Jim Foster to become director of Centre for Management Consulting Excellence

The Centre for Management Consulting Excellence has appointed a new director. Jim Foster arrives having spent the last decade as a partner with a Big Four firm.

Founded in 1992, the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants is a modern livery company. As a professional peer group, it contributes to the continuing success of the consultancy industry and, more widely, of the City of London.

One of the ways it has done this, is through the creation of the Centre for Management Consulting Excellence. Launched in 2017, the community that facilitates the development and sharing of research and experience in management consulting thinking and practice to help practitioners to be better able to serve client needs.

Helping to oversee this task from January 2024 will be Jim Foster. The new director of the Centre for Management Consulting Excellence will take on the role from Nick Bush, who had overseen its leadership since 2021.

Speaking on his successor, Bush said, “As traditional consulting models adapt to the introduction of new AI-based technologies, I am looking forward to continuing to engage with the challenge of how to deliver excellence in consulting to clients and under Jim Foster’s leadership, I am confident that we will continue to do so.”

Foster will bring a different perspective and a wealth of knowledge thanks to his extensive experience as a management consultant. This includes 12 years as a partner at PwC, based in London and New York. He is also experienced in assisting organisations in a wide range of business sectors to implement system-enabled business change, and specialises in advising and supporting clients that are implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

Commenting on his appointment, Foster said, “I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to build on the excellent foundations established by CMCE’s founder, Calvert Markham, and his successor, Nick Bush and to ensure continuity in delivering CMCE’s mission to provide information from consultants and academics for the benefit of the consulting community, and also to look at opportunities to enhance the service that we provide. The work of the Centre will also continue to focus on building a dialogue with all its key stakeholder groups, as well as reach out to and engage with new relevant audiences via our newsletter, LinkedIn presence and our ever-expanding programme of events.”