Prior to the merger with Deloitte, Bansi Nagji was President of Monitor Group and led the firm’s global innovation practice.

Monitor Group was founded in 1983, by six entrepreneurs with ties to Harvard Business School, including Michael Porter, Mark B. Fuller, and Joseph B.

According to co-founder Joe Fuller, 2008 revenue was up on the previous year, but he stated that Monitor continued to anticipate "a demanding and tough market in the short term".

[12] Monitor's consulting areas included: Strategy and Uncertainty, Leadership and Organization, Innovation, Economic Development, Marketing Pricing and Sales, and Social Action.

Monitor had a number of business units that specialize in these areas and work together on client projects and the development of intellectual property, including its own white papers and research reports.

[16] Some engagements that have appeared in the press due to their public nature include a major initiative with the Libyan government[17][18] and an organizational effort with the University of California.

[21] Several authors affiliated with the firm have written business consulting books related to Monitor's work, including Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, by Michael Porter;[22] Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change, by Chris Argyris;[23] A Theory of the Firm: Governance, Residual Claims and Organizational Forms, by Michael C. Jensen;[24] The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably, by Thomas T. Nagle, John E. Hogan and Joseph Zale;[25] and The Art of the Long View: Paths to Strategic Insight for Yourself and Your Company by Peter Schwartz.

[26] Monitor was first hired by the Muammar Gaddafi-led Libyan government in 2005 to assess the state of Libya’s economy, develop plans for economic modernization and reform of the banking system, and train leaders from different sectors of society.

[32][33] Monitor's work for the Libyan government, and its hiring of academics in connection with it, became the subject of increasing scrutiny and controversy after Gaddafi’s forces attacked anti-government protesters in February 2011.

[37][38][39] During this time, details also came to public notice of the role which Monitor had played in the writing of Saif Gaddafi's thesis submitted to the LSE.