Morgan Stanley today announced the winners of this year’s Strategy Challenge in the U.K.
The Firm’s flagship pro bono programme, in partnership with Pilotlight in the U.K., brings together rising talent to help nonprofit organisations solve strategic, mission-critical challenges. The winning team supported Leonard Cheshire.
Over the past 10 weeks, Morgan Stanley employees have provided in-depth, pro bono consulting services to nonprofits on topics including organizational expansion and how to scale strategy, as well as enhancing efficiency and effectiveness through business and program models. The 2023 Strategy Challenge culminated in events in New York and London, where teams presented their recommendations to nonprofit sector experts and senior leaders at the Firm.
The winning team in the U.K. worked with Leonard Cheshire, a pan-disability charity that supports disabled people to live, learn and work as independently as they choose. The Morgan Stanley team analysed how the nonprofit could effectively scale its employment programme, Change 100, to ensure more young disabled people have access to work. Following extensive research into the employer market, the team’s winning recommendation included an implementation plan and tools to enhance the employer value proposition, restructure program delivery and improve data capture.
“We are thrilled the team working on our flagship Change 100 programme won the 2023 Morgan Stanley Strategy Challenge,” said Marcus Missen, Executive Director, Advocacy, Partnerships and Impact at Leonard Cheshire. “We now have the insights, tools and confidence to supercharge the programme’s impact and support many more disabled people entering the world of work. It was a privilege to work with such a talented team, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude.”
“The Strategy Challenge is a testament to our employees’ deep commitment to giving back and effecting positive change,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley and President of the Morgan Stanley Foundation. “Congratulations to each of this year’s teams for developing thoughtful strategic proposals to help nonprofits tackle critical societal issues with impact, including in education, healthcare, children’s wellbeing, mental health and food insecurity.”
Ed Mayo, CEO at Pilotlight commented: "Our motto is that great causes deserve great talent and at Pilotlight we see the annual Strategy Challenge of Morgan Stanley as an authentic exemplar for making a reality of this. Talented teams of colleagues from across the bank contribute and compete to give the best possible service and support to a charity. And the magic is this. While the charities involved pay not a cent for the work, they do give unparalleled learning and inspiration to those who take part."
The six nonprofits that participated in this year’s Strategy Challenge in the U.K. included:
- Coach Core is a social mobility charity using the power of sport and apprenticeships to change the lives and career prospects of underrepresented young adults.
- Generation: You Employed, UK helps disadvantaged jobseekers facing barriers to employment by supporting them as they pursue life-changing careers they otherwise could not access.
- Leonard Cheshire believes in building a fairer, more inclusive society that recognizes the positive contributions we all make, and supports disabled people to live, learn and work as independently as they choose, whatever their ability.
- NHS Charities Together works with and provides funding for over 230 local charities that support the workforce of the National Health Service while improving care for patients and communities across the U.K.
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has been protecting children for over 100 years – doing everything it can to prevent abuse and neglect, alongside providing expert support to help children recover.
- Save the Children works in the U.K. and around the world to keep every child safe, healthy and educated. It has helped provide over 45 million children with the opportunities they need to survive and thrive.