Our Insights

Transforming Board Dynamics

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 05:17:13 Z

Preety Kumar, Founding Managing Partner in India for the global leadership and board search firm Amrop sc, fuels Amrop India’s expansion. Under her leadership Amrop has grown to a team of ten partners, a multi practice portfolio of services, clients and credentials with distinctive position in the industry. Preety oversees board and CEO selections and provides guidance on external succession and board issues. She serves on the global board of Amrop and is currently a member of the NRC committee. She has chaired FICCI’s corporate governance task force. An MBA in human resources and a psychology honours undergraduate, she has also been an independent director on the advisory boards of the Sanmar group and Teri. Preety shares her transformative journey with team board stewardship in an exclusive interview and offers advice for influencing the next generation.

Reversing the Brain Drain

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 10:08:55 Z

Business & Commercial | Integrated Agriculture & Agronomy | Drive Sustainable Suppy Chain | Build Startegy & De-risking | Customer Facing

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:00:00 Z

Overview:
India is one of the leading Agri producing countries in the world. With 2nd largest arable land resources, 20 Agri-Climaticregions (all 15 major climates of the world exist in India), the country also possesses 66 out of 60 soil types making it an incredibly fertile landscape. A steady increase in the disposable income of the young population coupled with the intent to go natural, has resulted in a sharp increase in the demand for agro-based consumer products such as processed food, spices and nutraceuticals. The result is an increasingly involved partnership between corporates and the farmer community causing lucrative investment opportunity in segments such as agriculture food infrastructure and contract farming.

A New Model For Digital Competencies | CULTURE

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 08:00:00 Z

As Peter Drucker famously said: “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The fast-moving and complex environment of digitization is no exception to the rule. For a digital strategy to grow and flourish, it must be rooted in a working culture that is developed and exemplified by a progressive CIO.

What exactly are the competencies needed for a CIO to foster a digital culture? This is the focus of this third chapter of our four-part series unpacking Amrop’s Digital Competency Model.

Cyber Security: How Boards Can Safeguard Digital Assets

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 07:56:40 Z

Cyber continues to dominate headlines - and rightly so. Not only is the topic wide-ranging, but cyber attacks are mushrooming daily, unconstrained by geographic or sectoral borders. Like so many of today’s business issues, human decision-making and behavior lie at the heart of the problem. How can companies develop digital offerings without inviting the real threat of cyber risks? Beyond the numbers, how much insight do boards really have? Within board governance, what data governance structures are needed?

These are just some of the questions that inhabit the cyber security landscape. In this article, Amrop breaks the subject into bite-size portions, collaborating with some of the industry’s most innovative companies as they trailblaze through the digital landscape. This first insight piece is co-authored with Jason du Preez, CEO of Privitar, a leader in the development and adoption of privacy engineering technology.

This article dives into the fast-evolving world of privacy engineering: the tools, technologies and processes that can be used to enforce privacy policies to deliver the principles of privacy by design, considering privacy risk throughout the entire data life cycle.

Digitization on Boards 4th Edition | The Keys to High Performance

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 07:53:19 Z

Digital leaders are key members of executive teams. As such we can consider them jointly responsible for organizational growth. Our 4th edition of ‘Digitization on Boards’ looks into the keys to digital performance.

Examining digitization through the eyes of digital leaders from High and Low Performing Organizations, we ask: What are successful digital executives (and their organizations) doing better? Where can digital executives and non-executive boards focus — and win?

Our report surfaces a ‘virtuous circle’ of confidence, competence and outcomes in digital leaders and their High Performing Organizations. But even strong performers have clear avenues to raise their digital game.

This highly targeted research compares the perspectives of a select group of C-suite or Board-level digital leaders from fast-growth organizations with low-performing equivalents. Both groups represented multiple sectors; approximately 40% with over 5000 employees. The fast-growing group posted minimum €50m revenue. The senior digital executives were asked to rate 2 major dimensions

Their own competencies
Their own organizational context

Pharma India 2030: Trends and Talent

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 06:52:50 Z

India’s pharmaceutical industry is at a crossroads. Over the last few years, growth rate in Rupee terms has decelerated to mid-single digits. The rate of introduction of new products has also slowed. If volume growth is also slowing slightly, it continues to be reasonably robust. India’s pharma leaders are highly aware they’ll need to proactively respond to remain competitive.

