MCA Awards hails 22 consulting firms at 2025 winners gala

Consultant of the year

Representatives of 22 professional services firms have won or been commended for prizes at the Management Consultancies Association’s annual awards ceremony. While large firms KPMG and PwC led the honours, small and mid-sized consultancies scooped a quarter of the night’s top prizes – reflecting the strength and depth of the UK’s consulting industry.

On another raucous autumn night in London’s lavish Grosvenor House, the Management Consultancies Association has celebrated the industry’s best and brightest – while also offering a fierce defence of the profession it represents. MCA CEO Tamzen Isacsson set the tone with an opening speech which highlighted the broader aim of the awards, beyond celebrating individuals or firms.

“These awards don’t merely recognise who has delivered for their clients; they shine a light on how consulting is delivering positive impact for clients in difficult times. And frankly they are an antidote for the pessimism that seems to surround us right now. In the media we generally hear how so many things are wrong with the world – and it is a role of the media to scrutinise failure; but how often do we scrutinise success? Look at what went right, why, and how to replicate and build upon it. We are drowning in negativity, and that is dangerous… The more we speak paint a picture of Britain on the brink, the more we will be inclined to accept the easy answered peddled by populists.

“We need a more positive narrative around the things we do well – and consulting is one of them. The world wants to buy our services, take our advice, and use our expertise – we have trebled exports in recent years. In difficult times in our economy and society we should not lose our nerve. Instead, let us inspire others to follow our lead, and signal to the world the significance of what we do as an industry. Let us continue to prove that an industry of high achievers can keep on reaching new heights.”

Tamzen Isacsson

The speech was loudly applauded by the more-than 1,000 guests – consultants, business leaders, government figures and media personalities – gathered for the 27th MCA Awards. This was carried over into the opening address of returning host Clare Balding – with the BBC broadcasting legend taking on the MC role for a second time, having also presided over the ceremony in 2023.

“I was thrilled to be asked back again this year, I enjoyed it so much back then. Then I was the Olympic and Paralympic presenter, host of various programmes for 25 years, now I am the idiot who pulled the lever without listening to the instructions,” Balding joked in her opening speech, referencing her recent stint on Celebrity Traitors.

Drawing on that experience, she added, “[During the round table sessions], you may know this from your line of work, it’s very difficult to defend yourself… Tonight, it’s all about celebrating the triumphs of the consulting industry, it is your Olympics, I want to hand out some gold medals, but I want the whole room to celebrate everyone commended and nominated.”

The attendees looked to demonstrate that impact further, by supporting the MCA Awards’ annual charity partner. The MCA later confirmed close to £14,000 had been raised for The Honeypot Children’s Charity by the end of the night. The charity said this would be mean that the amount had beaten their expectations, and that 27 children will now be able to go for a fully funded care break including food, accommodation and activities. 

Winners and commendations

Once again, the ceremony demonstrated the strength and depth of the UK consulting sector, as while large firms performed best, a healthy cohort of boutiques also picked up key prizes. Across the 23 award categories in this year’s awards, including 11 project awards, nine individual awards and three overall awards, a quarter were won by SME consulting firms. 

Among those firms, Sharing in Growth triumphed in the Change and Transformation in the Public Sector category, for supporting cultural and operational transformation in aerospace manufacturing. Inner Circle Consulting with Liverpool City Council and Gate One with North Central London Integrated Care Board were winners in Public Sector Performance Improvement and People and Leadership, respectively.

Best New Consultancy went to Squarcle, a firm helping clients modernise, de-risk, and transform supply chain performance through data-driven efficiency. Meanwhile, in individual categories, Charlotte Sweeney of Charlotte Sweeney Associates fended off fierce competition to win the MCA’s Inclusion Award; and Jez Groom from Cowry Consulting won the Experienced Leader category.

A solid night for the Big Four saw the quartet pick up a combined 27 wins and commendations. KPMG led the way with nine, including four wins. KPMG with Tesco were recognised in Performance Improvement in the Private Sector for embedding real-time insights that enhanced customer experience and commercial performance. The firm also picked up the Social Value category for its work with Marie Curie, transforming palliative care and improving NHS sustainability. In individual prizes, Lucy Pringle from KPMG was named Chartered Management Consultant of the Year, while Jayne Goble from KPMG was recognised as Technology Consultant of the Year.

