom
- Founders
- William Welch Deloitte, George Touche and Nobuzo Tohmatsu
- Headquarters today
- London, United Kingdom
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1845–2026)
- Current CEO
- Joe Ucuzoglu
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1845 | William Welch Deloitte Opens London Office |
| 1899 | George Touche Establishes Predecessor Firm |
| 1968 | Tohmatsu Lineage Established |
| 1989 | Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross Merge |
| 1993 | Renamed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu |
| 2003 | Deloitte Brand Consolidates |
| 2013 | Acquired Monitor Group |
| 2015 | Punit Renjen Becomes Global CEO |
| 2022 | Joe Ucuzoglu Becomes Global CEO |
| 2025 | FY2025 Revenue Reaches $70.5B |
| 2026 | Deloitte EMEA Launches |
| 2026 | FY2026 Revenue Reaches $74.5B |
- Where was Deloitte founded?
- Deloitte was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1845. wikidata.org
- Who founded Deloitte?
- Deloitte was founded by William Welch Deloitte, George Touche and Nobuzo Tohmatsu.
- When did Deloitte start?
- Deloitte was founded in 1845.
Founding Story
William Welch Deloitte opened an accounting office on Basinghall Street in London in 1845, during the railway boom. In 1849 he was appointed an independent auditor of the Great Western Railway, and in 1888 he became president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The modern network formed through mergers with American firm Haskins & Sells, Touche Ross (rooted in George Touche's practice) and Japan's Tohmatsu, culminating in the 1989 Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross combination.
Founders
William Welch Deloitte
William Welch Deloitte (1818-1898) opened his London accounting office in 1845. In 1849 he was appointed an independent auditor of the Great Western Railway, and he later served as president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. His firm combined with Haskins & Sells of New York in 1952, took the Deloitte Haskins & Sells name in 1978, and merged with Touche Ross in 1989. William Welch Deloitte was born in 1818.
George Touche
Sir George Alexander Touche was a prominent 19th-century British accountant and a foundational founding figure behind the modern Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu global network. Educated in Edinburgh, Touche moved to London and established his own accounting practice, George A. Touche & Co., in 1899. He successfully expanded his firm internationally, forming a critical partnership in New York that laid the groundwork for the modern Touche Ross network. A highly influential figure in both finance and politics, he also served as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was knighted for his services. In 1989, his legacy firm officially merged with Deloitte Haskins & Sells, creating the massive modern Deloitte empire. George Touche was born in 1861. Education: Stewart's Melville College.
Nobuzo Tohmatsu
Nobuzo Tohmatsu was a Japanese accountant and former naval officer whose firm gave the Tohmatsu name to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. He served in the Imperial Japanese Navy, where he managed supply and accounts and ended World War II as a rear admiral. He then moved into civilian finance and qualified as a CPA in 1952. In 1968 he co-founded Tohmatsu, Awoki & Co. as an auditing practice. The firm became an international partner of Deloitte, and his name was added to the global brand in the 1993 merger. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
William Welch Deloitte Opens London Office
William Welch Deloitte opens an accounting office in London, establishing the Deloitte lineage.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGeorge Touche Establishes Predecessor Firm
George Touche establishes a predecessor firm that later becomes part of the Deloitte & Touche lineage.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTohmatsu Lineage Established
Nobuzo Tohmatsu helps establish the Japanese firm that becomes part of Deloitte's global network identity.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDeloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross Merge
Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross combine to form Deloitte & Touche in a major professional-services merger.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRenamed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
The international firm was renamed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in 1993.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDeloitte Brand Consolidates
The global network increasingly uses the Deloitte brand across member firms and service lines.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired Monitor Group
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited acquired Monitor Group. Deloitte acquired Monitor Group, the strategy consultancy co-founded by Harvard professor Michael Porter, after Monitor filed for bankruptcy protection in late 2012.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPunit Renjen Becomes Global CEO
Punit Renjen became global chief executive of Deloitte in June 2015.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJoe Ucuzoglu Becomes Global CEO
Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO of Deloitte US since 2019, becomes Deloitte Global CEO on 31 December 2022, succeeding Punit Renjen.
Source: prnewswire.comFY2025 Revenue Reaches $70.5B
Deloitte reports $70.5B in aggregate global revenue for FY2025.
Source: deloitte.comDeloitte EMEA Launches
Following a partner vote, Deloitte EMEA launches on 1 June 2026, combining firms in more than 80 countries.
Source: deloitte.comFY2026 Revenue Reaches $74.5B
Deloitte reports $74.5B in FY2026 aggregate revenue, up 3.8% in local currency.
Source: deloitte.comMajor Acquisitions
Monitor Group
2013Deloitte acquired Monitor Group, the strategy consultancy co-founded by Harvard professor Michael Porter, after Monitor filed for bankruptcy protection in late 2012.
Gryphon Scientific
2024Deloitte acquired substantially all of the assets of Gryphon Scientific, a biosafety, biosecurity and public-health consultancy, announced in April 2024.
BearingPoint North American Public Services
2009Deloitte bought the North American public services unit of BearingPoint in 2009 after BearingPoint filed for bankruptcy protection.
Keep researching Deloitte
Deloitte Company History FAQ
What were the major historical eras of Deloitte from 1845 to 1989?
William Welch Deloitte founded the firm in London in 1845. Haskins & Sells was founded in New York in 1895 and combined with Deloitte in 1952, taking the Deloitte Haskins & Sells name in 1978. Touche Ross traces back to George Touche, and Japan's Tohmatsu joined the Touche Ross network in 1975. Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Touche Ross merged in 1989, and the network became Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in 1993.
Why did Deloitte retain its Consulting practice while rivals spun theirs off in 2000 to 2002?
Following the Enron collapse and Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, rivals PwC, EY, and KPMG sold or spun off their consulting divisions (to IBM, Capgemini, and BearingPoint). Deloitte partners voted to keep Consulting integrated, a decision that turned Deloitte into the dominant global consulting giant.
When did Deloitte open the $300 million Deloitte University campus?
Deloitte University opened in Westlake, Texas, in 2011 as the firm's leadership and learning campus. Deloitte has since opened facilities in six more locations and completed a roughly 600,000-square-foot expansion of the Westlake campus in 2026.
When did Deloitte surpass $50 billion and $60 billion in global revenue?
Under Global then-CEO Punit Renjen, Deloitte surpassed $50 billion in global revenue in 2021 and crossed $59.3 billion in 2022, becoming the first Big Four professional services firm to reach these historic revenue milestones.
When did Joe Ucuzoglu become Global Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte?
Joe Ucuzoglu became Deloitte Global CEO on 31 December 2022, succeeding Punit Renjen after serving as CEO of Deloitte US from 2019.
What are Deloitte's strategic priorities for 2026 and beyond?
Deloitte is prioritizing agentic AI (Zora AI with NVIDIA), AI infrastructure services, Operate managed services and the new Deloitte EMEA firm, backed by a US$3 billion investment through 2030.
What did Deloitte achieve in FY2026?
Deloitte reported $74.5B in FY2026 revenue, up 3.8% in local currency, with Asia Pacific growing 7.5%. Partners also voted to create Deloitte EMEA, which launched on 1 June 2026.
How old is Deloitte?
Deloitte is incredibly old. It was founded in London in 1845 by William Welch Deloitte. He was the very first person appointed as an independent auditor of a public company (the Great Western Railway), essentially inventing the modern corporate auditing industry.
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