IT talent availability is scarce. Too scarce. And we all know it. Or do we? 7 July 2020 – Almost weekly companies knock on my door to find them the optimal location for an IT center. Desired headcounts vary from 80 to 500 FTE. Wanted-skills relate to software development, hardware… Continue Reading Build, buddy or buy? IT sourcing strategies

16 April 2020 – Covid-19 triggered full-force activation of BCP measures. Working-from-Home (WFH) is the common denominator. First results from reports worldwide are positive about WFH (even if taken with a grain of salt). It leads many to advocate that the Covid-19 WFH experience will for ever change the way… Continue Reading Work-from-home 2.0 – Captive shared services in the dark about the “New Black”?

Through the 2022-2023 period, The Financial Times recorded 434 cross-border investments in the GBS space. Associated job creation exceeds 129,000. Up 25% and 36% respectively from 2020-2021. Meanwhile, SSON Research & Analytics concludes that location is a significant component of the Shared Services and GBS model, and under constant change.… Continue Reading GBS expansions in +90 cities. What is your next move?

7 April, 2020 – It’s the talk of the town… The current crisis would bring back the services jobs that companies have far-shored for the last 2 decades. Nearshoring will gain a bit of momentum, indeed. But given the wage cost differences with far-shoring and the nature of the work… Continue Reading Covid-19/Reshoring shared services?

Companies have curtailed spending for years. Global geopolitical and economic uncertainties leaving them little other option. Investment-hopefuls globally – think real estate developers, invest promotion agencies – patiently waited for these war-chests to be unlocked. And for the last 2 years indeed, foreign direct investment was up in many regions.… Continue Reading Foreign direct investment – Keep calm & carry on?

The jury’s out. Some say overseas’ ventures are initially best led by company veterans. They know the corporate culture and management styles best, no? Others believe that putting local experts at the helm works best. Local connectivity being everything. A headhunter put the question to me 2 weeks ago in… Continue Reading Expat or local to start overseas’ operations? It’s just the wrong question…

Met a French businessman in Marrakesh over the weekend. He shared his lessons-learned while building up four successful customer service operations in Morocco. He saw that his initial importing of Western management principles did not work well – if at all – notwithstanding a common (French) language. His start-up operations… Continue Reading Glocalization – Morocco

Just the other day a seasoned international executive complained about what he called “attrition-ridden” cities. Of course, with war for talent increasing globally and especially in certain “hot-spots”, staff will more easily hop from one employer to another. But is it all to blame on a location? I recently visited… Continue Reading Boardroom hypes (2) – Attrition

Ever since offshoring and near-shoring took ground, a typical boardroom comment has been that wage escalations will eradicate the option to leverage on wage cost arbitrage. Well, it’s been 20 years since I first heard this comment about Prague. Today the Czech capital still offers wages significantly below Western European… Continue Reading Boardroom hypes (1) – Wage escalation

I have no doubt. Unless a fully unexpected landslide occurs in favour of the Liberal Democrats, Britain post 31st January 2020 will offer a different environment to international business than it does today. PM Johnson’s’ Conservative party vows to sever the links with the EU, with both a new deal… Continue Reading With or without Brexit – Disruption either way