Case Study: A Corporate Partnership Between Pembroke College & Cambridge MC Based on Shared Values
The Corporate Partnership Between Pembroke College & Cambridge Management Consulting
Founded in 1347 by Marie de St Pol, the Countess of Pembroke, Pembroke College (‘Pembroke’ or ‘the College’) is the third oldest college in the University of Cambridge and, as part of the University of Cambridge, one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Pembroke may be one of the oldest Cambridge colleges but its outlook has always been decidedly modern. When it was founded, it was the first college to have its own chapel, and it encouraged students of all backgrounds to apply – long before this became more widespread (students from state school backgrounds now comprise around 70% of the undergraduate intake each year). The College has a representation in every academic discipline and school of the University, and it is the only college to have a Corporate Partnership Programme with the aim of bringing industry and academia closer together.
The Corporate Partnership Programme facilitates mutually beneficial cooperation between the academic community and commercial partners. Partners are carefully selected to ensure a balanced sector representation and they must have the endorsement of all the academic Fellows in the College.
Cambridge MC benefits from closer academic ties to the city where it is headquartered, and can now offer its clients, in addition to its experienced in-house team, unrivalled access to academic skills and intellectual prowess that isn’t easily available to other consulting organisations.
Since the partnership began, Cambridge MC has engaged in various activities to bring aspects of the College together with industry, including:
Support for Undergraduate Internships
In 2022, Pembroke launched the Leadership, Enterprise & Adventure at Pembroke (LEAP) Programme, designed to support students to develop their confidence and career prospects through training, events, mentoring, networking, internships, and growth opportunities. Cambridge MC has supported the LEAP Programme since its inception by offering work experience placements in each cohort and six summer internships to date, with a view to extending this in future years.
Teaching at the College
In 2024 the International Programmes at Pembroke launched the Online Capstone Programme which offers students the unique opportunity to work on a project with real-life implications. Students immerse themselves in their selected Capstone Project and receive eight weeks of intensive Cambridge-style supervisions from a leading academic or practitioner in that field, culminating in an assessed project report. Cambridge MC has proposed projects on cyber resilient organisations, cyber threat intelligence, innovation and organisational strategy for the programme.
Providing Consulting Opportunities for Academics
Pembroke academics have supported Cambridge MC on various projects including work for Bristol University and Imperial College as well as data science, sustainability, and marketing projects, to name just a few.
External Events and Engagement
Cambridge MC has brought several high-profile events and meetings to the College. As major sponsors of Cambridge Tech Week (CTW) in 2024 and 2025, Cambridge MC has welcomed visitors to Pembroke for lectures, fireside chats, breakfast meetings, panel sessions, and a Deep Tech gala dinner. Furthermore, two LEAP interns contributed to the support of Cambridge Tech Week, helping with the production of marketing materials and on-hand support during the week’s events.
Postgraduate Engagement and Support
In 2025, Cambridge MC sponsored its first PhD student at the College in the Department of Engineering. Their thesis looks at the environmental impact of digitising Africa. Cambridge MC has ambition to support more post-graduates and an additional PhD each year.
The Mutual Benefits of the Partnership
Through the Pembroke and Cambridge MC partnership, both parties have worked together to increase the exposure of the College, its values, and its legacy to a wider network of external industry professionals and companies. The pioneering Pembroke Corporate Partnership Programme offers something special for the benefit of the College, its corporate partners, and academia more widely.
The Master of Pembroke, Professor Polly Blakesley, wrote:
“Tim has become a recognisable figure around Pembroke, embodying the spirit of collaboration and innovation that the Corporate Partnership Programme aims to foster. We welcome the support Cambridge MC provides the College and, through our partnership, are glad to be supporting Cambridge MC as they help their clients have a better impact on the world.”
Tim Passingham, Founder and Executive Chairman of Cambridge MC, said:
“We’re delighted by the relationship with Pembroke. Most of all, we are enormously proud of the genuine connections we’re building with students, staff and the University and, as we grow the relationship in years to come, we look forward to fostering ever-closer relationships between industry and academia for the benefit of Pembroke, the University and wider society.”
About Us
Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) is an international consulting firm that helps companies of all sizes have a better impact on the world. Founded in Cambridge, UK, initially to help the start-up community, Cambridge MC has grown to over 200 consultants working on projects in 25 countries. Our capabilities focus on supporting the private and public sector with their people, process and digital technology challenges.
What makes Cambridge Management Consulting unique is that it doesn’t employ consultants – only senior executives with real industry or government experience and the skills to advise their clients from a place of true credibility. Our team strives to have a highly positive impact on all the organisations they serve. We are confident there is no business or enterprise that we cannot help transform for the better.
Cambridge Management Consulting has offices or legal entities in Cambridge, London, New York, Paris, Dubai, Singapore and Helsinki, with further expansion planned in future.
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