Chartered Management Consultant of the Year announced MCA 2022 Awards
As the Chartered Management Consultant Award rolled out by the industry’s representative body goes from strength to strength, a new prize has been handed out at the annual MCA Awards. Susannah Lindsay of IBM was named the first Chartered Management Consultant of the Year at the event, in London.
The Management Consultancies Association (MCA) has celebrated a quarter-century of celebrating the best and brightest of its industry, with the hosting of its 25th annual MCA Awards. Among the 25 prizes handed out on a lively night in Westminster were a number of new awards to recognise the shifting shape of the UK’s modern consulting industry. One of those was the Chartered Management Consultant of the Year.
Since 2017, the MCA has been partnering with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to create a new qualification in the UK consulting sector. With the industry growing constantly, the launch of the Chartered Management Consultant Award (ChMC) sought to re-assure clients of the value for money they get from consultants. As such, in the year since its official launch, many of the consulting sector’s biggest names have rushed to enrol their staff in the programme – and the new prize at the 2022 MCA Awards commended the very best of those initial cohorts.
Addressing close to 1,000 attendees at the MCA Awards, MCA CEO Tamzen Isacsson commented, "50 firms and 4,000 consultants have joined the journey to become Chartered Management Consultants with its focus on raising standards and rigorous ethics. We introduced new categories this year highlighting the priorities and values of our times. And as recognition of how the Chartered Award has become embedded in our profession a new award for Chartered Management Consultant of the Year. Congratulations to all the Chartered finalists."
The newly created category saw seven outstanding finalists coming from a variety of consulting firms and backgrounds. Ann Bicknell and Raghu Ramkumar of Arup; Jennifer Low and Matt McCabe of EY; Louise O Sullivan and Susannah Lindsay of IBM Consulting; and Guy Watmore of PwC were all praised for the talents, skills and experience that quality management consultants embody.
But while Matt McCabe and Guy Watmore were both handed ‘highly commended’ status, they were both pipped to the prize by Susannah Lindsay. The Senior Consultant at IBM Consulting was particularly praised by the judges for her ability to deliver challenging programmes, coaching teams to perform, and bringing an infectious positive energy to all who work with her. Her ability to build relationships with her stakeholders while being regarded as a trusted advisor was noted by the judges as a quality that really set her apart from the competition.
Speaking on her success, Lindsay noted, “I am delighted to have been chosen as the winner at this year’s MCA Awards. I used to really struggle with how to introduce myself to clients; the job titles I used were either often not recognised by clients or didn’t align with the value I bring. Becoming a Chartered Management Consultant means that I am part of an accredited, respected and high-quality group of professionals - something which is instantly recognised by clients. Personally, introducing myself as a Chartered Management Consultant has opened doors to new opportunities and closed the door on my imposter syndrome.”
Ann Francke OBE CEO of the CMI, meanwhile praised Lindsay for her victory, as well as all ChMC graduates. Francke believes this will lead to a positive wider influence among clients, and their broader industries.
She added, "Congratulations to Susannah Lindsay on winning Chartered Management Consultant of the Year. All of us at CMI see the Chartered Management Consultant status as a great tool to help transform management standards across the sectors and are proud to work with MCA in delivering this award. Our congratulations to all the highly impressive finalists as well."
