The Young MCA has announced Ted Eastaugh as the new Chair elect of the Young MCA, a professional network for consultants starting a career in management consultancy. The appointment comes as the Young MCA continues to grow with more younger consultants joining the professional network than ever before thanks to the expansion of the MCA which now represents well over 90 leading consulting firms. The network, supported by the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), runs face to face events across the UK as well as workshops with guest speakers focusing on communication, leadership skills, and diversity and inclusion throughout the year. Recent topics for events have included masterclasses on public speaking and using Linkedin to boost your network, the benefits of mentors and sponsors, and events with inspirational leaders from across consultancy sector.
The Young MCA aims to engage and develop the young consultant community, whilst also shaping the future of the industry. The Young MCA is the voice of young consultants in the UK and has actively contributed as a group to key industry reports, major events and surveys on the opinions of young professionals working in the industry. Members of the Young MCA also get involved with numerous university and school engagements across the UK promoting consulting as a profession while young consultants from MCA firms regularly appear on panels at career events across the country discussing the life of a consultant and future career opportunities. The Executive committee is led by the Chair, who also sits on the main MCA Board, with a team of volunteer Vice-Chairs who lead on various workstreams.
In addition, the Young MCA has a school leavers network for those joining the industry as apprentices, school leavers and trainees – a growing community in the sector. In 2022 over 2,809 graduates were recruited by MCA member firms: a 34% increase from the previous year. The industry is also increasingly creating jobs for school leavers; 795 were created in 2022, up 10% in 2021 with increasing opportunities across the UK.
New Chair, Ted Eastaugh, joined professional services and project management company AtkinsRéalis in 2023 as a Graduate Consultant in the Business Consulting & Advisory practice. He is the Early Career Professional Lead for AtkinsRéalis’ Aerospace and Defence team and is progressing towards the Associate Chartered Management Consultant Accreditation (ChMC). Ted takes over the role in the autumn following a handover period with Emily Ireland Jones from IBM Consulting who has been chair for the last two years and led the Young MCA from strength to strength.
Ted Eastaugh, Young MCA Chair Elect, said:
“As the incoming Chair of the Young MCA, I feel privileged to represent our community of young consultants. I am committed to building on the foundations that the Young MCA has established to further elevate and promote our profession. Recognising the Chartered Management Consultant (ChMC) accreditation as a beacon of excellence within our industry, I am dedicated to extending its reach and benefits to young consultants across the industry and look forward to engaging more closely with both the organisation and our members to ensure the success of young consultants.”
Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the MCA, added:
“The Young MCA is a vital part of our trade association providing development and networking opportunities as well as acting as the important voice of young consultants in our profession. This important part of our consulting community has gone from strength to strength in recent years attracting thousands of young consultants to the many events hosted across the UK. A big thanks must go to Emily Ireland Jones from IBM Consulting for her brilliant impact in the role over the past couple of years and for being a great ambassador for the industry and the new Chartered Management Consultant Accreditation. I look forward to working with Ted and the wider Young MCA Council on the range of Young MCA activities in 2024 as we promote the exciting career pathways in consulting and provide essential tools and advice for consultants on their journey in the profession.”
Further information on the Young MCA can be found here.