Q5 awarded a King’s Award for growth and impact in international markets

UK-headquartered management consultancy Q5 has been awarded a King’s Award for International Trade.

The King’s Award, in their 59th year, are one of the most prestigious business awards in the UK. Announced annually on the reigning British monarch’s birthday, the ceremony has been operating in various forms since 1966, with King Charles now handing out prizes to businesses that have achieved impressive growth in overseas markets over the last five years.

Founded in 2009, Q5 specialises in organisational health, supporting its clients with all aspects that build healthy, robust and future-proof organisations, including organisational strategy, design, leadership and team development, culture, technology, change, and transformation.

“Business leaders commission Q5 when their organisations are in rapid growth mode, and operations start to creak under the pace of growth, or when their business might be in need of transformation, to redesign workflows, structures, roles and capabilities,” explained Olly Purnell, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Q5.

While the majority of Q5’s employees are located in the UK, in London, Leeds, and Cardiff, the consulting firm operates six international offices, with the firm’s practices in Australia (established in 2015), the United States (two offices) and Middle East (mainly Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) seeing strong growth in recent years.

“Our team is honoured to be recognised for the work we do around the world and, of course, in the UK. The King’s Award is one of the highest accolades available to UK businesses, so our whole team is chuffed” Purnell said.

“I’m indescribably proud of our community of Q5ers who have been irrepressibly brilliant – focused, dedicated and calm -- whilst the world around us becomes ever more complex.”

Q5’s growth and client impact around the world hasn’t gone unnoticed. In the UK, Q5 is now a household name in the UK’s Leading Management Consultants by Financial Times, but its teams in Australia and the Middle East have also gained award-winning status for their work, among others listing in the local editions of Top Consulting Firms complied by Consultancy.org.

Meanwhile, in the US, leading business publication Forbes placed Q5 on its list of the Best Management Consulting Firms.

Q5 works with hundreds of clients globally, across a wide range of industry sectors such as consumer goods, construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, media, and entertainment. Longstanding clients include British Airways, BT, Credit Suisse, NHS, and Channel 4.

“We are also very proud of the impact our Foundation has around the world too,” continued Purnell, which provides pro-bono advisory and support services to foundations and non-profits. The Foundation also supports youth programmes to tackle pressing issues such as economic inequality and poverty.

Later this summer, Q5 will be invited to attend a royal reception for King’s Awards recipients. Previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the awards were renamed in 2023 to reflect King Charles’ desire to continue the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II’s by recognising fast-growing UK businesses.