Chartered is a groundbreaking milestone for the Management Consultancy industry – it formally recognises high quality standards, professionalism, values and integrity, and the priority placed on finding and nurturing the best talent, Marco Amitrano, Managing Partner and Head of Clients & Markets at PwC UK, explains.
In a world of constant change, uncertainty and volatility, client demand for consultancy services is growing sustainably and we have a critical role to play in supporting them through both disruption and growth.
As demand increases, the need for clients to be able to review a supplier’s suitability for an engagement using an independent recognition of quality standards and professionalism has never been more important – clients are now beginning to look for the standard offered by the Chartered Management Consultant Award as a way of doing that. This is because there is a level of trust provided by working alongside someone who has been through an accreditation process to validate the right qualifications, skills and experience.
Ours is an industry that requires professionalism, knowhow and the ability to deliver value for clients, as well as society and the economy as a whole. As the dialogue about what Chartered Management Consultants can offer to the industry increases, those holding the status will stand out
from the rest. The great thing about Chartered is that it has been developed to demonstrate real experience and aligns a career in consultancy with other professions such as accountancy, architecture, and engineering.
Leading by example, empowering others and being part of a senior leadership team that is supportive of Chartership is an important focus at PwC UK. As one of the first to undertake the accreditation, I have experienced first-hand what it takes, and have seen the value we can bring to our vast client base in the UK every day. Having a qualification that signals our people are Chartered delivers greater credibility for us.
We are actively encouraging our people to pursue ChMC status, not only for the benefit of our clients and the industry but also in support of themselves as they develop their career paths. During the pilot phase, 63 of our consultants successfully achieved Chartership status, and this year we will have approximately 160 people going through the process.
The accreditation recognises their performance and the high quality standards and professionalism they uphold, which in turn helps them build client relationships. The Competency Framework provides an industry benchmark that helps validate the skills we are building at PwC UK, and the importance of identifying areas of strength and competency gaps so they can then focus on their development.
For firms like PwC, it allows us to spot potential and to nurture and retain top talent. Having a consistent recognition of their skills growth and development, a method of benchmarking our people against their peers and allowing them to feel recognised in their achievements, not just internally but externally, is a powerful validation of what it means to be a Management Consultant in the UK, and across the globe. I really do think that our consultants can face their market and engage our clients with confidence and pride.
Although it will take a number of years to arrive at a place where this accreditation will be universally accepted as a mark of quality, I’m proud to be amongst those developing a more defined professional pathway for new joiners in the sector, and I encourage peer firms to embrace Chartership so that their organisations and clients can also reap the benefits now and in the future.
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