You've been at North Highland for nearly nine years. What made you say yes to the Global CEO role?
A.
Honestly? It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
I've seen this firm up close for nearly a decade, and I know what we're capable of. I know the quality of the people, the depth of the client relationships, and the standard of work we deliver when we're at our best. I believe in it, genuinely, not just as a talking point.
But I also know we have things to fix, places where we've not moved fast enough, and a real opportunity in front of us if we get after it. We have a fabulous growth opportunity in front of us and a chance to establish ourselves as the most impactful partner our clients have ever worked with - that's what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Nine years in, I'm not stepping into this blind. I'm stepping in ready.
For anyone who doesn't know you yet, who is Anthony Shaw and what should people expect?
A.
I'm a hustler. I'm a builder. But I'm a people person first.
I grew up in consulting and have worked internationally for 25 years. I’ve also spent a lot of time in the innovation world, including running the commercial scaling hub within Telefónica Innovation. I joined North Highland at the back end of 2017 and was promoted to run the EMEA business in 2020. From 2020 onwards, our EMEA team have grown the top line revenue by 70%, launched in multiple markets and built something which I'm incredibly proud of. Now I get to do that at a global scale, and I can't wait.
What should you expect? Directness. I don't do ambiguity. You'll always know where you stand with me and what I'm focused on. I'm in the market. I'll be at client sites, in offices, at events, on the sidelines of my kids' football games trying to sell our services to the other parents. That's just how I'm wired.
My wife and I have four energetic kids. Life is full, it's noisy, and I love it. And I bring that same energy here. The best relationships, with clients, with colleagues, with anyone, are not built through a screen.
I don't do ambiguity. You'll always know where you stand with me and what I'm focused on.
North Highland calls itself "Built for AI." What does that mean and does it hold up?
A.
It holds up and it's not a tagline. Here's the thing most businesses are getting wrong about AI right now: they're treating it like a new tool to bolt onto an existing way of working, but it isn't. AI changes the work itself. It changes how decisions get made, how services get delivered, how teams are structured, how clients are served. The organisations that will thrive in the next five years won't be the ones who added AI to their toolkit. They'll be the ones who redesigned around it.
North Highland was purpose-built for exactly this moment. We help businesses move from strategy to reality. We're practical, we're pragmatic, and we get things done. That's exactly what AI transformation demands. Not a grand vision deck, but someone in the room helping you actually make the shift.
We are investing in our own AI capabilities as a firm too, in our people's learning, in the tools we use, in the way we share knowledge across the business. We have to walk the walk. But I have real conviction about this: the firms who lean in now will look back in five years and wonder what they were so nervous about.
What is your number one priority as CEO, and what will look different twelve months from now?
A.
That’s easy - client obsession.
There is no excuse, none, not to know your clients deeply. Their problems. Their pressures. What they're going to need next quarter before they even know it themselves. Be in the room. Be present. Be the person they call first, not the firm they call when things have already gone wrong.
I want North Highland to be the most impactful consulting partner any of our clients have ever worked with. Not the biggest or the flashiest, but the most impactful. That's the bar.
Twelve months from now, you'll see us closer to our clients than ever. More of our people in the market, on-site, in the trenches working problems side-by-side. You'll see a culture that's energised and proud of its work. You'll see revenue growth that reflects all of that. And you'll see a firm that's genuinely having fun doing it, because when people are happy, enjoy their work, and want to be here, that's when we're at our best. That's when our clients get the best of us too.
Final question. What do you want North Highland's clients to take from this announcement?
A.
We're coming for you - in the best possible way. We have a leadership team that is client-obsessed, a firm that is built for the era of AI-driven change, and a CEO who will be on your doorstep.
If you're a North Highland client, I want to understand your challenges, and I want to show you what this firm can do for you at its absolute best.
If you're not a North Highland client yet, now's a very good time to get curious.
This is an incredible firm. I've believed that for nine years and I believe it more today than ever. We have everything we need to do something special. Now it's time to go and do it.
So, watch this space.
Anthony Shaw was appointed Global CEO of North Highland on 1 June 2026. He is the firm's first British Global CEO and will be market-facing across all of North Highland's global offices and geographies throughout the year.
