As part of its Black Brilliance in Business series, the Business School hosted the "Changing the Face of Consultancy" event and competition earlier this year. Its aim was to sharpen the business consultancy skills of students from global majority communities, while contributing towards the business sustainability and growth of Cardiff-based Tiger Bay Boxing Club. It combined theoretical learning and practical application to prepare students to consult on real-world business challenges. 

The objective  

The consultancy competition asked students to apply their knowledge to improve a grassroots community initiative, Tiger Bay Boxing Club, whilst keeping cognisance of realities like its financial and operational capacity, ability to raise resources, and obstacles faced in the past. The club provides a positive environment for youth in Butetown, a multi-ethnic area in Cardiff previously home to coal dockyards, to help them develop work ethic and sense of responsibility. The event involved a training workshop, documentary screening, and a Q&A with the club’s founder, followed by a group-based competition to devise innovative and workable solutions for the club's challenges. 

Students’ contribution  

The solutions offered by students can be categorised into three areas: enhancing branding, corporate collaborations and revenue streams.  

Enhancing branding 

Ideas for enhancing branding included suggestions to improve the Club's online visibility and accessibility by creating a user-friendly and device-agnostic website to show the club's history and schedules, with easy payment options. A social media strategy covered the need to craft inspiring and success stories, to drive the positive impact, and to produce live-streaming workouts to drive increased and repeat engagement. Improving the club’s web presence by using Google Business pages and optimising for search engine results were also recommended. 

Corporate collaboration 

Suggestions for corporate collaboration focused on the need to design corporate employee wellness programs, such as on-site boxing workshops, and partnerships with companies interested in corporate social responsibility. These could be monetised, while strengthening ties with local business communities. Promotion partnerships with sportswear brands were also recommended.  

Revenue streams 

Revenue expansion could be achieved by diversifying into a digital subscription platform, which includes select pre-recorded classes to nudge more memberships, while expanding the Club's reach beyond the local community. This also included a program where individuals or companies could sponsor memberships for underrepresented youth, to enhance community engagement while enabling subscription support. 

Outcomes for the Club  

The final recommendations aimed to address the club's core challenges inhibiting operational and financial performance, across the three areas highlighted above. The proposals from the winning team (Jemima Aryee, Stefanny Lopes, Helen Reji, Tarun Kachhwaha, Bo Tang, and Yuta Samizo) were well-received, and they will have the opportunity to visit the Tiger Bay Boxing Club in Cardiff, as well as winning a cash prize. The report including the final recommendations will guide the club while implementing the strategies, and eventually create tangible business benefits. It will enable the club to drive positive impact in the community in which it operates, while improving its business growth and sustainability. 

Outcomes for students  

The event and competition provided a hands-on experience to students in business consultancy, by applying theoretical knowledge to solve real-world business problems while staying within the remit of realities and contextualities of the business under study. The competition fostered collaboration among diverse teams, idea sharing, and enhanced professional development. It highlighted the importance of driving community impact, through business decisions. In short, it enabled students to apply their business consulting skills in a real-world setting, giving them valuable practical experience as they move into the workplace.  

In conclusion, the Changing the Face of Consultancy event underscored the potential of combining academic knowledge with community-focused initiatives to create positive business impact. I’d strongly encourage eligible students to apply for future cycles of this competition and to seek out similar initiatives as part of their overall learning. 

Sourajit studies Sustainable Finance as his passion lies in climate change. He loves sunny days, sunny moods and sunny strolls, but is also game for a serious talk when needed.