By Gonzalo Lavín Alfaro - Business Development Manager
While consulting has developed along broadly similar lines worldwide, each region exhibits distinct strengths shaped by its economic structure, client base, and regulatory landscape. Western Europe and North America remain established centres for general management and strategy consulting, and regions such as Eastern Europe and India are recognised for their focus on IT and implementation. In contrast, Latin America stands out for a more diverse consulting landscape — one defined by operational depth, regulatory complexity, and accelerating growth in emerging service areas.
In this overview, we take a closer look at the consulting landscape across Latin America — highlighting where firms are most active, how service lines are evolving, and what this means for compensation trends across the region.
Sustainability and ESG Advisory
Sustainability and ESG consulting are emerging as dynamic growth areas, particularly in energy, mining, and agriculture. As local regulations evolve and investor expectations rise, demand for advisory work in sustainability reporting, carbon management, and responsible supply chains is increasing rapidly.
Operations and Efficiency Improvement
Latin America’s consulting sector has traditionally centred on operational excellence. Many local and regional firms built their reputations on helping clients optimise processes, reduce costs, and improve supply chain performance. This remains a key focus area across industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and energy, where operational improvements often deliver faster, more tangible returns than strategic repositioning.
Finance, Risk, and Regulatory Advisory
The complexity of local tax and compliance environments — particularly in countries such as Brazil and Argentina — has driven consistent demand for consultants who can navigate these challenges. Advisory work in corporate governance, internal controls, and financial risk management continues to represent a significant share of consulting activity in the region.
Implementation and Digital Transformation
Implementation-oriented consulting has expanded rapidly, driven by growing investment in technology and automation. Multinational firms increasingly view Latin America not only as a delivery base but also as a developing market for digital services, with strong momentum in ERP implementation, process automation, and data analytics.
Human Capital and Organisational Consulting
Human capital consulting plays an important role, particularly within large domestic conglomerates and subsidiaries of global firms. Engagements often focus on organisational design, compensation, and talent management — reflecting the region’s focus on workforce adaptability and productivity.
Strategy Consulting
Strategy consulting, while smaller in overall scale, is concentrated in the region’s largest and most internationally connected economies: Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. Here, companies are more likely to invest in strategic transformation, international expansion, and market-entry projects.
Expected Salary Increases in Latin America
Despite higher inflation than the OECD average, Latin America’s consulting industry continues to show steady growth. With relatively limited geopolitical disruption compared to other markets, countries such as Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil are leading salary growth projections — expected to exceed 5.3% in many cases. This reflects the region’s rising demand for skilled professionals and sustained investment in expanding service lines such as ESG, digital transformation, and implementation.
Nearshoring and Delivery Centres
The region, particularly Mexico, has become an important hub for nearshoring and delivery centres serving North America and other markets. The transfer of business operations to nearby, lower-cost locations has long been associated with India and Eastern Europe, but Latin America is increasingly capturing this activity. Proximity to clients, time-zone alignment, and cost advantages are driving consulting firms to establish or expand delivery centres in the region, creating new opportunities for talent and service delivery.
Understanding how consulting work is distributed across lines of business is essential when assessing compensation levels. Even within the same country, firms may vary widely in focus and service mix, influencing both pay structures and career paths.
Vencon Research’s benchmarking products capture these distinctions by matching roles precisely by line of business, level, and local market context. This enables consulting firms to make accurate, meaningful comparisons when reviewing compensation within their market.
Explore Vencon Research’s benchmarking services ›