EY picked up a total of six wins and commendations – among them, the Times Project of the Year prize, for its work with Four Futures, and its immersive sustainability initiative, which transported senior leaders 30 years into the future to inspire climate action. The project also won Best Use of Thought Leadership for its originality and strategic impact. 

Project of the Year

But the top table was not exclusively held by the Big Four. Capgemini Invent also picked up a number of major honours, including one of the night’s most sought-after prizes. The Times Consultant of the Year category is contested by the winners of all the other individual awards – and in that last award, Jeremy Dykes of Capgemini Invent prevailed – having earlier won Thought Leader Consultant of the Year for his pioneering work on UK river health and environmental monitoring.

MCA President Nicholas Fox closed by thanking the “best events director in the country” Natalie Mendez and her team for their hard work. Plans are already underway for the 2026 awards – with the nomination process officially opening earlier in the autumn. But for tonight, at least, as the glitter settles and the hall empties, they can rest a little easier, with another successful awards calendar having drawn to an end.

Full list of winners

Project

Best Use of Thought Leadership
Winner
EY with Four Futures
Highly Commended
CF with the Alzheimer’s Society
PwC with the National Police Chief’s Council
Deloitte with the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales

Change and Transformation in the Private Sector
Winner
Sharing in Growth with a manufacturing company
Highly Commended
Capgemini Invent with a retail bank

Change and Transformation in the Public Sector
Winner
Capgemini Invent with the UK Supreme Court
Highly Commended
CF with the NHSE South East Region

International
Winner
Mott MacDonald with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
Highly Commended
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence with His Majesty’s Government

Performance Improvement in the Private Sector
Winner
KPMG with Tesco
Highly Commended
Managementors with the Phoenix Group
PwC with Arco

Performance Improvement in the Public Sector
Winner
Inner Circle Consulting with Liverpool City Council
Highly Commended
Managementors with Warrington Borough Council

People and Leadership
Winner
Gate One with North Central London Integrated Care Board
Highly Commended
KPMG with a large online retailer

Social Value
Winner
KPMG with Marie Curie
Highly Commended
Mott MacDonald with the Department for Education

Strategy
Winner
PwC with AMP Bank and Engine by Starling
Highly Commended
KPMG with Sainsbury’s
Moorhouse Consulting with South East Coast Ambulance Service
Inner Circle Consulting with Cheshire East Council

Sustainability Award
Winner
Deloitte with Cisco
Highly Commended
CBRE with the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund
Deloitte with the Mining Remediation Authority

Technology Transformation
Winner
Deloitte with AstraZeneca
Highly Commended
EY with National Gas
GHD with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
EY with the Metropolitan Police

Individual

Apprentice of the Year
Winner
Alistair Butler, PwC

Chartered Management Consultant of the Year
Winner
Lucy Pringle, KPMG
Highly Commended
Rich Day, AtkinsRéalis

Experienced Leader
Winner
Jez Groom, Cowry Consulting
Highly Commended
Gail Davis, KPMG
Matt Jones, PwC

Inclusion Award
Winner
Charlotte Sweeney, Charlotte Sweeney Associates
Highly Commended
Anna Wright, PwC and Enfuse Group

Rising Star
Winner
Toby Fairhurst, Arup
Highly Commended
Cian McDonagh, AtkinsRéalis

Team Leader Consultant of the Year
Winner
Aanisa Kazim, EY
Highly Commended
Christine Hollingsworth, Moorhouse Consulting

Technology Consultant of the Year
Winner
Jayne Goble, KPMG
Highly Commended
Justin Fish, Capgemini Invent
Margatia Kotti, Deloitte
Kieran Beeton, KPMG

Thought Leader Consultant of the Year
Winner
Jeremy Dykes, Capgemini Invent
Highly Commended
Jo Thomson, KPMG

Young Consultant of the Year
Winner
Scarlett Reagan, PwC
Highly Commended
Toby Michaels, Deloitte
Cora Bolger, Moorhouse Consulting
Zoe Bratton, Grant Thornton

Overall

Best New Consultancy
Winner
Squarcle
Highly Commended
NOKAMO Consulting

Times Consultant of the Year
Winner
Jeremy Dykes, Capgemini Invent

Project of the Year
Winner
EY with Four Futures