Project One

An independent business transformation consultancy based in England, covering programme management, change and governance.

About Project One

Project One is an independent business transformation consultancy. In plain terms, big organisations hire it when they are changing something important, such as bringing in new computer systems, reorganising how departments work, or running a large programme of projects, and they need experienced people to plan it, keep it on track and help staff adapt. Its main services are programme management, change management and governance (often called PMO, short for programme management office, the team that keeps large projects organised and consistent). It also works on SAP S/4HANA (a big business software system), finance and HR transformation, digital transformation, climate change agendas and AI.

The firm says it was conceived in a pub in 1998, with the founders wanting to build a company they would want to work for. The pages we read do not name the founders. Its head office is in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, the town where it started, and it says it recently moved to a larger, eco-friendly building there to mark its 25th anniversary. The current CEO is James O'Sullivan. A 2024 Management Today profile put the consulting team at about 79 people, while the firm's own news page talks about a team of around 100 change experts. We found no other offices, though it works for clients across the UK and abroad.

We did not find a formal mission statement, but its values are clearly stated: make a real difference, build trust and earn respect, the power of the team ("None of us is as smart as all of us"), create clarity, do the right thing, and do what we promise and more. It describes its people as "Transformers: real people delivering real change".

Project One names clients including Unilever, BAE Systems, AstraZeneca, Rolls-Royce, International Airlines Group, AWE, Elgin Energy, Virgin Media O2 and UK central government. It serves sectors such as defence, financial services, the public sector, retail and energy. It has been recognised in the Financial Times UK consulting rankings, including for a seventh year in 2026. It is a member of the ADS Group, the UK trade body for the aerospace, defence, security and space industries.

Project One calls itself a people-based business and says it has built a culture of fairness and respect where the team works hard and has fun; these are its own claims. Management Today reports that its consultants have at least 20 years of experience each, which suggests it recruits mostly experienced people, and that each client has a consulting director. Management Today also reports a Glassdoor score of 3.8 and a 0% gender pay gap (as reported there; check the latest figures). We did not find graduate schemes, internships, apprenticeships or entry requirements. The website has a general Join us page listing current vacancies, so check it directly.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Planning and running large change programmes so they deliver what was promised.', 'title': 'Programme management'}
• {'desc': 'Helping people and teams adopt new ways of working.', 'title': 'Change management'}
• {'desc': 'Setting up the control, reporting and standards that keep big projects on track.', 'title': 'Governance and PMO'}
• {'desc': 'SAP S/4HANA, finance, HR and digital transformation, plus AI and climate change agendas.', 'title': 'Business transformation'}

Key facts

• Founded 1998; head office in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire (own news page)
• Clients named include Unilever, BAE Systems, AstraZeneca and Rolls-Royce (own pages)
• About 79 consultants reported by Management Today (2024); own site says around 100 change experts
• FT-recognised seven years running (2026)
• Values include "None of us is as smart as all of us" (own page)

Website: www.projectone.com