Sheffield Haworth is first CMCE Gold Partner

Specialist executive search and talent advisory Sheffield Haworth has become the CMCE’s first Gold Partner, and the exclusive sponsor of its forthcoming research report, Consulting Skills for 2030.

Tom Forrest managing director, Consulting Solutions at Sheffield Haworth said the decision to support the centre came after his firm was contacted at an early stage in the research.

“When we heard about the breadth of the research we were hugely excited about becoming involved.” he says. “There’s also a lot we can do with the Centre in terms of joint events and sharing networks and providing a platform for each other.”

As well as carrying out senior search assignments for Big 4 and boutique consulting firms Sheffield Haworth has increasingly found itself getting involved in independent consulting projects through its Consulting Solutions practice.

“We can see there being a huge shift from what you might call traditional 'interim management' to independent consulting and this will likely accelerate with the proposed changes to IR35 in the private sector” says Forrest ."It’s really going to shake up the market and potentially the way independent consultants and big consultancy firms interact with each other and their end clients.”

Forrest says the CMCE’s research programme comes at an interesting and critical time in the management consulting story:

“Given the ongoing disruption that technology has brought to most sectors of the economy the need for consulting has never been greater. This is set against a backdrop of changing client expectations and the ongoing growth of independent and boutique consulting: the market is becoming hugely fragmented” he says. “Creating a forum like the Centre where like-minded people can come together and talk about their own experiences, those issues and their thoughts about the future is going to be hugely valuable to those are involved in it. Aligning ourselves with the Centre is very much about gaining insight into that future.”

The relationship launches in March with the release of CMCE’s first major research project: Consulting Skills for 2030. The research project brought together consultants, clients and other stakeholders to look at the skills consultants will need to sell and deliver projects in 2030. The report is still being finalised but project director and lead editor Chris Sutton promises there will be some “provocative points” including some revealing differences in perceptions of the future among the various stakeholders.