Canberra consultancy Empact Group named Australia’s best place to work
Canberra-based management consultancy Empact Group has been named as Australia’s best place to work on the latest annual AFR BOSS list, continuing a run of professional services winners.
With a team of around 70 professionals, Empact took out the ‘small organisation’ and ‘consulting’ categories, but was also named the overall winner of the AFR Boss Best Place to Work list for 2025, following on from tech consultancy SixPivot last year.
The top spot in the medium bracket last year was also occupied by Slalom, while one consistent top ten performer, leadership & organisation consultancy Bendelta, didn’t feature this year as it has now taken over assessment duties from founding partner Inventium.
As research & methodology partner, Bendelta overhauled the judging criteria for this year’s list to better reflect the modern workplace, establishing a human-centered framework to assess the most valuable elements of workplace culture, policies, and employee experience which provide the platform for professionals to excel.
Empact Group
Founded by former Projects Assured general manager Claire Thomas in 2023, Empact was noted for having established a set of guidelines from the outset to ensure company-wide buy-in around the consultancy’s five core values of ‘trust, impact, courage, curiosity, and care’ – which, the firm says, have together helped create a more diverse workplace, in turn benefiting clients.
“The more the company can reflect the community, the bigger, at least conceptually, the impact we can have,” Thomas told the AFR. “If we can enable our people to bring that diversity of thought and lived experience confidently, and they are empowered to do their best work, that enables our clients to also do their best work.”
The for-purpose consultancy predominantly serves government and public sector clients on strategy & planning, business improvement, organisational change, project advisory & management, and coaching & facilitation, underpinned by co-design principles and a people-centred approach.
“I started Empact to prove that a diverse, inclusive, and human-centred workplace drives innovation,” Thomas said on receiving the AFR BOSS accolade. “Our values in action challenge burnout, rigid hierarchies, and competitive silos, and replace them with agency, choice and care. Our model is proving that we can be both a great place to work and commercially successful.”
Consulting finalists
Other companies to feature in the top ten of the consulting category – which was last year topped by Grosvenor – included cybersecurity firm Phronesis and Hamilton Locke parent HPX Group in second and third spot, returning entries Slalom and Kearney, and large-size bracket representatives RSM and Marsh McLennan, the parent of Mercer and Oliver Wyman.
“The definition of a great workplace has dramatically evolved,” Bendelta states, noting the focal shift from ‘doing’ (tasks, responsibilities) to ‘being’ (purpose, fulfillment). “It’s no longer just about perks and pay. Today, organisations are expected to be social hubs, safety nets, and change agents navigating the complexities of workforce transformation and shifting societal expectations.”
