MCA AWARDS 2024 HIGHLIGHT THE VALUE OF CONSULTING TO THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY DURING CRITICAL TIMES

  • More than 950 attendees, including consultants, apprentices, clients, media representatives and government officials, participated in the 2024 MCA Awards Ceremony, which champions the valuable impact the sector makes across the economy and society.
  • Winning projects included transforming the technology platform of Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust, boosting fundraising and reducing costs; helping major electricity networks to improve sustainability and capability in the transition to net-zero; and enhancing the lives of children by assisting councils to reduce the number going into care.
  • The MCA Awards 2024 also highlighted outstanding delivery of services overseas, which make up £6 billion in exports – including a project which helped boost the number of girls in education in South Sudan by half a million.
  • Project of the Year – and winner in the Change and Transformation in the Public Sector category – was a collaboration between BAE Systems Digital Intelligence and His Majesty’s Government, using AI technology to help combat the availability and volume of child sexual abuse material online by scanning tens of thousands of websites each day.
  • Janet Greenwood from KPMG was named The Times Consultant of the Year. She also received the Experienced Leader Award for her significant work in advancing the profession’s focus on sustainability.
  • 100 client organisations partnered with MCA member firms to acknowledge the achievements of the industry across both the public and private sectors.

The MCA Awards 2024 celebrated winners and finalists at Grosvenor House in London, with more than 950 guests attending, including government officials, media and clients from a cross-section of industries. The Awards demonstrate the best of the industry, highlighting outstanding client projects and the diversity and breadth of talented individuals working across the industry. Hosted by the Rt. Hon. Lord Hague of Richmond and Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the MCA, the ceremony featured speeches from Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports, and MCA President Nicholas Fox.

Successful projects spanned various industries both in the UK and overseas, and more than 100 client organisations were involved in championing the work of management consultants across the public and private sectors. High profile client organisations celebrating the impact and role of consultancies included NHS England, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, all of which partnered with consulting firms to make significant contributions to the public sector. Private sector businesses including Holland & Barrett, Aviva, Coca Cola, SSEN and BAE Systems were present to represent their partnerships with consultancies, demonstrating the impactful results delivered in categories such as Performance Improvement in the Private Sector and Commercial Impact.

Project of the Year and the Change and Transformation in the Public Sector Awards went to consulting firm BAE Systems Digital Intelligence for its work with His Majesty’s Government. The firm developed a critical tool for government that automatically identifies child sexual abuse material online and scans tens of thousands of websites each day. BAE Systems Digital Intelligence was commended by the independent panel of judges for “an ingeniously clever and groundbreaking project to tackle the issue of child sexual abuse material online – delivered by a team with a determined resolution to succeed”. The AI capability enables online child sexual abuse material to be automatically identified, reducing the need for government analysts to be directly exposed to disturbing content.

In the public sector, KPMG with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation were winners in the People and Leadership category, helping to improve the performance of staff post-Covid while building capacity and capability. The results have been impressive, with clear clinical and operational benefits for patients receiving care. IMPOWER with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust were recognised in the Best Use of Thought Leadership category for the firm’s work on helping to reduce the number of children coming into care and driving better outcomes for those within the system. Another firm, Capgemini Invent, partnered with a UK Police Force to improve the way emergency services respond to calls involving concerns about mental health.  As a result, those suffering acute mental crises were given the right specialist health care by the right person thereby improving outcomes for vulnerable people.  It also significantly reduced demand on police resources, enabling the force to focus on preventing crime, protecting life and property and keeping public order.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, said: 

“Professional business services make a key contribution to the UK economy, and this is why the government has selected it as one of the eight growth driving sectors in the new Industrial Strategy.” 

“I hope you enjoy this evening at the MCA Awards, a celebration of some of the most outstanding firms, projects and individuals across the sector.” 

“I extend my congratulations to all of this evening’s winners and finalists. You should be incredibly proud of your accomplishments, and I wish you all a fantastic celebration this evening.” 

 

Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, said

“Looking at the list of projects which have made it to this final stage, it’s clear just how broad the work of management consultancy is and that it requires significant expertise and specialist skills to meet so many different scenarios and challenges. Challenges such as climate change and sustainability, technological innovation, upskilling – the list is endless. Congratulations to all. Thank you for your hard work, your innovation, and your dedication.”

“The MCA Awards demonstrate why the UK’s consulting sector ranks as one of the best in the world and why global demand for consulting services has increased significantly in recent years to record levels.

“The individuals and projects celebrated by the Awards show the immense value delivered by the sector for clients across the public and private sectors, both in the UK and internationally. The MCA Awards finalists powerfully demonstrate how our sector is working hard to make Britain a leading centre for clean energy, supporting British business to kickstart economic growth and helping NHS trusts to improve patient services for the future.”

During her speech at the Awards Ceremony Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the MCA, said: 

“There is a sense that businesses are getting on the front foot again, being proactive, pursuing the vital goal of getting Britain back to growth. Many things are essential to that. Embracing AI. Adapting to net-zero. Supplying expert skills. Building infrastructure. All with a sense of ambition, optimism and momentum. And consultants will fulfil that important role in the economy. At an important time.

