MCA discusses consulting industry impact with Deputy Labour Leader
The Management Consultancies Association has hosted a member roundtable with Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. The gathering saw leading consulting figures in the north-west sit with the deputy leader of the Labour Party to discuss the economic and social contribution of professional services firms to Greater Manchester, the UK economy and society .
The consulting sector across the north-west of England is growing rapidly – supporting the region’s booming technology cluster, and helping the wider business ecosystem make the most of the opportunities it provides. This has led to growth in headcounts across the north-west consulting scene ranging from 15% to 17% in the last two years. It’s not just industry big beasts like EY, PwC, KPMG and Deloitte driving that trend by recruiting more employees for their local offices, either. Firms such as Mott Macdonald, Grant Thornton, AtkinsRéalis, North Highland, IBM Consulting, and boutiques like Mason Advisory and Collinson Grant are also examples of successful and growing firms in the region.
According to data from member firms of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), this is providing major new opportunities for young people across the north-west. An increase in the number of apprentices and school leavers joining the consulting industry has contributed to a growth in headcount in the sector, including over 4,000 consultants now working in the north-west region for MCA member firms. As well as giving an inroad into professional services for professionals of many different backgrounds, this is also helping diversify the life-experiences which inform the expertise of consultancies beyond traditional sources of university graduates – in turn helping clients to better adapt to rapidly changing economic and social conditions.
In celebration of these changes, the MCA has welcomed leaders from across the north-west’s consulting sector to a roundtable with Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner. Taking place in Rayner’s parliamentary constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne – a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester – the “very positive and engaging member roundtable” was attended by consulting bosses including Deloitte UK Regions Leader Zoe Davidson, Mason Advisory Executive Chair Steve Watmough, EY Partner Nicola Bamford, and Grant Thornton Partner Phillip Woolley, as well as the MCA’s Head of External Affairs James Sibley, and CEO Tamzen Isacsson.
Tamzen Isacsson, Chief Executive of the Management Consultancies Association, said, “More consulting jobs are being supported in the north-west, thanks to a strong increase in demand from clients for work in the region in areas such as business transformation programmes, tackling cybersecurity threats and support and guidance on adopting artificial intelligence. We are seeing further evidence of the increased accessibility of the industry via different paths. As well as school leavers, apprentices and graduates, the industry also continues to hire large numbers of experienced consultants and more senior employees of all ages as professionals look to apply their skills in consultancy.”
The MCA also sought to demonstrate the transformative work small and large consultancies were engaged in across the region. The MCA pointed to examples like supporting the north-west’s burgeoning tech and media ecosystem with the application of new technologies such as AI, to unlocking productivity and connectivity through work on the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s integrated transport system.
This links to Rayner’s potential brief in a future government, as along with being Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, she is also Shadow Levelling Up Secretary – and recently prioritised empowering disadvantaged communities across the UK, including the north-west, should Labour win the 2024 election. That includes finding ways to empower smaller and mid-sized businesses across the region.
Rayner said of the meeting, “It is positive to see growth and new jobs in the north west. It is important that people in local communities across the region have access to high quality jobs, whatever their background, and it’s good to see new routes into professional services for apprentices, school leavers, and graduates being offered by small, medium, and large businesses in the consultancy sector.”
Alongside a broader attempt to court business ahead of the coming election, the deputy leader of the Labour Party’s attendance of the roundtable comes after a thawing of relations between Labour and the professional services industry. Under the party’s previous leadership, it had frozen contracts with several of the country’s largest consulting firms – and pledged to ‘break up the Big Four’ ahead of the 2019 election. The party has since shifted away from those policies now – and reportedly has commenced accepting external expertise from the likes of EY and PwC once again.
