MCAs' Tamzen Isacsson on the industry's new Chartered Award
Last month, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) officially launched the Chartered Management Consultant Award. Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the MCA, explains how the new professional qualification will help the consulting industry advance its standards.
As we know, management consultancy is about analysing a situation and bringing a breadth of experience and expertise to bear to improve standards. With the launch of the Chartered Management Consultant Award we are doing that for ourselves.
Our goal is to constantly improve performance for our clients, be they in the private or public sector. Proud of the service we have given to a myriad of sectors we now want to raise the standard even higher. That is what the new independently recognised Chartered Management Consultant Award is all about.
It is not just about setting a level for new members of the profession to achieve to recognise their ability. It is also about recognising the expertise and experience of those who have longevity in the industry. It is about ensuring quality. The Chartered Award sets a new bar for ethics and behaviour, experience and knowledge, leadership and management, and personal and professional development.
Participants
The consulting industry has welcomed the Chartered Management Consultant Award, which is open for all in the industry – from the largest companies to the smallest partnerships and individuals too. Already thirty companies have signed up including the Big Four, medium sized firms and boutique consultancies. Around 2.000 consultants are on the journey and nearly 500 have completed it.
Alongside benefiting our industry, the Award will (more importantly) also benefit our clients. We continuously seek to improve our standards and give our clients confidence that they will receive the most professional service possible.
Marking these new standards in professionalism is an important landmark. We hope it will give clients a reassurance of standards. That the advice they are given and that they pay for is from a background that has been rigorously examined and from a person committed to their own development.
We are therefore delighted that the Award has been welcomed by some of the biggest users of our services. It has been backed by the Government from the outset and representatives from Crown Commercial Services sit on the board overseeing the Chartered Management Consultant Award.
The Management Consultants Association (MCA) represents more than fifty per cent of the management consultants in the UK. Together with the Chartered Institute for Management we developed the Chartered Management Consultant qualification – built by the industry for the industry. The Chartered Institute was appointed by the Privy Council to be the awarding body.
