Canberra hasn’t turned its back on all consultancies – two small firms with strong ties to the nation’s capital have just been named in the top five of The Australian Financial Review’s Fast Starters list, even as the big four consulting firms cut staff in the wake of the PwC tax leaks scandal.

Information technology consultancy Elysium Digital has topped 2023’s Fast Starters list. It recorded a 3507 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenue over the three financial years since a trio of mid-career consultants came together with a vision for, in the words of managing partner Michael Caldwell, “a digital services firm centred around people”.