Client perspectives
Sally Cairns
Chief People Officer
Emma Lancaster
Chief Executive, AAB
Former CEO, Study Group
"Their model of bringing the right people to the table to drive the right outcomes is really powerful."
Ben Gore
COO, Christie's
"They weren't trying to fit us into their mould, it was about fitting around our needs… they came in and really took time to listen to what we wanted."
David Leigh
CEO, AMS
"Eden McCallum is the firm that I will call first...I have access to senior leadership and individuals that I can call on to really challenge my thinking. I've really valued that."
Serena Lang
Chair, Trifast Group
Former Chair, Eleco
"We had a fantastic team. It was great to work with them and that made all the difference."
Steven Petrow
Partner, Change Capital Partners
“The Eden McCallum team did a terrific job of supporting management in developing and articulating an ambitious, credible 5 year plan, backed up by rigorous analysis of the company, competitors and the market. The team listened to management, shareholders, and our advisors and brought everyone together behind a robust 5 year growth plan that was truly owned by management and was a key success factor for the project and, more importantly, for the successful sale of the business.”
Wim Ponnet
CEO, FanTechCap
Former CSO & CCO, Endemol Shine Group
“You want to use Eden McCallum because you really want to enable change and bring in a team that actually understands where things have been and where things are going. That’s what you get with Eden McCallum. I think that is quite a novelty and still is, actually.”
Patricia Malarkey
Global Chief Innovation Officer, DSM
“They’ve been helping us with our challenge and they’ve really become an integral part of our team…they’re experts in a lot of the work we ask them to contribute to.”
David van Mechelen
CFO, Royal FloraHolland
“Eden McCallum really tries to understand the nature of our company, of our industry, of our business model, of our culture, our organisation before trying to understand the particular assignment at hand.”
Margret Kleinsman
CFO, Agrifirm
“Excellent team at the core with the partners to add on where the need is there…key consultants who know what they’re doing, and the way they work is facilitating in such a way that it really adds value…a keen eye for execution.”
David Taylor-Smith
Chairman and Private Equity Advisor
Former CEO, phs
“Phs Group is implementing a new strategy and we are growing again. Eden McCallum helped us to better understand our markets and “where” and “how” to compete. This provided the foundation to our new strategy which was vital to our success. The Eden McCallum team were fast, responsive, insightful and a pleasure to work with”
Tex Gunning
CEO, LeasePlan
Former CEO, TNT Express; MD, AkzoNobel
“The expertise that the people from Eden McCallum have brought to us was really world class – I mean it was superb…”
Chris Rogers
Chairman, Wickes plc
Former MD, Costa Coffee; CFO, Whitbread
“We have a very good relationship with Eden McCallum and I have worked with them for many years. What stands out to us is that their consultants are typically more experienced people who are prepared to challenge us; they’re not looking ahead to the next project.”
Flemming Morgan
Partner, The Preston Associates
Former President, Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, Danone
“Eden McCallum offers you a lot more flexibility, so as a client the feeling I have always had is that it’s much more tailor-made to what we want…”
Biense Visser
Supervisory Board Member, Dümmen Orange
Former CEO, Dümmen Orange
“The quality of consultancy is as good as the quality of the consultant, and Eden McCallum has the best consultants in the industry…”
Tim Hammond
Chair, NED
Former CEO, Four Seasons Healthcare, Elior; and Barchester Healthcare
“The fit of the Eden McCallum consultants is what really makes the difference and gives the projects tangible business impact.”
Dano Lister
CEO, Balcan Innovations Inc.
Former Division President, GREIF
“They have a combination of that consulting experience and actual operator experience, and so they become much stronger partners for us…”
Rob Versloot
CEO, Hero
“Great people: good ability to connect, a down-to-earth, hands-on attitude, which I feel is very important…”
Gavin Flynn
Senior Bursar, Downing College Cambridge
Former Chair, Herts for Learning; SVP, Partnerships, Planning & Delivery, InterContinental Hotels
“…Better client management, more maturity, more emotional intuition, and that just works better with our people, and certainly better than other firms I’ve worked with…”
Jeroen Drost
CEO, SHV Holdings NV
Former MD, NPM Capital; CEO, NIBC Bank
“With Eden McCallum, I get high-calibre consultants, delivering the high quality answers I need, without a feeling of intrusion and disruption to business.”
Angus Somerville
Chair, Independent Monitoring Board, HMP/YOI Winchester
Former Chief Executive, Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability
“Eden McCallum impresses on every level: the care they take in understanding and meeting client needs, the sheer quality of the consultants they select for assignments, and the genuine interest the whole team demonstrates in ensuring the outcome is successful – and sustainable.”
Jat Sahota
Partner, Inbeta.io
Former Head of Pharmacy and Healthcare, Sainsbury's
“Working with Eden McCallum we were not just on the receiving end of analysis; we went on a journey and created a strategy together. We had the time to sound out recommendations around the business which lead to broad support for taking a fundamentally different strategic path.”
Dido Harding
Member, UK House of Lords
Former CEO, TalkTalk plc
“We trust them. We give them a really hard time. And if you can be the critical friend that they have been to our business, then that’s fantastic…”
Andrew Higginson
Chair, Sports Direct plc
Former Chair, Morrisons, N Brown, and Poundland; Group Finance Director, Tesco
“We have used Eden McCallum on multiple projects, on different business issues. Whether we want a team or a single person, a specialist strategist or operator, they always come up with a great solution…”
Marco van Kalleveen
Group CEO, DKV Mobility
Former COO, LeasePlan; MD Global Division and Chief Transformation Officer, TNT
“They have really spent time to understand what’s going on, and they have provided us with quite unique, tailored solutions…”
Wolf Bauer
CEO, UFA
“They have become partners, which are so close to my team members, to every individual, to the company…”
Richard Branson
Founder, Virgin Group
“We often work with Eden McCallum rather than traditional consulting firms because, when we compare the teams person for person, we get more experienced resources for a lower price. That’s what I call great value.”
Derek Harding
CFO, Spectris PLC
Former CFO ShopDirect and Senior plc; UK FD, Wolseley plc
“Eden McCallum people are typically more experienced than those you get from a conventional firm. They’re often more advanced in their careers, so there’s plenty of real-world experience to draw on. Like all clever people, they make complicated things sound simple, but they’re willing to listen to us, rather than do all the talking. But what’s really special about them – it’s the cost. They’re great value.”
Robin Lee
CEO, HelloGold
Former CFO, World Gold Council
“I want to work with consultants who have no egos and who can work alongside my team. Eden McCallum has very talented and capable people, but they are also prepared to listen to what we say and to design projects around what we need, not what they think we should have. To me, what’s special about them is their absolute integrity.”
Dawn Airey
NED
Former SVP EMEA, Yahoo!; President CLT, UFA; Chair and CEO, Channel Five
“Eden McCallum are different: they listen to us, and they take the time to understand our business and to build relationships with our people. They bring the professional rigour you’d expect, but work in a more inclusive fashion – gentle on the surface, but steely underneath. They’re never afraid to challenge and they don’t allow us to duck difficult decisions, but do so with grace, sympathy and humour. They’re absolutely excellent and very special.”