Morgan Stanley have announced that the Power2 team has won the fifth UK Strategy Challenge. Power2 believes no child should be prevented from achieving their potential. Since 2001 its award winning 18 week core programme has helped to inspire 10,995 disengaged and disadvantaged young people by giving them the essential life-skills and self-belief they need to succeed at school and in life.

The Morgan Stanley UK Strategy Challenge, facilitated by Pilotlight, pairs teams of top-performing Morgan Stanley professionals with non-profit organisations in London for eight weeks to provide pro bono strategic advice on issues affecting the charities such as geographic expansion, growth plans, corporate engagement and cost efficiency. The teams presented their final strategic programmes to judges at Morgan Stanley’s London headquarters.

“Now in its fifth year in the UK, the success of the Strategy Challenge lies in the strong bonds forged between our employees and their charity partners, which live on well beyond the eight-week challenge” said Clare Woodman, Head of EMEA at Morgan Stanley. “The pressure being placed on charities in the UK continues to grow. That Morgan Stanley is able to give its expertise to help solve real challenges impacting the way charities deliver their vital work is something of which we are immensely proud.”

The Morgan Stanley team working with Power2 developed an effective business model to grow the Power2 schools programme into new areas.

“The Morgan Stanley team catapulted our organisation onto a new level. It’s a grand claim but it’s backed up by the real, practical tools they delivered that now lie at the heart of our operations. All of this was thanks to a diligent, friendly and exceptionally hard-working team that delivered on every front. For us, it was a great experience, but for the additional young people we can now reach, it will be a life-changing one.” Joanna Hay, Chief Executive, Power2.

Gillian Murray, CEO at Pilotlight, said: “I’d like to congratulate all the teams for their dedication and commitment to providing outstanding value for their charity partners. The results of their hard work have already had, and will continue to have, meaningful impact for the future growth and sustainability of these fantastic charities, enabling them to deliver more to those in need.”  

Since its inception, the UK Strategy Challenge has delivered over 17,400 hours of service to 24 charities.