29 winning firms lauded as ‘consulting at its best’ during 2024 MCA Awards

16 October 2024 Consultancy.uk

Representatives of 29 advisory firms have won or been specially commended for prizes at the Management Consultancies Association’s annual awards ceremony, at London’s Grosvenor House. While Big Four members KPMG and PwC led the honours, a cohort of 16 boutiques also scooped some of the night’s top prizes – reflecting the strength and depth of the UK’s consulting industry.

The Management Consultancies Association (MCA) is the representative body of Britain’s consulting sector – and each year, it celebrates the industry’s best and brightest with a showpiece awards gala. Returning to its glamourous new venue – after a successful debut in 2023 – the 27th edition of the MCA Awards saw some 950 consultants, clients, government officials and media representatives converge on the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London’s Mayfair district.

Emphasising the spectacle, guests were treated to a lightshow before the event, and at half-time – when a lavish three-course meal was served – while cannons of gold confetti marked the closing of the ceremony, reminiscent of the stadium experience many football stadiums now lay on for supporters. As upbeat as the atmosphere was, however, the awards took place at a time in which the contribution to the UK – particularly in the public sector – has been called into question like never before. With the new government having pledged to slash spending on external advisors in the coming years, the MCA and its partners took the opportunity to defend the industry’s record.

This year’s guest host – political stalwart and former McKinsey & Company consultant Lord William Hague – pointedly noted at several moments in his introductory speech that he felt consultants were underappreciated in public life.

Hague said, “Years before I went into politics, I was a management consultant in my twenties… Having been in government, I’ve seen how essential you are to how things work – and having been a consultant myself, I know how brilliant you are… These awards are about achievement, and celebration, irrespective of political views or fears and hopes of the future… As a former minister, I know there are many things I could not have done without you, and as a former management consultant, I salute you for all the hard work we will be discussing tonight.”

There were also conciliatory messages from the Labour government before the awards announcements got under way, suggesting there will still be opportunities for private experts to engage with public projects. Chancellor Rachel Reeves sent in a statement which praised the “key contribution” consultants make to the UK economy, and added the government selected professional services as “one of the eight growth driving sectors” in its industrial strategy as a result. Meanwhile, Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports Gareth Thomas sent a message that “the MCA Awards finalists demonstrate how [consultants] work hard” to boost clean energy efforts, and help NHS trusts to “improve patient services for the future.”

MCA CEO Tamzen Isacsson also used her opening speech to emphasise this impact. Noting a sense that “businesses are getting on the front foot again”, she added that consultants could help entrepreneurs to navigate key challenges such as embracing AI, adapting to net-zero, and building infrastructure to “return the economy to growth”.

She concluded, “With a sense of ambition, optimism and momentum, consultants will fulfil that important role in the economy, at an important time. Consultants are dedicated, dynamic professionals who are supercharging productivity, equipping new industries, setting higher standards and driving change. So, let’s celebrate what our finalists have achieved in the past year. Let’s be ambitious for what consulting can achieve in the year ahead. And let’s be proud of an industry that will help to shape our country and our world for many years to come.”

Once again, the ceremony reflected that dynamism by celebrating a wide range of brands in the sector – not just the biggest firms. There were 25 award categories in this year's MCA Awards, with 12 project awards, 10 individual awards and three overall awards. While in the end, Big Four firm KPMG picked up most award nods, with five special commendations and six wins; and rival PwC similarly scooped six special commendations and three wins, the night also saw a number of small and mid-sized firms also give them a run for their money.

In the projects categories, for example, Egremont Group with Holland & Barrett were winners in the Change and Transformation in the Private Sector Award. The consulting firm’s programme delivered a fast-paced transformation that brought focus to the teams and enabled the delivery of new products, store refits, operational improvements and technology tools – with results including a 10% growth in sales. Meanwhile, in the Team Leader Consultant of the Year category, Libby Caulfield from IMPOWER won for projects which have looked at everything from home-to-school transport to delivering better outcomes for children in care.

