New Chartered Award for management consultancy in industry step-change

 

                                                                                                

 

•    Privy Council gives greenlight to recognise rising professional standards in the industry  
•    Plans for Chartered Management Consultant award to be available from autumn 2018
•    Professional recognition for UK’s management consultants ‘at the top of their game’

 

Management consultants will soon be able to earn Chartered status in a move to elevate the professional status of the industry’s 200,000 UK practitioners. 

The Privy Council is the body responsible for awarding Royal Charters.  The Council has given the greenlight to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which incorporates the Institute of Consulting (IoC), to work in partnership with the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) to develop the Chartered Management Consultant award. 

CMI formally announced this to Institute members at their AGM on Thursday 21 September.

In a step-change for the industry, the two organisations will work together with senior leaders from across the consulting industry to develop the new Chartered standards for management consultants. The standards will set out the skills, knowledge, behaviours and experience that will be needed to achieve this professional accreditation. 

CMI has been named by the Privy Council as the body responsible for awarding Chartered status to consultants.   

The Chartered Management Consultant award will be voluntary, but the two organisations predict that it will provide a progression route to a recognised professional status for those starting out in the industry or mid-point in their careers. Accreditation will be designed to complement internal training and assessment programmes in leading consulting firms. The organisations will also look at ways to link the award to higher degree apprenticeships. 

The CMI and MCA are planning that management consultants will be able to apply for Chartered status from autumn 2018.

According to MCA data, businesses now spend £9.3bn on management consultancy every year. Demand for consulting services has continued to grow in recent years, with revenues in the industry growing by eight per cent in 2014 and 2015.    

Ann Francke, chief executive of CMI, said: “We’re delighted that the Privy Council has given us the greenlight to develop the Chartered Management Consultant award. This will be a unifying professional standard that will transform management consultancy. 

“It will give clients greater confidence in the services they’re buying, and practitioners earning Chartered status will gain from showing that they’re at the top of their profession. By providing a pathway to Chartered recognition, firms will be able to attract and retain high-calibre people.”

Alan Leaman, chief executive of MCA, said: “The MCA’s Consulting Excellence scheme confirms the commitment of our member firms to consulting as a career and great professional development. The creation of the Chartered Management Consultant Award is a natural extension of this initiative. 

“We now have the opportunity to create an award that will command real respect in the industry, with individual consultants and with our clients.”

Chartered Management Consultant has already received support from other Chartered bodies, including the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Business supporters include PwC, Accenture, IBM, Grant Thornton, and Mott MacDonald.

For more information on Chartered Management Consultant, visit:
www.managers.org.uk
Twitter: @cmi_managers
For more information on the MCA, visit:
www.mca.org.uk
Twitter: @TheMCA_UK

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Media Contact: 
For further information, interviews or case studies please contact:
•    Tristan Garrick, Head of PR and Campaigns at CMI on 07701 289 474 or tristan.garrick@managers.org.uk  
•    Matt Jamieson or Jack Crone at Teamspirit Public Relations on 0207 360 7877 or cmi@teamspiritpr.com 
•    George Tresnan, Marketing and Communications Manager at MCA on 0207 645 7953 or george.tresnan@mca.org.uk 

 

About CMI 
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is the only chartered professional body for management and leaderships, dedicated to improving managers’ skills and growing the number of qualified managers.
Our professional management qualifications span GCSE to PhD equivalents, including the unique Chartered Manager award, which increases earning potential and improves workplace performance. We have been registered as an apprentice assessment organisation by the Skills Funding Agency.
We provide employers and individual managers with access to the latest management thinking and with practical online support that helps them to embrace change, create high-performing teams and keep ahead of the curve.
The Institute of Consulting is a body within the auspices of CMI.  With a membership of nearly 5,000 individuals, the IoC is the only professional body in the UK licensed to award the prestigious CMC award.
With a member community of more than 157,000 managers and leaders, we promote high standards of ethical practice through our Professional Code of Conduct, and help managers to build their expertise through online networks, regional events and mentoring opportunities.

 

About MCA
The Management Consultancies Association (MCA) is the representative body for management consultancy firms in the UK and has been at the heart of the UK Consulting Industry since 1956. 
Our mission is to promote the value of management consultancy for the economy and society as a whole. The MCA's member companies comprise around 60% of the UK consulting industry, employ around 38,000 consultants and work with over 90 of the top FTSE 100 companies and almost all parts of the public sector. 
At the MCA, we take the ethical standing and business reputation of our members very seriously. Indeed, membership of the Association is a recognised hallmark of quality. Last year, we strengthened the position of MCA members as upholders of consulting’s highest standards through the launch of Consulting Excellence. This is the most significant reform of consulting in the modern era. The scheme commits member firms to exemplary ethical behaviour, client service and value, and professional development. Member firms evidence their commitment to the framework in ways that are appropriate for their culture, partnerships and chosen markets. Each year, the MCA will support them in that endeavour by undertaking surveys, to ascertain the framework’s effectiveness and understand trends.