Helping organisations navigate high-stakes technology change requires more than strategic advice. It requires the ability to work closely with clients and deliver results under pressure. For SmartCo, that client-centred approach has become a defining strength and earned the firm recognition in the 2026 Business Consultancy Awards as Best for Customer Focus.
SmartCo works with global organisations facing complex digital and operational transformation, combining strategic guidance with hands-on programme delivery. The firm’s recent work on the separation of Reckitt’s Essential Home brands, delivered within an exceptionally compressed timeframe, demonstrates the type of high-pressure engagement that has helped build the company’s reputation for trust and reliability.
Following the award win, we spoke with Oliver Kane, Managing Director of SmartCo, about the company’s approach, the challenges of scaling a consultancy business, and the importance of maintaining strong client relationships.
In Conversation with Oliver Kane
Please provide a brief overview of your business or what do you do within the company?
I’m the Managing Director at SmartCo. I originally joined to mature the delivery side of the business and put some proper structure behind it. Now my job is to grow the company without losing what made us good in the first place, being hands-on, straight-talking and very close to our clients! We help large organisations get through complex technology change, usually when there’s real pressure and real risk. We sit between the strategy and the actual doing. That’s the space we’re most useful in.
What would you attribute as the main reason for your success?
People and trust. We bring in individuals who clients actually want in the room, people who get stuck in, tell the truth and care about the outcome. We don’t hide behind process and we don’t just agree with the brief if it’s pointing in the wrong direction. That honesty is why most of our work comes back to us.
What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome?
Turning SmartCo from a very good group of individuals into a business that can operate at real scale. That meant putting proper delivery standards, commercials and governance in place so we can run global programmes, but without becoming slow or corporate. The recent Reckitt separation was the proof point. Huge, high-risk, very visible project. We delivered in record time and the feedback from the client has been amazing, proving we can handle the big stuff with agility and without the corporate bloat.
What do you think made you stand out as a winner in the awards? Tell us about the specific project or facet of your business you believe earned you this award win.
The fact that clients trust us with the things that genuinely matter. At Reckitt we weren’t there to observe, we were embedded and accountable for keeping both sides of a major divestment running across more than 70 brands. There’s no hiding in a programme like that! Also, almost all of our work is repeat business or strong relationships. In our world that means a lot!
What is the next big step for you?
Scaling, but carefully. We’re growing the team with more people who fit how we work and doubling down on the areas where we know we make a real difference, particularly complex separations in FMCG and enterprise tech. The aim is to get bigger without feeling bigger (if that makes sense!)
Would you recommend Business Awards UK to other businesses? If so, why?
Yes! Mainly because it gives the team some proper recognition. Most of what we do happens behind the scenes inside our clients’ programmes, so this is one of the few moments where you stop and realise how much has actually been achieved.
Looking Ahead
SmartCo’s recognition for Best for Customer Focus reflects a consulting philosophy built around close collaboration, transparency and accountability. By embedding themselves within client programmes rather than operating at arm’s length, the team has developed strong relationships that frequently lead to repeat engagements.
As the company continues to grow, SmartCo’s focus remains on scaling carefully while maintaining the hands-on delivery model that has earned the trust of global clients navigating complex change.
