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George Beaton
Feb 22, 2020

Fresh faces amongst the 2020 Client Choice Awards Finalists

This year there are many fresh faces amongst the Client Choice Awards Finalists – and just as many firms and practitioners returning.

Since writing this post, in light of the widening coronavirus challenge the Client Choice Awards dinner has been changed into a series of mini-events in seven capital cities. These arrangements are set out here or here.

Today's post highlights what's not changed (the fundamentals), what's new (lots), who is on debut (many) and who is back (just as many) in the 2020 Client Choice Awards.

What's not changed

Survey and analysis rigour remain defining values of beaton and the Client Choice Awards. The beaton brand has been built on independence, integrity and cutting edge capabilities for over 30 years.

Support of professional associations, including returning and new associations: ACE New Zealand, ALPMA, Association of Consulting Architects, Australasian Association of Acoustical Consultants, CA ANZ, Consult Australia, Governance Institute of Australia, ICON, Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Planning Institute of Australia.

Support of partners, including NAB, our new Principal Partner, returning partners: the Government of Victoria (Major Partner), Bombora Advice, the College of Law, FeeSynergy, IP Australia and first-timers like CXINLAW, LegallyYours, SCD Advisory and YBF Ventures.

What's new

Award categories for small-medium (<$30m annual revenue) firms in the professions of accounting, acoustical consulting, architectural, environment, consulting engineering, conveyancing, heritage consulting, IP, law, project management, quantity surveying and traffic & transport consulting.

As our research partner, FirmChecker and its ground-breaking platform provided the surveying for small-medium size accounting and law firms.

Participation of media partners Acuity (publishing arm of CA ANZ), Consulting Matters (publishing arm of Consult Australia) and the Law Society Journal replaces the editorial role of the Australian Financial Review, but not the prominent advertisements announcing Finalists (20 February) and Winners (20 March).

Who is back

Of the Finalist firms, 34 are returning from one or more appearances in previous years. In 2020, there are 33 firms who have not been on the board before; 25 of these are in the new <$30m annual revenue categories.

Of the 16 Practitioners listed for an Award in one of four professions, three are returning. These include three-times Finalist Litsa Christodulou, a partner in the HLB Mann Judd Perth office.

New professions

This year sees eight new professions added to the line-ups of firms: Acoustical Consulting, Architecture, Conveyancing, Environmental Consulting, Heritage Consulting, Project Management, Quantity Surveying and Traffic & Transport Consulting.

Next year we hope to add Consulting Surveyors, Landscape Architects and Planners to the professions being recognised for client service excellence.

Collaboration with professional associations

Ensuring every firm in these newly-added professions in Australia and New Zealand is made aware of the opportunity to receive actionable feedback from their clients and the opportunity of being successful in the Client Choice Awards requires the collaboration of their professional associations.

For the 2020 Awards, ten professional associations in Australia and New Zealand (listed above) joined in publicising the Awards to their members; 14 did not.

Finally, a word about our sponsoring partners…

The financial and social proof support of our sponsoring partners makes the Client Choice Awards possible. Without the far-sighted investments by NAB (Principal Partner), the Government of Victoria (Major Partner), Bombora Advice, the College of Law, CXINLAW, FeeSynergy, IP Australia, LegallyYours, SCD Advisory and YBF Ventures.

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