A decided highlight of 2008 was the Haberdashers’ Company invitation to participate with this year’s Monmouth Initiative. This involved finding ten consultancy firms willing to provide a group of 6th Formers, selected from among the various Haberdashers’ schools, a day’s exposure to our profession.

The Monmouth Enterprise Initiative aims to provide a stimulating and unique insight into the business world of the City of London for AS students at the Haberdashers’ Schools and came about thanks to a very generous gift from Lord Ezra, an old boy of Haberdashers' Monmouth School who wanted to create an initiative that involved all the Haberdasher Schools.

The Haberdashers Company then came up with the idea of involving some of the younger Livery Companies who are still very much involved with their professions.

Ten successful applicants from each school were invited to attend a dinner on Monday 10th November at Haberdashers’ Hall, at which representatives of The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants spoke.

The following day, pupils had the opportunity to see first hand how management consultants bring about change and create value for their clients, in the City and elsewhere, through the application of knowledge and performance-improving techniques. They visited one of a range of established management consulting firms, meeting people at various stages of their consultancy career and learned what it takes to be successful in this exciting and challenging profession.

The primary purpose was to show these young people the opportunities our profession offers. However, a second but very significant aspect was the opportunity for our Company to reach out to the larger firms with a clear win-win proposition and to tell our story to more of our target market. In addition we were able to make an important contribution to the work of one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies.