Top 20 Family Business Consulting Firms

As a market research head with years of experience tracking the evolution of private enterprise, I have seen family businesses face a unique paradox: they are the most resilient business model in history, yet they are vulnerable to the very intimacy that makes them strong.

Choosing the right advisor is not just about financial auditing; it’s about finding a partner who understands the “invisible balance sheet” of family dynamics, legacy, and succession. Below is a curated analysis of the Top 20 Family Business Consulting Firms, ranging from global giants to specialized boutiques.

1. The Family Business Consulting Group (FBCG)

• Founders: Craig E. Aronoff and John L. Ward
• Founded Year: 1994
• Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Product Categories: Family Governance, Succession Planning, Conflict Resolution, Board Development.
• Company Description: FBCG is widely considered the gold standard in specialized family business advisory. Unlike generalist firms, FBCG focuses exclusively on the intersection of family, ownership, and management. They employ a multidisciplinary approach, integrating psychology, business strategy, and governance to help multi-generational families navigate complex transitions. With a team that has served over 2,500 families globally, they are renowned for their “Family Constitution” frameworks and their ability to facilitate “kitchen table” conversations that professionalize the business while preserving family harmony.
• Key Features:
  • Exclusive focus on family-owned enterprises (no audit or tax conflicts).
  • Proprietary “Parallel Planning Process” for family and business goals.
  • Deep expertise in creating and professionalizing family boards.
  • Specialized conflict mediation and communication training.
  • Extensive library of thought leadership and research-backed methodologies.
  • Global reach with consultants across North America and Europe.

2. BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors

• Founders: Rob Lachenauer and Josh Baron
• Founded Year: 2012
• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Product Categories: Ownership Strategy, Governance Design, Succession, Wealth Stewardship.
• Company Description: BanyanGlobal is a boutique firm that has gained massive influence through its rigorous, Harvard Business Review-published frameworks. They specialize in helping families make the difficult transition from “Founder-led” to “Cousin-consortium” models. Their philosophy is built on the idea that family businesses fail not because of bad business, but because of owner misalignment. They act as “architects of ownership,” designing legal and governance structures that clarify how decisions are made, how money is distributed, and who gets to lead.
• Key Features:
  • Originators of the “Four Rooms” model of family business governance.
  • Heavy emphasis on the “Rights and Responsibilities” of owners.
  • Data-driven approach to owner alignment and assessment.
  • Expertise in managing complex, large-scale cousin-led enterprises.
  • Authors of the “HBR Family Business Handbook.”

3. Cambridge Family Enterprise Group (CFEG)

• Founders: Professor John A. Davis
• Founded Year: 1989
• Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
• Product Categories: Multigenerational Strategy, Family Office Advisory, Leadership Development.
• Company Description: Founded by the man who created the “Three-Circle Model” (the most used framework in the field), CFEG is an international powerhouse. They take a highly academic yet practical approach to “Family Enterprise Sustainability.” Their work often involves total wealth management, ensuring that the family’s social, human, and financial capital all grow in tandem. They are particularly skilled at helping families navigate “The New Economy,” helping traditional businesses pivot through digital transformation and innovative investment strategies.
• Key Features:
  • Founded by the pioneer of modern family business studies, John Davis.
  • Holistic focus on “The Total Wealth” of the family enterprise.
  • World-class education programs for next-gen leaders.
  • Expertise in the transition of family offices into investment engines.
  • Global footprint with deep experience in Latin America and Asia.

