Over 250 finalists and clients from a number of leading organisations attended the prestigious Tower of London for the MCA Awards Reception for 2023. At the event sponsored by Deloitte, guests, including those from 45 leading consultancy firms, were hosted by the famous Beefeaters at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The prestigious reception is held ahead of the awards ceremony which takes place next month when a total of over 95 clients from across the private and public sector will join leading consulting firms to promote the impact they have achieved in partnership across a range of different categories at the MCA Awards. Organisations championing the role of consultancy firms include the World Health Organisation, NHS Blood and Transplant, central government and local councils, Transport for London with the Elizabeth Line and firms including Marks and Spencer, Lloyds, Unilever, Lipton, NatWest and Rolls Royce.
Once again, finalists come from a wide range of MCA Member Firms with larger firms making up the greatest proportion of project finalists. Smaller firms also continue to impress the independent judging panel and of the 45 consultancy firms through to finalist stage, 27 are SMEs, a 22% increase compared to last year. The reception before the main ceremony which this year takes place at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
Speaking at the reception, Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the Management Consultancies Association, said:
“Every year the standards rise higher. And higher. And the competition intensifies. And that is why we must take this opportunity to celebrate those of you who have managed to get through to our finals. Because genuinely to get to this stage is a real achievement worth marking.
“The role of modern consultants is broadening and deepening as the challenges our clients and society face become ever more complex. And while there is still more to be done, increasingly modern consultants come from all backgrounds reflecting all corners of society in the modern United Kingdom.
“Our commitment to Consulting Excellence and the Chartered Management Consultant Accreditation insists that standards are high and rise year on year. And in an era when standards in public life are increasingly questioned by a sceptical public, our professions commitment to ethics and good conduct stands out. This year’s competition and our range of awards shows how broadly our industry impacts on our national life.”
Rob Cullen, Managing Partner UK Consulting at Deloitte, added:
“These nominations brilliantly showcase the value of consulting. They tell a story of how we’re driving the kind of transformations which our clients, our society and the planet need.”
At the event, the MCA also launched its annual charity appeal with the charity, Child Action Poverty Group (CPAG). CPAG works on behalf of the more than one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty. The charity works to understand what causes poverty, the impact it has on children’s lives, and how it can be prevented and solved – for good. Set up in 1965, the charity also collects evidence from families living in poverty and pushes forward achievable and long-term solutions to child poverty.
Child Poverty Action Group’s Chief Executive Alison Garnham said:
“Poverty is snatching the joy from children’s lives. When kids grow up poor, they miss out on the things most children take for granted: warm clothes, school trips, having friends over for tea. This is no way for a child to grow up. Already 4.2 million children in the UK are in poverty and the number is expected to rise.
“CPAG is doing all we can to support struggling families. Our nationwide advice services are supporting thousands of frontline workers to maximise families’ household incomes and our work in schools continues to identify and reduce costs for families, so that all children regardless of their financial background can make the most of learning and school life. We are grateful for this appeal which will help to make this possible.”
Details about the charity and how to donate can be found at: Child Poverty Action Group – JustGiving
More information on the awards is at www.mca.org.uk/awards