The history of CMC-Global (earlier the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes) begins in 1987, when 32 management consultants met in Paris to identify and discuss common ground among the professional institutes. The consultants represented 10 countries, and the initiator of this meeting was John Roethle, who at the time was the Chairman of the Institute of Management Consultants in the USA. Representatives of the Institutes of Management Consultants from the United Kingdom and Canada were the first to support the proposed initiative. In the course of the meeting it was decided to establish the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) in order to improve the quality of certification of management consultants. At that time, the founding members of the Council were the Institutes of Management Consultants from the US, Australia, UK, South Africa, Austria, and Canada.

In 1989 the requirements for membership, the application process, the Code of Professional Conduct, the organizational structure and the establishment of CMC-Global were worked out, and in 1993 the strategic plan was developed, including (www.cmc-global.org):
- issues relating to standardization, in particular the development and updating of international performance standards, and ensuring that all member institutes follow these standards;
- issues related to the development of support for the worldwide acceptance of the value of certification as a global standard of professionalism of management consultants by national institutions and key and influential people in the international arena;
- issues related to the promotion of national certification institutes with appropriate qualifications for membership in CMC-Global;
- issues related to supporting member institutions through various services that promote development and recognition, including exchange of experiences, programs, networking, etc.;
- issues related to financial support from member institutions and alternative sources of funding for CMC-Global activities aimed at achieving its mission and goals.

Since its founding, CMC-Global (ICMCI) has achieved outstanding results, the key ones being:
- the competency model was developed, a common set of guidelines was introduced, the International Code of Professional Conduct was ratified, and the model of accredited consulting practices (ACPs) was developed and implemented;
- the Constantinus Award was established as a recognition of the highest level of management consulting excellence;
- the 20700 standard was developed and the CEN standard for management consulting was ratified;
- in 2001, CMC-Global won recognition as a non-governmental organization with a special consulting focus at the United Nations.

CMC-Global does not stop there and continues its activities aimed at improving the profession, improving the value proposition of certified consultants and the recognition of management consulting as a respected profession worldwide. Today, CMC-Global counts 48 institutes in different countries and the Global Institute for the certification of consultants in countries where there is no Institute of Management Consulting, and the CMC designation was introduced as a universal one for certified management consultants.