Introducing the finalists: Best Use of Thought Leadership 2017

Four Best Use of Thought Leadership projects, from four different firms have been announced as finalists for the 2017 MCA Awards. The award recognises excellent demonstration of the impact of an initiative or approach to thought leadership by a consulting firm.

The winners will be announced at the MCA Awards Ceremony & Dinner, held at the Park Plaza Westminster on Thursday 27 April 2017. All MCA awards are judged by an independent expert panel of judges who have experience of working in the public and private sectors, universities, consultancy or journalism.

The summaries of all the finalists can be found below:


Arup supported by the Rockefeller Foundation

“In Concepción we had two earthquakes: the 8.8 one and the social earthquake – looting, arson … I think the last one affected our soul most violently,”

– Álvaro Ortiz Vera, mayor of Concepción, Chile, hit by a major quake (2010).

How can the concept of ‘resilience’ help cities prevent or proactively prepare for failure at a city scale? Arup’s City Resilience Index (CRI), supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, is a response to this challenge. A world first – the CRI is a globally-applicable tool that is in use across 120 global cities and guiding the development of resilience strategies worldwide.


Deloitte with the 'Future Work' series

What is the true impact of technology on work? As artificial intelligence and robotics advance apace, more of the work we do can be performed by smart machines. To help our clients understand how their organisations should adapt, Deloitte has published a series of reports on the future of work, which have 

received considerable attention from the media, business, politicians and academics alike:

– From brawn to brains: The impact of technology on jobs in the UK

– Transformers: How machines are changing every sector of the UK economy

– Talent for survival: Essential skills for humans working in the machine age.


PA Consulting & Longitude for their work on Innovation As Unusual

As a technology and innovation expert working across a number of dynamic market sectors, PA knew that innovation is key to delivering transformational results on a global scale. 

In order to better understand the specific challenges organisations face around innovation, PA Consulting created ‘Innovation as Unusual’, an international study commissioned to uncover the issues and identify the opportunities around this game-changing topic. 

The result was one of the most comprehensive studies ever untaken in this area and the most authoritative report of its kind. Establishing where and how organisations should be investing, the report enabled PA to present a route toward the smartest and most impactful innovation fit for business.


PwC – Leaving the EU – Implications for the UK Economy with CBI

In the run-up to the EU referendum, there was real need for analysis of the economic impacts a ‘leave’ decision could have. Businesses faced a journey into the unknown, with little evidence or insight to help them plan.

Given the gravity of the issue and need for information, the CBI asked PwC to help. We were tasked with undertaking a complex modelling exercise to show what a post-EU world might look like. The study was prominently cited in the media and by the Prime Minister alongside Treasury’s analysis.

It’s helped numerous clients develop their thinking as to their Brexit responses.