4. Deloitte Private (Family Enterprise Services)

• Founders: William Welch Deloitte (Original Firm)
• Founded Year: 1845 (Dedicated Family Practice expanded in recent decades)
• Headquarters: London, UK (Global HQ) / New York, USA
• Product Categories: Audit, Tax, M&A, Risk Advisory, Family Governance.
• Company Description: Deloitte Private leverages the massive resources of a “Big Four” firm but delivers them through a lens tailored for private wealth. Their Family Enterprise practice is unique because it can handle everything from a $50M family firm’s tax returns to a $10B global conglomerate’s digital transformation. They provide a “360-degree” view, ensuring that the family’s personal tax planning doesn’t conflict with the business’s growth capital needs. They are particularly strong in “Sustainability and ESG” reporting for family firms.
• Key Features:
  • Vast global network with local experts in nearly every country.
  • Integrated tax and legal services alongside management consulting.
  • “Family Enterprise DNA” diagnostic tool for benchmarking.
  • Specialized “NextGen” leadership academies and networking.
  • Robust cybersecurity and risk management tailored for high-net-worth families.

5. PwC (Family Business & Strategy& Services)

• Founders: Samuel Lowell Price (Original Firm)
• Founded Year: 1849
• Headquarters: London, UK
• Product Categories: Succession Planning, Digital Transformation, Trust & Transparency.
• Company Description: PwC’s family business practice is famous for its “Global Family Business Survey,” which provides the industry with its most critical annual data. They focus heavily on “The Trust Premium,” helping families build transparency between family members and professional managers. Through their Strategy& arm, they provide high-level corporate strategy, but their private client teams focus on the “human side,” helping founders let go of the reins and empowering the next generation through structured mentorship.
• Key Features:
  • Deep focus on digital upskilling for traditional family firms.
  • Industry-leading annual research on family business trends.
  • Expertise in international tax and cross-border inheritance.
  • Strong focus on “Social Impact” and philanthropic structuring.
  • Proven frameworks for professionalizing the “C-Suite” with non-family talent.

6. EY (Family Enterprise DNA)

• Founders: Arthur Young (Original Firm)
• Founded Year: 1906
• Headquarters: London, UK
• Product Categories: Growth Strategy, Capital Management, Governance, Family Office.
• Company Description: EY takes a “DNA” approach, analyzing the unique traits of a family business to foster long-term resilience. Their “Family Enterprise DNA Model” focuses on four pillars: the family, the business, the owners, and the family office. They are highly effective at helping families access capital markets—whether through private equity or IPOs—while maintaining family control. Their “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year” program provides an unparalleled networking platform for family business leaders globally.
• Key Features:
  • “Family Enterprise DNA” proprietary assessment tool.
  • Global “NextGen” network for future leaders.
  • Strong focus on transaction advisory and liquidity events.
  • Specialized “Family Office” setup and optimization services.
  • Focus on “Women in Family Business” leadership initiatives.

7. KPMG (Family Business Practice)

• Founders: Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (Original Firms)
• Founded Year: 1870
• Headquarters: Amstelveen, Netherlands
• Product Categories: Operational Excellence, Cyber Security, Succession, Philanthropy.
• Company Description: KPMG’s approach is deeply rooted in “The Kitchen Table to the Boardroom” philosophy. They understand that for family firms, the business is personal. Their consultants often act as long-term “Consiglieres” to the family, staying with them through multiple generational shifts. They are particularly strong in the SME sector, providing high-level operational consulting that helps medium-sized family businesses scale into global players.
• Key Features:
  • Highly localized service with a strong mid-market presence.
  • Integration of IT and Cyber protection for family offices.
  • Expertise in “Conflict Management” using psychological frameworks.
  • Deep knowledge of European and Asian family business legalities.

8. Lansberg Gersick Advisors (LGA)

• Founders: Ivan Lansberg and Kelin Gersick
• Founded Year: 1997
• Headquarters: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
• Product Categories: Continuity Planning, Complex Governance, Educational Workshops.
• Company Description: LGA is a highly specialized boutique firm known for its deep intellectual rigor. Founded by two of the most respected academics in the field, they specialize in “Continuity Audits.” They are the firm that large, complex family groups call when they reach a “crisis of complexity.” They don’t just provide a report; they provide an education, training family members to be effective owners and governors of their own legacy.
• Key Features:
  • Pioneers in “Owner Education” and governance design.
  • Strong ties to Yale and Kellogg academic frameworks.
  • Deep expertise in “Cousin Consortium” dynamics.
  • High-touch, bespoke advisory for ultra-high-net-worth families.

