At Engage Consulting, our position as independent specialist advisory and project management experts in the energy sector since 2000 is built on one thing above all else, our people. The depth, experience and judgement our consultants bring to client engagements is what enables us to support the UK energy industry through a period of significant change. Continual professional development is not an add-on to that, it is central to how we operate, and we invest in it year after year.
Investment in People is Part of Who We Are
Earlier this year, that commitment was independently recognised when Engage Consulting retained its Investors in People (IIP) Gold accreditation with outstanding results. We achieved a benchmark score of 843 out of 900, placing us 114 points above the IIP industry average and 90 points above the consulting and accounting sector average. The assessors specifically highlighted a strong, visible focus on the development of our staff, and feedback from the team consistently described an environment of trust, empowerment and genuine investment in personal and professional growth.
Maintaining that standard is not something achieved through a single initiative. It comes from a sustained pattern of investing in our consultants throughout their careers with us, regardless of how senior or experienced they already are.
Continual Professional Development in Action
The latest example of that ongoing investment sees two of our Principal Consultants, Craig Handford and Paul Coyle, both complete the Agile Project Management Foundation & Practitioner (AgilePM®) qualification, accredited by APMG-International.
Craig and Paul are already highly experienced practitioners. Craig brings more than 30 years of operations, project management, change and business improvement experience in the energy industry, including representing Large Energy Suppliers as Design Authority on the Switching Programme and the Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) Programme. Paul has spent over five years developing and establishing the contract and commercial structure for a central industry body, with broader expertise spanning Energy Market Arrangements, Regulation, Net Zero Transition and Smart Metering.
For consultants of this calibre, AgilePM® is not an unfamiliar discipline. It is a recognised, externally validated framework that formalises and sharpens the way they already lead complex programmes. Achieving both Foundation and Practitioner level is exactly the kind of continual professional development we encourage at every level of the business, building on already strong foundations rather than starting from scratch.
A Pattern, Not a One-Off
Craig and Paul’s AgilePM® certifications sit alongside other recent investments in our team’s development, including Tom Desmond’s ISO 31000 Risk Management qualification and a number of internal promotions, such as Chris Cook stepping up to Head of Consultancy and Tom Desmond’s promotion to Principal Consultant. Each of these reflects the same principle, that growing our people internally and supporting their continued learning is central to how we operate.
It is also why our retention rates remain high. People who join Engage tend to stay and grow with us, and that long-term continuity is something our clients feel directly through the quality and consistency of the consultancy they receive.
Quote needs to be approved Kevin Mitchell, Head of Operations and People at Engage Consulting, says: “Continual development is not a tick-box exercise at Engage, it is how we make sure our clients always get the very best of our team. Craig and Paul achieving their AgilePM® Foundation and Practitioner certifications is a brilliant example of that, and a credit to the commitment they show to their own ongoing growth as well as to the clients they support.”
What This Means for Our Clients
When clients engage our team, whether on an MHHS programme, a Smart Metering challenge, a Heat Networks initiative or a Net Zero readiness piece, they are working with consultants whose expertise is actively maintained and developed. That translates into:
- Confidence that the people leading their work are operating to recognised, externally validated standards
- Stronger structure and discipline when delivering complex industry programmes
- A team whose deep institutional knowledge of the UK energy market is continually paired with current, refreshed methodology
- A long-term consultancy relationship rather than a revolving door of new faces
Looking Ahead
Congratulations to Craig and Paul on their AgilePM® Foundation & Practitioner certifications, and to every member of the team whose ongoing development helps make Engage what it is. We will continue to invest in our people, because our people are how we deliver for our clients.
To find out more about working with our consultancy team, get in touch with Engage Consulting or explore our services.
