The MPF is the world's leading association of managing partners from across the spectrum of professional service firms. Our challenge is to strengthen practice management through building a partnership of equals between those involved in client service and those in practice management.
In London, HQ of the MPF, we have created an organisation that has provided top-calibre educational and networking opportunities for all its members since 1995. By introducing thought-provoking and cutting-edge best practices that are transportable from one sector to another, we are dedicated to enhancing leadership and the status of the management team. more...
The London committee has three broad objectives:
- Organise a local programme of networking events, panel sessions and discussion groups that will facilitate the MPF’s wider aims for its members.
- Orchestrate the professions in London to support high profile bodies for continued economic and social development of the region.
- Share best practice with and provide support to other UK regional and International MPF chapters.
The MPF is the most powerful lobby group in professional services, launching a new campaign every six months. MPF campaigns confront the professions on particular issues aiming to empower the management team and help connect the local professional services community into the MPF network.
Current campaigns include:
- In search of Management talent: A “prospectus” for the professions
- Time Management: MPF Management Diary - time well spent?
- Partner Career Paths: Exploring the sound of silence
- Leadership Selection: Less politics, more transparency, clear reward
- Unsung Heroes: No-one should be treated as a second class citizen
We aim to remain at the cutting-edge of business thinking in professional services through regular surveys of our members and global leaders in marketing, HR, IT, finance etc, while allowing members to canvass each other on a management issue through MPF Pulse.
Chair: Jeremy Dutton is a partner at Speechly Bircham having been CEO at Campbell Hooper prior to the summer 2009 merger between the firms. He previously practised as a litigation partner in Titmuss Sainer Dechert (as it then was) where he was used to a culture in which "work" was synonymous with chargeable time. After a spell on the other side of the law-firm/client table managing disputes in various parts of the world for what was then Hilton Group PLC, he returned to private practice in a management capacity. As hard-working partners occasionally unwittingly remind him, he has not done a day's "work" since. His deep interest in all things non-chargeable led him to complete an MBA (Legal Services) at Nottingham Law School.
Regional Director: Paul Lemon is Executive Director of the Managing Partners' Forum and leads regional and international growth of the network. Having spent five years in the legal publishing sector as a sales manager, Paul spearheaded an international launch and was part of the advertising team that saw Legal Week crowned Business Magazine of the Year 2001/2. With experience of working with professional firm leaders, managers, fee earners and support staff, Paul provides a key interface for the MPF network managing the relationship between regional committees, MPF Panels and the Executive.
George Bull heads Baker Tilly’s Professional Practices Group and is primarily involved in providing leading-edge business and taxation advice to the legal profession. Before joining Baker Tilly he was head of the commercial services department in a law firm where he was involved in strategic decision-making as well as day-to-day management. He therefore has an understanding of strategy issues both from the perspective of an in-house management team and as an external client adviser. George is an approved Lexcel consultant to the Law Society in England and Wales, a member of the International Bar Association and an Honorary Member of the Law Management Section of the Law Society. He has recently been appointed to the Committee of the Solicitors’ Special Interest Group of the ICAEW.
George regularly broadcasts, lectures and writes on all aspects of professional practices.Gavin Ingham Brooke is Managing Director of Spada, a comprehensive communications, marketing and change management agency. Clients include global corporations, national and international law and accountancy firms, banks and specialised financials services providers, professional membership organisations and real estate interests.
Nick Carter-Pegg has been advising professional services firms for over 20 years and is currently the Head of Professional Services Group at BDO Stoy Hayward. His clients include architects, law firms, property consultants and surveyors, management consultants and recruitment consultants.
David Izett is Group Chief Executive of Colliers CRE plc, one of the UK’s top 10 commercial real estate advisory firms. David chairs the company’s Irish subsidiary and sits on the boards of its fund management and co-investment subsidiaries.
Colliers CRE is a key member of Colliers International, the 3rd largest commercial real estate services organisation. David is a member of the Colliers International Global Board and chairs the EMEA regional committee.
Margaret Mannell - Having built aircraft carriers and other things in between, Margaret Mannell found her home in the law. She spent fifteen years as "headmistress" of Taylor Wessing before joining U.S. firm, Morrison & Foerster, in the summer of 2005. At MoFo, as the firm is affectionately known, her job title is "Director of Administration", and her responsibilities include herding cats, fire-fighting and tight-rope walking. Answering to several masters in many time-zones, she works with a dynamic group of partners and administrative staff who are focused on developing Morrison & Foerster's European practice.
Amanda Phillips is Director of AP Consulting (www.apconsulting.co.uk). Formerly a member of the PricewaterhouseCoopers global partner and leadership development team, Amanda has also held senior HR roles working with leaders to define and implement strategy, and building organisational capability through leadership development, talent management and people engagement. Amanda consults on people strategy and is a leadership development specialist working internationally with senior executives in both large organisations and in more entrepreneurial environments to create climates for sustainable high performance and innovation. Amanda works 1:1 and facilitates teams, up to and including board level. She has a particular interest in supporting the progress of women in their teams, organisations and wider business world, and strongly supports the view that inclusive working environments deliver better business results and real value. She is an experienced and fully accredited executive coach. She is also a supervisor of executive coaches and is coaching supervisor for the Oxford Brookes University Business School MA in Coaching & Mentoring Practice.
Sacha Romanovitch currently holds the board portfolio for people and skills at accountants Grant Thornton. She was formerly London office managing partner, working closely with the marketing team. Enabling people to maximise their potential has been a great source of career satisfaction for Sacha and has ensured that she delivers on the firm's business objectives. In addition to direct line management of 100 people in her HR, training and development team, Sacha has a mentoring role in the firm. She is also a winner of the CBI 'First Women Awards' in the category of Business Service, and was voted by her peers as the partner who personifies her firm's position as an Employer of Choice due to her unrivalled passion, enthusiasm and determination to make her firm a great place to work. Her client portfolio is focused on professional firms. She is a member of the MPF London committee.
Laurie Young is a management consultant and author of ‘Marketing the Professional Services Firm’. He was global marketing partner of the corporate finance division of PricewaterhouseCoopers. During his career he has set up and run large marketing, sales & account management teams in several leading service firms. He has also worked on repositioning some of the world’s leading brands. In recent years he has transferred his knowledge to the professions running seminars and creating programmes around both personal and organisational business development techniques.