9. Generation6

• Founders: Relative to specialized advisory partners (e.g., Dirk Jungé family legacy)
• Founded Year: 2013 (rebranded/focused)
• Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Product Categories: Strategic Planning, Leadership Transition, Family Capacity Building.
• Company Description: Generation6 takes its name from the rarity of family businesses reaching the sixth generation. They focus on “Family Capacity”—the idea that the family itself must be as high-performing as the business. They are experts at building the “Human Capital” of the family, ensuring that the next generation is not just entitled to wealth but equipped to steward it.
• Key Features:
  • Emphasis on “Family Capacity” over just business structure.
  • Focus on long-term stewardship and legacy values.
  • Collaborative, team-based consulting model.
  • Practical scholarship and research-driven advice.

10. BDO (Family Enterprise Advisory)

• Founders: Binder Dijker Otte
• Founded Year: 1963
• Headquarters: Zaventem, Belgium / Chicago, USA
• Product Categories: Tax Planning, Succession, Governance, Risk Management.
• Company Description: BDO is the world’s leading advisor to the “Mid-Market.” For a family business that has outgrown a local accountant but feels lost in the halls of the Big Four, BDO is the perfect fit. Their “Family Enterprise” team is exceptionally practical, focusing on the immediate needs of tax efficiency, estate planning, and professionalizing the management team without losing the “family feel.”
• Key Features:
  • Leader in mid-market family business advisory.
  • Pragmatic approach to tax and estate complexity.
  • Robust “Wealth Protection” strategies.
  • Deep industry-specific knowledge (Manufacturing, Real Estate, Retail).

11. McKinsey & Company (Family Business Practice)

• Founders: James O. McKinsey
• Founded Year: 1926
• Headquarters: New York, USA
• Product Categories: Strategy, Large-scale Transformation, Portfolio Optimization.
• Company Description: When a family business needs to compete with global tech giants or enter the Fortune 100, they call McKinsey. Their family business practice focuses on “Professionalizing the Core” while maintaining “The Founder’s Mentality.” They are the experts in helping family conglomerates decide which businesses to buy, sell, or hold.
• Key Features:
  • World-class strategic and operational consulting.
  • Expertise in global conglomerate management.
  • Advanced analytics and market intelligence.
  • High-level leadership coaching for CEOs and Chairpersons.

12. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) – Family Business Arm

• Founders: Bruce Henderson
• Founded Year: 1963
• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Product Categories: Value Creation, Digital Innovation, Governance.
• Company Description: BCG focuses on the “Competitive Advantage” of family firms—long-term thinking and speed of decision-making. They help families use their unique ownership structure as a weapon in the marketplace, particularly in digital innovation and sustainability.
• Key Features:
  • Focus on the “Family Business Premium” in performance.
  • Digital “Center of Excellence” for traditional industries.
  • Sophisticated wealth and portfolio strategy.

13. Continuity Family Business Advisory

• Founders: Multi-disciplinary partners (focused on mediation)
• Founded Year: 2003
• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Product Categories: Conflict Resolution, Succession, Governance.
• Company Description: Continuity is a unique firm that blends business consulting with the psychology of family systems. They are “Relationship First” advisors, often brought in when communication has broken down or when a succession process has stalled due to emotional conflict.
• Key Features:
  • Specialists in “Crisis Mediation” and communication.
  • Integrated approach to family and business systems.
  • Succession planning that focuses on “Emotional Preparedness.”

14. Egon Zehnder (Family Business Advisory)

• Founders: Egon Zehnder
• Founded Year: 1964
• Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
• Product Categories: Board Search, Leadership Assessment, CEO Succession.
• Company Description: Primarily known for executive search, Egon Zehnder has a premier family business practice focused on the “People” side of governance. They help families find the right non-family CEO and professionalize their boards with independent directors.
• Key Features:
  • Unrivaled network for non-family executive talent.
  • Scientific leadership assessment for family members.
  • Board effectiveness and diversity consulting.