As the event drew to a close, though, the two biggest awards of the night went to large firms. Drawn from the winners of all the collective categories, Project of the Year and the Change and Transformation in the Public Sector Awards went to consulting firm BAE Systems Digital Intelligence for its work with His Majesty’s Government. The firm developed a critical tool for government that automatically identifies child sexual abuse material online, scanning tens of thousands of websites each day. The consultancy was commended by the independent panel of judges for “an ingeniously clever and groundbreaking project to tackle the issue of child sexual abuse material online – delivered by a team with a determined resolution to succeed”.

Meanwhile, Janet Greenwood from KPMG was named The Times Consultant of the Year, having also triumphed in the Experienced Leader category. Greenwood, who has a background in sustainability and infrastructure, has worked on some of the UK’s largest projects, including in water, wastewater, flood defence, road, rail, and construction. The judges described her as “a natural leader who was passionate about her subject area and making an impact on the national stage with her contribution to the development of the profession on sustainability” – something which the MCA also noted demonstrates “the opportunities for experienced professionals with specialist expertise to join consulting from other industries and make a massive impact”.

As the event drew to a close, MCA President Nicholas Fox congratulated the winners as having “demonstrated consulting at its best”. Looking ahead, even in a period of sustained uncertainty, he noted that their skills and ability to deliver value to clients should remind the industry’s detractors of “the positive impact that management consultants can have” – and “why British consulting is held in such high regard around the world.”

Whatever hurdles await in the next 12 months – including continued geopolitical instability, supply chain turmoil and technological disruption – that means consultants will still likely be the ones public and private clients turn to for help weathering the storm. And as the MCA has now kicked off its 2025 awards calendar, the door is already wide open to those firms, whatever their size, to be the stars at next year’s awards ceremony.

A full list of the MCA Awards winners 2024 can be found below.

Projects

Best Use of Thought Leadership
Winner
IMPOWER with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust

Highly Commended
Proxima with The Scope 3 Maturity Benchmark
PwC with Frictionless Futures

Change and Transformation in the Private Sector
Winner
Egremont Group with Holland & Barrett

Highly Commended
KPMG with BAE Systems

Change and Transformation in the Public Sector
Winner
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence with His Majesty’s Government

Highly Commended
Arup with the Department for Transport
AtkinsRéalis with Northumberland County Council

Commercial Impact
Winner
PwC with BAE Systems

Highly Commended
Curzon Consulting with Marston Holdings
EY with BT

Technology Transformation
Winner
Eviden – an Atos business with the National Trust

Highly Commended
Capgemini Invent with Scottish Water
EY with Visa Europe

International
Winner
Mott MacDonald with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Highly Commended
IBM Consulting with the RAF Guardian
Moorhouse Consulting with ViiV Healthcare

Performance Improvement in the Private Sector
Winner
PwC with SSEN

Highly Commended
IBM Consulting with Lloyds Banking Group
Managementors with ReAssure, part of Phoenix Group

Performance Improvement in the Public Sector
Winner
Capgemini Invent with a UK Police Force

Highly Commended
AtkinsRéalis with the Geospatial Commission
IMPOWER with Derby City Council

People and Leadership
Winner
KPMG with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Commended
Capgemini Invent with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
JCURV with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
PwC with the Health and Care Professions Council

Social Value
Winner
KPMG with NHS England

Highly Commended
Amey with South Western Railway
Moorhouse with Ofgem
NECS Consultancy with Bury Hospice

Strategy
Winner
Ipsos Strategy 3 with Aviva

Highly Commended
KPMG with Solent Freeport
PwC with PEXA Group

Sustainability Award
Winner
Capgemini Invent with the National Energy System Operator (NESO)

Highly Commended
KPMG with Diageo
PwC with GreenHouse Toolkit