It’s the summer of 2002, Enron is in the middle of exploding in unprecedented ways, and their auditors, Big 5 firm Arthur Anderson have just been found guilty of obstructing the course of justice; they surrender their license to act as auditors and begin to dissolve. The world of professional services is rocked to the bone.

Fear and trepidation grip the remaining Big 4 about how to go forwards. Concerns had already been raised about conflict of interest between firm’s accountancy and consulting practices. In February 2000, Ernst & Young sold their consultancy to CapGemini for $11bn.

In the summer of 2002, following in the footsteps of EY, and walking in the shadow of Arthur Anderson, KPMG spun out their US consultancy to form BearingPoint, and sold their European operation to Atos Origin for £423m and PwC sold their global consultancy to IBM for $3.5bn. Deloitte decided to keep theirs…

February 2010, The Times runs a story about the rebuilding of KPMG and PwC’s consulting practices:

“KPMG, the auditor, plans to treble its consulting revenues to £600 million in the next four years, adding 300 new consultants to their staff this year. KPMG’s ambitions mirror those of PwC, which aims to treble consulting revenues to £1.3 billion over the next three years. PwC plans to hire 2,000 new consultants, including 100 partners. Deloitte is also expanding into new advisory practices. Last week it made a surprise move into commercial property by buying Drivers Jonas, one of Britain’s oldest real estate firms.”

It is a well known fact that although the revenues in audit and tax are dependable and reliable, unlike in consultancy. However, the margins are far greater in consultancy, and the Big 4 could not be kept out of the action forever; and the back end of the biggest recession for fifty years seemed like a good time!

As you can imagine, BLT greeted this news with much joy, as have our candidates – it was certainly brought the smile to the face after the last couple of years.

We are now very proud to announce they we are working very closely with the firms, helping them secure the best talent in the market to drive this growth for them, particularly in the public sector arena.

To find out more about consulting opportunities with the Big 4, please watch the video, call the Management Consultancy team on 020 7419 0909, or email Stephen Humphreys, consultant at BLT looking after some of these roles, srh@blt.co.uk

It feels like everyday that another headline screams out at us about the failings of the UK social care system.

One day it’s an incompetent service line manager, a director here or their getting the chop; or most moving of all, the next victim of a horrendous crime, committed under the nose of social services.

There are also funding issues. Just today I read the headline “London faces a social care funding crisis that could cost town halls £800 million and jeopardise the care of thousands of vulnerable adults”.

There is clearly a problem.

Consultancy is not something that has happened on an enormous scale in these areas before. The Big 4 have had teams that do this, Deloitte particularly. There is also the odd boutique, such as Cordis Bright.

Following the recent revelations in the press, one particular client of ours has decided to get their hands dirty in this area, and see what difference can be made. BLT are getting stuck in as well, looking for the brightest and best in the social care sphere to join this team to revolutionise this beleaguered industry. We are building this team from scratch for this firm, on an exclusive basis.

BLT’s consultant looking after this assignment, Stephen Humphreys, said that:
“I am really excited to be tackling this project. This is a rare opportunity for me to build a team from scratch, which is going to do such important and altruistic work. The social care field is one that desperately needs the trained eye of a consultant. However, it also in an area that needs specialist attention from people that know the sector – and it’s them that I am looking for!”

To find out more about these opportunities, either watch our video or Stephen a call on 0207 419 0909, or send him an email to srh@blt.co.uk

The scope and significance of corporate governance and the role of the company secretary at the hub of this far-reaching arena was amply evidenced by the experts presenting, the topics discussed and the delegates in attendance at this year's ICSA Corporate Governance Conference last Wednesday.

If further evidence was needed to prove the importance of the issues, their complexity and the potential extent of their impact, the day's programme - with its healthy mix of robust debate and enthusiastic consensus more than provided it. There's a great deal going on out there which will deliver huge challenge but also great recognition and reward for company secretaries and their wider community.

2010 is going to be busy and I wonder what will be on the agenda next year? Whatever the detail, I think everyone is clear it's going to be 'upwards and onwards'!

By Caroline Evans

CSS - together with the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (WCCSA) - struck lucky with a first-class networking event aimed at company secretaries in the early stages of their professional career.

Organised by Kerry Porritt, Liveryman, a 20 strong group donned bowling shoes and descended (literally!) onto the lanes of the exclusive American-themed ‘All Star Lanes’ bowling centre in Holborn. Strengthened by a cocktail or two and the encouragement of team mates, some serious bowling took place. Whilst technical skill levels were certainly varied – from an enthusiastic score of 28 to an expert total of 158* – the evening proved that lack of expertise is no barrier to enjoyment!

Plenty of post-match analysis – took place over a traditional American supper – burger & fries; all in all, a very relaxed and original way to build professional relationships.

*Well done, John Rowland-Jones; who emphatically proved that the multi-tasking abilities of Chartered Secretaries are not confined to the board room!

See our photos of the night below:

For more information on the WCCSA and how to join click here.

Michelle and I found out at this year’s CSSPG’s Annual General Meeting. Members old and new gathered at Royal Over-Seas League, James Street on Thursday 25th February 2010 to receive the Chairman’s Report, review the Accounts for the year, re-appoint the Auditor, elect Officers, agree the subscription levels and discuss any other business relating to the professional practice group.

This was followed by dinner and talk from Seamus Gillen, Director of Policy, ICSA. He delivered an encouraging and insightful speech about the ICSA and its plans for this year, focussing on the growth and expansion of membership, rebranding of the institute and, most importantly, raising the profile of the company secretarial profession, particularly in the not-for-profit sector.

It was inspiring to hear such positivity after what can only be described as a difficult year all round, and to look forward to the roll-out of all the plans for the CSPPG and ICSA.