15. Spencer Stuart (Family Business Services)

• Founders: Spencer Stuart
• Founded Year: 1956
• Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Product Categories: Succession Planning, Board Advisory, Executive Search.
• Company Description: Spencer Stuart focuses on the critical moment of leadership transition. They help families manage the “handoff” from one generation to the next, ensuring that the new leader (family or non-family) has the support of all stakeholders.
• Key Features:
  • Expertise in “CEO Succession” dynamics.
  • Family board governance and recruitment.
  • Culture assessment and alignment.

16. Mazars (Global Private Client & Family Business)

• Founders: Robert Mazars
• Founded Year: 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Product Categories: Audit, Tax, Outsourcing, Family Governance.
• Company Description: Mazars offers a highly personalized, entrepreneurial approach. With strong European roots, they are experts in the “Mittelstand” style of family business—highly specialized, export-oriented firms that require complex cross-border tax and legal support.
• Key Features:
  • Strong focus on international expansion for family firms.
  • Bespoke private client tax services.
  • Collaborative “One-Team” global approach.

17. RSM (Family Business Advisory)

• Founders: Multiple member firms
• Founded Year: 1964
• Headquarters: London, UK
• Product Categories: Tax, Risk, Technology Consulting, Succession.
• Company Description: RSM is the world’s sixth-largest audit and tax network. Their family business team is known for being “down-to-earth” and highly accessible. They excel at helping families with “The Middle Market Challenge”—scaling operations while maintaining a lean, family-led culture.
• Key Features:
  • Practical, hands-on advice for growth-stage family firms.
  • Strong focus on risk and internal controls.
  • Cybersecurity and digital risk management for private wealth.

18. Grant Thornton (Private Business & Family Advisory)

• Founders: Alexander Richardson Grant
• Founded Year: 1924
• Headquarters: Chicago, USA / London, UK
• Product Categories: Growth Strategy, Tax, Audit, Wealth Advisory.
• Company Description: Grant Thornton focuses on “Growth” and “Legacy.” They are excellent at helping families professionalize their reporting and operations to prepare for future generations or potential sales to private equity.
• Key Features:
  • “Growth Hub” for scaling private enterprises.
  • Succession planning with a heavy emphasis on tax efficiency.
  • Proprietary “Vibrant Economy” framework for family impact.

19. Loyal Trust (Loyal Business Consulting)

• Founders: Josep Maria Huguet
• Founded Year: 1990
• Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain
• Product Categories: Tax, Accounting, Strategic Consulting.
• Company Description: A boutique firm with over 35 years of experience, Loyal Trust combines the agility of a young team with the wisdom of veteran advisors. They focus on personalized service, accompanying families through every stage of their project—from inception to international investment.
• Key Features:
  • Boutique, high-touch service model.
  • Expertise in EU and international trading structures.
  • Strong focus on “Personalized Accompanying” for founders.

20. Mercer (Family Office & Private Wealth)

• Founders: William M. Mercer
• Founded Year: 1945
• Headquarters: New York, USA
• Product Categories: Human Capital, Investment Advisory, Benefits.
• Company Description: Mercer is the world leader in “Human Capital.” For family businesses, they provide the essential tools to manage non-family employees—designing compensation packages that attract top talent without diluting family equity.
• Key Features:
  • Global leader in compensation and benefits design.
  • Expertise in “Phantom Equity” and incentive plans for family firms.
  • Sophisticated investment advisory for family offices.

Conclusion: Navigating the Future of the Family Enterprise

The landscape of family business consulting has shifted. It is no longer enough to have a good accountant; today’s family enterprises require a blend of Governance Architects, Emotional Mediators, and Digital Strategists. Whether you are a first-generation founder looking to retire or a third-generation cousin group trying to maintain unity, the firms listed above offer the specialized frameworks necessary to turn “family baggage” into “family advantage.”