Inside Wipfli’s Growth Story and Culture from India

Our Spotlight Stories at DevX series is an opportunity to go beyond logos and office spaces. It is about the people, the intent, and the culture that shape growing organisations. In this edition, Yash from our marketing team sat down with Prashant, Director at Wipfli, to talk about growth, global delivery, culture, and what it takes to build a meaningful presence in India.

What followed was an honest and insightful conversation about how a US headquartered firm has built a deeply integrated global capability from India over two decades.

About Wipfli

Wipfli is a US headquartered accounting and business consulting firm serving clients across industries such as manufacturing, financial services, construction, real estate, nonprofits, government, healthcare, and technology. With more than 40 offices across the United States, Wipfli focuses on helping organisations manage complexity, navigate risk, and grow with confidence.

As Prashant shared during the conversation, Wipfli’s role extends far beyond compliance.  

He said,

“We help organisations navigate complexity, manage risks and grow with confidence. We work with a variety of clients across industries and help organisations navigate complexity, manage risk and grow with confidence.”

The firm combines assurance, tax, risk advisory, healthcare consulting, technology, and broader business consulting to help clients make informed decisions and build stronger businesses. At its core, Wipfli’s mission is to enable individuals and organisations to achieve their full potential while creating a lasting positive impact on communities and stakeholders.

The India Story, A Journey of Evolution

Wipfli’s India journey began in 2004 as a technology focused arm known as Spider Logic. Over time, the scope expanded significantly. In 2019, the entity was rebranded as Wipfli India, reflecting its strategic evolution into broader consulting areas including tax, business advisory, accounting, and audit.

As Prashant explained during the conversation, “India is very deeply integrated into the firm’s global delivery model.”

Today, Wipfli operates from four offices in India and one in the Philippines as part of its global delivery model. The India team is not a support extension. It is deeply integrated into core service lines including tax, audit, risk advisory, healthcare consulting, technology practice, infrastructure, and shared services.

Prashant’s own journey reflects this growth. When he began working with the partner group in 2010, the team in Ahmedabad was just a handful of professionals. Following a strategic merger in 2021, the Ahmedabad office became part of Wipfli’s larger India operations. Today, the Ahmedabad team is about 100 strong, contributing to an overall India strength of approximately 700 professionals.

What began as a focused service center has matured into a full capability center that directly supports client outcomes and firm wide innovation.

Culture as the Foundation of Scale

One of the most compelling parts of the conversation centered on culture. As organisations grow, maintaining cultural clarity becomes increasingly complex. For Wipfli, culture is not incidental. It is intentional.

Prashant described Wipfli as a second family, a place where people spend a significant part of their productive lives. The firm emphasizes accountability and performance while consciously avoiding rigid hierarchies. Collaboration, trust, and respect are actively cultivated.

Five core values guide the organization: integrity, caring, excellence, teamwork, and perseverance. These are not just words on a wall. They are reinforced through consistent leadership communication and inclusive decision making.

An important insight from Prashant was that culture cannot be an afterthought when global firms scale in India. Alignment between headquarters and India operations requires clarity of purpose, mutual respect, and equal investment in people and processes. When global and local teams treat each other as true partners, sustainable growth becomes possible.

Workspace as an Enabler of Culture

The conversation naturally moved to the role of workspace in supporting culture and performance.

Post Covid, the meaning of workplace has evolved. Hybrid models, flexibility, and associate experience are now central to how firms think about productivity. For Wipfli, workspace is not just about desks and infrastructure. It is about reinforcing that associates are valued.

Prashant spoke about the importance of professional, well-designed environments that encourage collaboration and creativity.  

He stated, “When there are common facilities like gaming rooms, gyms, collaboration spaces or phone booths, it helps associates feel valued and invested in.”

Features such as collaboration zones, phone booths, recreational areas, fitness facilities, and accessible amenities are not luxuries. They signal long-term investment in people.

At DevX, our approach to managed and built solutions is rooted in collaboration. For Wipfli’s Ahmedabad office, the design process centered around associate experience, team interaction, and operational functionality. The outcome is a workspace that supports both high professional standards and a vibrant, engaging atmosphere.

When employees feel invested in, their commitment and buy in strengthen. Workspace becomes a tangible expression of culture.

Advice for Global Firms Building in India

As the conversation drew to a close, Yash asked Prashant what advice he would give to firms setting up or scaling teams in India.

The response was thoughtful and direct.

First, talent and leadership quality in a location matter deeply. Firms should evaluate not just cost advantages but the ethos and ecosystem of the city.

Second, culture alignment must be deliberate. Global organisations need to understand local perspectives and ensure clarity of purpose across geographies.

Third, investment should extend beyond hiring. Equal emphasis on processes, leadership development, and workplace experience builds a sustainable model rather than a transactional setup.

India has moved beyond being a cost arbitrage destination. It is a capability powerhouse. Firms that approach it with long term vision and partnership mindset are the ones that thrive.

A Shared Commitment to Growth

Our conversation with Prashant reflects what we value in our partnerships at DevX. Growth is not accidental. It is built through intentional leadership, cultural clarity, and environments that inspire people to do their best work.

Wipfli’s journey from a technology arm in 2004 to a 700 strong India operation integrated into global service lines is a testament to what sustained commitment can achieve.

We are proud to support Wipfli’s India story and look forward to continuing to build workspaces that inspire organisations to scale with confidence.