Insight Global is marking its 25th anniversary by reflecting on its evolution from a basement startup into a global talent and consulting organization projected to generate $5.3 billion in revenue this year. Founded in 2001 by Glenn Johnson and Scott Madden, the company has expanded into a multinational business operating across more than 40 countries with a workforce exceeding 40,000 full-time and contracted employees.
The milestone highlights the company’s long-term focus on talent development, adaptability and strategic expansion across staffing, consulting and emerging AI-driven business services.
Insight Global was founded by Glenn Johnson and Scott Madden with the goal of building a people-focused business rooted in hard work, accountability and long-term culture development. The company’s early operations began in Johnson’s basement with a small team focused on recruiting and staffing services.
"Everybody was young, hungry, and willing to outwork anyone," said Glenn Johnson. "Everybody jumped in. Everybody competed. Everybody believed that if we worked hard enough and stayed connected to our values, we could create something different than what existed in the industry at the time."
Over the past two decades, the company has expanded significantly while maintaining a focus on organizational culture and workforce development. Insight Global stated that its growth strategy has centered on investing during periods of economic uncertainty rather than retreating from expansion initiatives.
Insight Global highlighted several economic turning points that shaped the company’s development trajectory.
During the 2009 financial downturn, the company reported growing 14% despite broader market declines. Rather than reducing operations, Insight Global increased hiring activity and expanded customer engagement efforts.
The company also expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic by launching Insight Global Health (IGH), a healthcare-focused division created to address nationwide nursing shortages.
Insight Global Health has since expanded internationally through its Philippines-based delivery center focused on preparing nurses for roles within U.S. healthcare systems.
Under CEO Bert Bean, who took leadership of the company in 2018, Insight Global also emphasized its purpose-driven philosophy centered around the concept of “Be the Light.”
"We've always believed that if you hire great people, obsess over their development, and create a culture rooted in Shared Values and accountability, those people will in turn take care of your business," said Bean.
The company stated that it grew 8% during the COVID period while the broader market contracted by 16%.
As enterprise workforce needs evolved, Insight Global expanded beyond traditional staffing into consulting, managed services and global workforce solutions.
The company invested heavily in its consulting organization to provide customers with outcomes-based services alongside talent acquisition capabilities. According to Insight Global, enterprise customers increasingly required integrated support spanning staffing, technical delivery and operational transformation.
To support global workforce models and enterprise demand, Insight Global expanded operations across North America, South America, Asia and Australia.
The company established delivery centers in Hyderabad and Manila while planning future expansion into Bogota and Eastern Europe.
Insight Global also announced investments in AI-focused delivery services designed to help customers implement agentic AI workflows, platforms and operational systems.
The company said AI represents another transformational inflection point similar to previous industry disruptions it navigated over the last 25 years.
Insight Global attributed much of its long-term growth to its internal culture, recruiting practices and employee development philosophy.
The company stated that its hiring process continues to prioritize work ethic, accountability and collaboration as core characteristics for employees joining the organization.
"If you're a jerk, you can't work here," said Bean.
Insight Global also noted that it has continued investing heavily in consulting talent and technical expertise throughout 2026 as part of broader growth and transformation initiatives.
Looking ahead, Insight Global said it aims to continue expanding its consulting, AI and global workforce capabilities over the next decade.
The company projects reaching $20 billion in revenue and surpassing 100,000 employees within the next 15 years.
"When Glenn called me to start Insight Global, we had a vision of building a great company and creating something special," said founder Scott Madden. "Seeing the business grow into a $5.3 billion global company is incredibly rewarding, but what means even more is watching so many great leaders and close friends continue to carry the culture and vision forward every day."
"Scott and I created Insight Global to be the biggest and the best in the industry," said founder and former CEO, Glenn Johnson. "While the journey is never over, we are thrilled to see the company is stronger than ever after twenty-five years."
As the company enters its next phase of growth, Insight Global says its long-standing philosophy remains unchanged: with the right people, anything is possible.
Insight Global is an international talent and consulting company that delivers business outcomes in an ever-changing world. We obsess over solving problems and building solutions that move our customers further, faster.
With access to top talent in more than 50 countries, our tech-enabled recruiters can build teams quickly. Our technical experts across Cloud, AI, Data, Enterprise Operations, and Applied Engineering deliver solutions tailored to each customer's needs. As those needs evolve, so do we.
As we evolve, though, we stay true to our purpose: to develop our people personally, professionally, and financially so they can be the light to the world around them. It shows up in everything we do, from investing in our people to delivering results for our customers to making a meaningful impact in our communities.
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