“Given the challenges facing the UK, what can we as Management Consultants contribute?”....

Master David Peregrine-Jones' theme for the way forward in Year 2015/2016....

As you know, our aim is to become and remain “A great modern Livery Company”.

So, let’s ask: “What does this mean?  And “What would it look like?”

Here are some measures:

o   We have a queue of people who have asked to join us

o   Events get fully booked weeks or even months in advance

o   Everyone tries to smuggle in guests

o   New panels spring up

o   Our list of entertaining and worthwhile people who have agreed to speak at our events stretches well over the tenure of several Masters

o   A number of members have begun to leave substantial legacies to the Charitable Fund

o    Other modern Companies keep asking us for our advice and help

Of course all that is happening already – but it will take off

-       as we get better at what we do, and

-       as we become better known

So how does my theme for the year help to take us forward?

As you will recall, it’s:  “Given the challenges facing the UK,  What can we as Management Consultants contribute?”

Let's take one example – the NHS…

Along with the banking, transport, energy sectors it's an example of a system that’s become ”too big to fail”.  One where the changes that everyone outside the system can see are necessary are resisted by those inside.

We know this model is already unaffordable and that this is going to get worse and worse as we all live longer. 

As we know, it takes exceptionally good change management to bring change to these systems – AND THIS IS one of the areas we know lots about and is going to be much needed in the third sector.

They will experience a huge increase in demand for their services - just when their traditional reliance on grants and donations is being undermined.

To us it may be obvious that the answer is a great increase in their productivity through better use of technology, becoming consumer led and scaling their service via injecting capital. To them its looks very very risky.

One of the keys to untangling this will be better governance – again one of the areas where we have leading edge competence.

The THIRD SECTOR is an area where we could find ourselves working with some of the young, enthusiastic and really able people in the big practices, in the legal world and in technology. Natural partners to our Company and potential source of new members.

John Corneille already sees that, in our Pro Bono engagements.  We are being asked to work on ever larger and more complex challenges that, indeed, are creating exactly what is needed for the work of the Company to be recognised and extended.

The body of knowledge we are building becomes an attractor to clients and to potential members to the other modern companies and to the City.

London and the UK are seen elsewhere in the world as very positive role models, so it’s at least possible that what we help to achieve here could become a basis for replication in many other parts of the world and even a source of income for our Trust!

I hope this little sketch has given you some things to chew over.

Let me know what you think and what together you feel we can do to make it happen!

Thank you!

Master David Peregrine-Jones