1940s
The journey from one entrepreneur to a global partnership
Our global story begins in the 1940s, when Robert Mazars, driven by a sense of purpose to contribute to the accounting profession, founded our firm in Rouen, France. The future was in auditing, so much more than accounting alone. He dedicated himself to this bright new profession, contributing to the public policies that helped establish trusted relationships with listed corporations in the 1960s, relationships that today still mark our difference and our know-how.
1983
After years of building a successful practice, Robert Mazars, announced to his employees that he would step back by giving – not selling – his shares. He insisted on one condition: that partners pass the firm on to future generations in better shape than they received it and without goodwill.
This decision remains a cornerstone of our partnership model and has strongly influenced our culture: choosing stewardship over profit laid the foundation for a community of professionals grounded in ethics, competence and independence.
1995
We made the deeply entrepreneurial choice to build our international integrated partnership, sharing governance, strategy, values, profits and a common brand. Ever since, we have invited dozens of long-standing local firms from multiple countries to join us on this exciting journey.
We also implemented a global profit-sharing system to ensure financial stability for members and facilitate international client delivery. This integrated international partnership model is extremely powerful because when a client entrusts us with a mission, they are served seamlessly thanks to one global team.
2000s
With the appearance of our regional structure in the early 2000s, another era commenced, one of strong local anchors that safeguard our values and success. This set‑up enabled regions to jointly pursue business opportunities through culturally attuned, locally grounded business development efforts that leverage their deep understanding of client needs and market dynamics.
2024
In 2024, we entered a new chapter with the creation of Forvis Mazars – a groundbreaking global network and the largest new entrant in the global industry rankings in decades. During discussions, our focus was not only on the complementary business model but also on establishing a common ambition for the future of our industry.
