Cairneagle and EY-Parthenon named top education consultancies
Consulting firms Cairneagle Associates and EY-Parthenon have been named UK’s top education consultancies.
Now in their tenth year, the EducationInvestor Awards recognise excellence in UK’s education industry. The competition hands out a total of 20 awards to education institutions, service providers and individuals who in the past twelve months have made a noteworthy impact in the British education system.
In the category ‘Consultants to the Private Sector’, eight consulting firms were shortlisted for the final: Cairneagle Associates, Carfax Projects, CIL Consultants, CJK Associates, Colliers International, EY-Parthenon, Progressia Education and PwC. Following a judging process led by an independent panel of experts, EY-Parthenon came out on top as this year’s winner.
EY-Parthenon is the strategy consulting arm of Big Four firm EY, and was founded in 2014 when EY acquired The Parthenon Group, an American strategic consultancy. Over the past five years, EY-Parthenon has grown its presence in Europe and Asia, and now boasts over 1,500 consultants globally.
The acknowledgement comes just two weeks after EY-Parthenon’s UK division was lauded for its M&A work in the telecom, media and technology sector.
The ‘Consultants to Education Institutions’ awards was scooped by Cairneagle Associates, a consultancy that focuses on three sectors – education, media and technology. Established in 2011 and based in London, Cairneagle Associates has previously been recognised with the 2015 and 2016 EducationInvestor Awards for Consultants to the Private Sector.
Commenting on the recognition, partner Arun Kanwar said: “It’s a privilege for all of us at Cairneagle to support our clients to fulfil their mission of delivering educational outcomes in a commercially viable manner. Our team is absolutely delighted to have been recognised by this award, and it gives us renewed energy to continue to be part of building the future of education.”
Meanwhile, in the financial advisory category, Clearwater International, DC Advisory, Financière de Courcelles, Grant Thornton, Houlihan Lokey, Macquarie and Redwoods Dowling Kerr battled it out for the top prize, with Grant Thornton named the final winner. Grant Thornton provides a full suite of assurance and advisory services, and has over 4,500 people in the UK.
Last year a total of thirteen consulting firms were named a finalist for the three respective categories.
