2024 End-of-Year Message from our Executive Director

Dec 11, 2024

By: Donna Ringrose

2024 was a year of exciting achievements for CMC-Canada. With our members, volunteers, Academic, Large Firm and Affinity Partners, and Certifying Institutes across the country we were able to accomplish important objectives and attain key milestones, all with an eye toward the future of Management Consulting in this country.

Before we look ahead to where we’re going, let’s look back on 2024 and the strong foundation we’ve built for those important next steps.

2024 By the Numbers…..

Over 35 Firm Partner candidates earned their CMC, including an Engineering Firm cohort!
70 new CMCs by year-end. An increase of 34% over 2023 and the most new CMCs since 2012
149 newly streamed candidates & 226 pipeline candidates
Membership growth to 2167 members in 2024 with the largest growth noted among Student Members, with an increase of 13.5% over 2023
Retention Rate for CMCs – 92%
CMC-Canada's LinkedIn community grew by 1162 followers this fiscal year. An increase of 22.3% over 2023

Partnerships

The future of our organization is solidified through partnerships – Academic, Large Firm, and Affinity. All providing a unique value to our members. Embedding the CMC into these key Academic and Firm Partnerships elevates the CMC designation as a desired professional certification, further enhancing its credibility in the business landscape.

We were thrilled to welcome The Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta as an Academic Partner in 2024, and I’m pleased to report that we are currently finalizing equivalencies with two additional post-secondary institutions that will become Academic Partners in early 2025.

Three cohorts from our Large Firm Partners (EY, MNP, KPMG) moved through the CMC certification process in 2024. We continue to engage with all sizes of firms to expand the CMC Firm Program into 2025.

Our Member Affinity Program grew this year with the addition of Erickson Coaching International. Erickson has empowered individuals and organizations for over four decades through solution-focused coaching and professional development programs, and we’re excited to be able to share this valuable partnership with our members.

Expanded Professional Development

Our members enjoyed an enhanced roster of certification courses, networking opportunities, and professional development programs in 2024. Including Virtual Open Houses, member roundtables, Affinity Partner webinars, Advocacy Education Sessions, and new on-demand programming.

In addition, we offered more than 10 certification courses throughout the year.

Advocacy

Our advocacy efforts, at the National level, are one of the many ways we’re actively working on futureproofing the consulting profession.

Differentiating CMCs as a higher level of management consulting is critical and was well-received in Ottawa during our Day on the Hill, earlier this year.

Our members, our Board, and our National Office team met with senior decision-makers on Parliament Hill to discuss the importance of our work, make valuable connections, and create more institutional knowledge about the significance of the CMC designation.

This opportunity allowed us to meet with seventeen officials from across party lines and in a variety of departments to advance our advocacy goals and raise the profile of CMC-Canada. Over 75% of these meetings resulted in further points of contact.

Notably, we have been asked to take on a more involved role in PSPC’s Supplier Advisory Committee (SAC), and I’ll be stepping into the position of Co-Chair. This is an especially valuable role given the major reputational challenges that some contractors and consultants have created for our profession in relation to federal contracts.

Our National Strategy will continue to include assertively lobbying the federal government to recognize the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation as a desired qualification in bidding on consulting opportunities.

Plans for our 2025 Day on the Hill are already in development, as we continue this vital advocacy work at the National level.

Task Force Development

2024 included the development of several CMC Task Forces, an initiative spearheaded by our Membership Team that brings CMCs together to work collaboratively and provide value to others in the association.

This year’s projects (both in the final stages of editing) included Client Communications Templates, standardized resources to help consultants communicate effectively with clients, and Project Management Templates, with a focus on creating practical tools for managing consulting projects.

2025 Task Force initiatives are currently in production, and we’re excited to share in the launch of these valuable professional resources for our members.

Momentum Into 2025

The collaborative initiatives we put in place throughout 2024 have built a strong foundation upon which to move our organization forward. We’re building momentum as we head into the New Year with plans to elevate our Large Firm Partnerships, develop and expand our SME (Small-Medium Enterprise) partnerships, and make our voices heard on Parliament Hill as we continue our advocacy efforts.

Thank You

And while I get the privilege of sharing this end-of-year message with you, it would not have been possible without all of you. A special thank you to our dedicated volunteers who share their time and expertise to elevate our members, our organization, and our industry. To our National Board, for their time, energy, and support of our organization and its goals. And to our National Office Team – your hard work, dedication, and expertise are what keep this train moving forward.

Thank you for an exceptional year.

Wishing all of you a joyful holiday season.

Donna Ringrose,
Executive Director, CMC-Canada

Go to top

2024 End-of-Year Message from our Executive Director

CONTACT CMC-CANADA

SUBSCRIBE to cnotes

CONNECT