The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Internal Promotion (Senior Change Specialist/Lead)
3-5 years as a Senior Change Specialist/LeadSkills to master
- Mastering end-to-end change project leadership, demonstrating strong stakeholder influence, and informally mentoring junior team members. You'll need to show you can handle complexity and deliver results consistently.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently leading complex change workstreams for major programmes without significant supervision.
- Receiving strong positive feedback from Programme Directors and senior business leaders.
- Actively taking on informal leadership roles, such as leading team initiatives or onboarding new hires.
- Proactively identifying and solving strategic change challenges, not just executing plans.
- 2
External Hire (from Consulting)
10-15 years in a Big Four or specialist change consulting firm, with 3-5 years at Manager/Senior Manager level.Skills to master
- Strong client management, ability to quickly grasp new organisational contexts, and a proven track record of designing and delivering large-scale change programmes for diverse clients. You'll need to demonstrate your ability to transition from an advisory role to an in-house leadership position.
You're ready to move on when
- Leading multiple client engagements from strategy through to execution.
- Directly managing consulting teams and being responsible for their performance.
- Demonstrating deep expertise in various change methodologies and their practical application.
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to manage project budgets effectively.
- 3
External Hire (from Large Enterprise Change Function)
10-15 years in a similar in-house change management role within another large, global organisation, with 3-5 years in a leadership capacity.Skills to master
- Experience navigating complex corporate politics, managing change for diverse global workforces, and a proven ability to build and lead high-performing change teams. You'll need to show us how your experience translates directly to our scale and challenges.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully leading change for major enterprise-wide transformations (e.g., ERP, M&A).
- Managing a team of 3+ direct reports and being accountable for their deliverables.
- Demonstrating strong relationships with senior business and IT leaders.
- A clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities of in-house change management.