Consultants are dedicated, dynamic professionals who are supercharging productivity, equipping new industries, setting higher standards and driving change. So, let’s celebrate what our finalists have achieved in the past year. Let’s be ambitious for what consulting can achieve in the year ahead. And let’s be proud of an industry that will help to shape our country and our world for many years to come.”

President of the MCA, Nicholas Fox from KPMG, said: 

“I want to congratulate all our finalists, and especially our winners. You have demonstrated consulting at its best. You inspire us all to keep improving and deliver greater value for our clients. These awards hold such significance for our industry because they highlight excellence. They highlight the positive impact that management consultants can have, reminding us why British consulting is held in such high regard around the world.”

MCA Awards 2024 winners

Egremont with Holland & Barrett were winners in the Change and Transformation in the Private Sector Award. The consulting firm’s programme delivered a fast-paced transformation that brought focus to the teams and enabled the delivery of new products, store refits, operational improvements and technology tools. Results included a 10% growth in sales, and the judges described it as “a project with terrific endorsement from the CEO, creating tangible benefits that transformed the company”. 

In the Technology Transformation category, sponsored by Certinia, Eviden – an Atos Business partnered with the National Trust to transform the charity’s technology platform, which has helped increase fundraising revenue and streamlined the membership process. PwC with SSEN were winners of the Performance Improvement in the Private Sector Award for increasing capability, sustainability, and performance. This has led to an improvement of 30% in company productivity, meaning that customers now get faster quotes and network connections. Ipsos Strategy3 with Aviva were winners of the Strategy category, focusing on double materiality, one of the latest sustainability reporting mandates for businesses. 

As in previous years, an independent MCA Awards panel of more than 60 judges from business, academia and the media conducted interviews earlier in 2024, and a range of large, medium, and small firms were recognised for their exceptional work – as were the individual consultants employed by them. There were more female consultants acknowledged than ever before, with eight female winners out of 10 individual categories.

Janet Greenwood from KPMG was named The Times Consultant of the Year and won the Experienced Leader category. Janet, who has a background in sustainability and infrastructure, has worked on some of the UK’s largest projects, including in water, wastewater, flood defence, road, rail, and construction. The judges described Janet as “a natural leader who was passionate about her subject area and making an impact on the national stage with her contribution to the development of the profession on sustainability.” Janet’s career demonstrates the opportunities for experienced professionals with specialist expertise to join consulting from other industries and make a massive impact.   

Other individuals recognised included Dr Fatima Tresh from EY, who received the Inclusion Award for helping her profession and clients address systemic barriers, disrupt bias, promote inclusive behavioural change, and achieve positive, measurable outcomes in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). In the Team Leader Consultant of the Year category, Libby Caulfield from IMPOWER won for projects which have looked at everything from home-to-school transport to delivering better outcomes for children in care. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Warren Middleton from KPMG, and Technology Consultant of the Year went to Katerina Papadimitraki from GHD.

Best New Consultancy was won by Liqueo, a firm with consultants which specialises in asset and wealth management. Judges were impressed with its “impressive financial track record with superb client focus and people commitment.” The Best New Consultancy is the only category open to non-MCA member firms. 

There were 25 award categories in this year’s MCA Awards, with 12 project awards, 10 individual awards and three overall awards. Young consultants were again recognised for achievements at the start of their careers. Young Consultant of the Year went to Annabelle Perry of EY, who judges described as a “true role model and visionary”, while Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Macy Greene from PwC for achievements including her ‘Guide to Networking’ that helps junior staff grow in confidence. Rebecca Barnes from Akeso, formerly of NECS Consultancy, received the Rising Star Award.

Sponsors of the MCA Awards for this year were Certinia and HSBC UK. Media partner, The Times, will be publishing details of the finalists in a special supplement on 21st October.

A full list of the MCA Awards 2024 winners can be found here.

Details for entering the MCA Awards 2025 (which have already launched) can be found at www.mca.org.uk/mca-awards.

Media Contact: Caroline Florence (caroline.florence@mca.org.uk, tel: 0207 645 7959 or 07973 400264)

Notes to Editors

The Management Consultancies Association (MCA)

The MCA is the representative body for the UK’s leading management consulting firms. For over 65 years, the MCA has been the voice of the consulting industry, promoting the value of consulting to business, the public sector, media commentators and the public. The MCA’s mission is to promote the value of management consultancy for the economy and society. The MCAs member companies comprise over 50% of the UK consulting industry, and work with most of the top FTSE 100 companies and almost all parts of the public sector. The UK consulting industry is among the best in the world and a vital part of the business landscape. For the full list of current MCA members, see www.mca.org.uk/members.

Compliance with the MCA’s tough entry criteria and adherence to the principles of Consulting Excellence means that MCA member companies are widely acknowledged to provide high quality services to their clients. Many of their achievements are recognised in the annual MCA Awards.