The International Management Excellence Awards

WELL-MANAGED FIRMS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND ATTRACTIVE TO CLIENTS 

These annual Awards, in association with knowledge partners Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times, uniquely recognise the contribution of leadership and management to the business of professional services firms based worldwide.

Now in their 21st year, they involve rigorous independent evaluation of initiatives that demonstrate superior business practices, support to clients, or community engagement.

The Awards attract entries from firms based in the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe, Middle East, North America and Asia Pacific. Over 200 firms have entered to date, many on multiple occasions.

 

Key 2024 Dates

  • Submission deadline: 28th February
  • Category shortlists announced: 4th April
  • Ceremony: Thursday 20 June at 5pm

Ceremony

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Choose a Theme

Instead of shoehorning an initiative into a pre-determined category, choose the Theme that best reflects the aspirations of your initiative. Your firm can submit up to three entries per Theme per country:

Make your business more productive (Business theme)

With almost everyone working from home for some of the time, a key challenge for management is how best to foster productive, healthy and sustainable working practices, and to sustain innovation.

help your clients be more productive (Client theme)

The pandemic has brought clarity over the advisers who are truly client-centric. Does your front line describe themselves solely by reference to their expertise (law, accountancy, architecture, etc) or also by their contribution to their clients? Delivering the latter may involve collaboration with external specialists such as consultants and financial institutions.

Enable your community to flourish (Community theme)

Given finance and cash flow carry most weight in partner/director discussions, it is easy to de-prioritise community contribution. However, this remains an excellent way for firms to develop their people in terms of both individual skills and teamwork, and to enhance the firm’s employer brand for new recruits, as well as boost the engagement of current employees, while improving the community of which they are also a part.

Fees

Each submission involves a fee of £250 + VAT.  Membership of the PM Forum is NOT a pre-requisite. 

Sponsorship opportunities

Please contact Claire Mitchell

What is in it for your firm

Independent evidence of your firm’s ability to provide well-managed services to its clients, combined with enhanced pride for all stakeholders in the firm.

What is in it for your clients

Access to trustworthy information based on rigorous independent evaluation reinforces a client’s impressions of whether an advisory firm is well-managed. This should result in better quality outcomes and fewer cost overruns.

What is in it for you

Demonstrating your contribution and impact puts you at the heart of conversations, increases your influence, and strengthens people’s trust in your strategies

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About the venue

The Dubai Skylounge is a state-of-the-art digital events venue with real networking and socialising that is extremely easy to use. You can see who is sat where, go over to join someone, message them, check out their business card and more. 

Why online? Less time commitment for attendees, making the ceremony more accessible; Improved inclusiveness; Massively reduced emissions; Lower costs, particularly for those based outside the UK; Less hurried live interviews with winners, enhancing the learning transfer re their fantastic achievements.

Judging

Chaired by Andrew Hedley, Director of Hedley Consulting, the judges are leading consultants, business thinkers and experts, based in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, selected solely on the basis of their expertise.

Shortlisted entries are allocated to suitable categories, each with a panel of four judges. After detailed evaluation, panels present their recommended winners to the other judges, followed by debate and a decision on final positions.

These are the judging criteria:

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Strategic alignment

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Active leadership engagement

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Effective education of stakeholders

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Innovation in services, markets, methods or systems

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Measurable impact against goals in a reasonable timescale

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Positive impact on the client experience, employee engagement or stakeholder performance

Ceremony highlights

Best use of technology award winner –

BCLP

Best sustaining culture award winner –

Walker Morris

Best client support award winner –

A&L Goodbody

Best community programme award winner –

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan

Best client experience award winner –

Dentons