A legacy of connection, collaboration, and innovation

Our story begins with our purpose: making an impact that matters. Something that our founder, William Welch Deloitte, understood well. In 1845, he had a vision to build something that would last—to bring change to the accounting industry and beyond.

Understanding the power of connection, collaboration, and innovation, he established Deloitte as a small accountancy firm. And because of his legacy, Deloitte Global has grown into a thriving network of member firms spanning more than 150 countries and territories, and 470,000 people worldwide.

That spirit of collaboration took root in America long before Deloitte became what it is today. In the 1890s, Charles Waldo Haskins and Elijah Watt Sells, founders of Haskins & Sells, were hired by the U.S. Congress to modernize the U.S. federal government's recordkeeping systems. Their work helped reshape how the U.S. government operated, and when they returned to New York, they built a firm on the belief that the right experience, applied at the right moment, can move things forward. Haskins & Sells would become one of the founders of Deloitte in the United States. That instinct to serve clients with quality, innovation, and trust still defines Deloitte today.

These founding beliefs have driven our growth for more than 180 years and keep us firmly focused on the future. They are the bedrock of today's Deloitte.