Conventional go-to-market (GTM) models are being disrupted and the mode of interfacing with customers is changing dramatically, driven by market shifts and tech trends. For pharma players, greater adaptability and flexibility will be the key to success in this dynamic environment.

Remaining competitive will mean re-evaluating business models — product offerings, channel mix and engagement with patients. However, the industry talent pool has not evolved in line with the changing industry dynamics and disruption, leading to a mismatch between talent availability and capability requirements. What can we do to address this?

Creating Cultures | An interview with Professor Mark Lowdell

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:41:14 Z

The immune system is a fundamental component of all living organisms. It is what keeps us all alive, yet its suppression is a central mechanism in the development of many cancers and neurological diseases. In this interview we talk with Professor Mark Lowdell, an expert in the field of Immunotherapy, the treatment of cancers and other diseases using substances that stimulate or suppress the immune system.

Immunotherapy, a type of Cell and Gene Therapy, is a rapidly emerging field currently transitioning into mainstream pharmaceuticals. Mark is an academic and clinical scientist as well as co-founder of a number of businesses. The backdrop is an emerging scientific and commercial market, where the push and pull of both sides of the union create truly unique challenges for trailblazing leaders. Mark discusses the novelty of the field, his experiences as a leader in both the academic and commercial realms, and the challenge of running a business based in a state-run British clinical facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living Sustainability: An interview with Marcello Cattani, Sanofi Italy

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 04:51:18 Z

The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is now anchored in corporate CSR strategy worldwide. Not only is there an undeniable moral case for doing business sustainably, shareholders and other stakeholder groups are actively scrutinizing the track record and plans of organizations before doing business with them, joining, or investing in them. And yet the 2030 Agenda contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets. Tackling these is a daunting task.

We talk with Marcello Cattani, President and General Manager of Sanofi Italy and a winner of the 2021 CEOforLIFE award. How is Sanofi tackling its CSR agenda; what are the highlights, challenges, and lessons learned? He shares his insights with Amrop.

A New Model For Digital Competencies | ORGANIZATION

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 16:01:04 Z

Navigating the organizational terrain of digitization is an uphill struggle for digital leaders. Our 2019 study exploring Digitization on Boards revealed that almost half (45%) experience a lack of dynamism and speed. Structures are fragmented or over-complex, say 55%. And around 35% have trouble identifying and uniting internal stakeholders within this confusing architecture.

Our study also confirmed the need for a role framework for digital leaders, as 41% said they lacked a clear role profile when they joined their organization. And only 18% were assigned a senior mentor or coach. To address the problem, Amrop’s Digital Competency Model (ADCM) is a 4-dimensional dashboard with 24 sub-indicators. More than a theoretical framework, it is based on hundreds of observations from our interactions with clients and candidates. It also owes much to the rich pool of academic literature sparked by digital transformation.

Navigating Turbulence: Leadership Lessons From Travel & Tourism

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:55:54 Z

A Catalyst for Economic Recovery and Growth

This is how the World Travel and Tourism Council describes the sector in its 12-point ‘100 Million Jobs Recovery Plan’ — backed by the G20 with input from CEO’s across the globe. Travel and tourism accounts for 330 million jobs (one in ten) globally and 10,3% of global GDP. Over the past five years, it has provided one in all four of all new jobs worldwide, in all sectors and industries. 54% of the sector’s workforce are women and over 30%, youth.

The report goes on to estimate the staggering costs of Covid for the sector as global travel collapsed: losses by end 2020 of over 197 million jobs and $5,5 trillion worldwide. In June 2021 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reported a loss of $1,3 trillion in international tourism receipts in 2020, making it the year worst on record with international arrivals dropping by 74%.

Partner Perspectives: The Case for Sustainable Board Evaluation

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:26:24 Z

Today’s emphasis on wise (ethical and sustainable) business practice raises questions surrounding the current approach to board evaluation. To what extent is it supporting ‘sustainable Board governance’?

The core issue is how to transcend conformity or box-ticking in board evaluation. To move from a smart, to a wise approach. Asking whether as a Board you’re satisfied with sticking to the letter of the codes, or striving for a higher level of moral excellence, also considering the spirit of those codes.

In this interview with Ethical Boardroom magazine, Andrew Woodburn, Managing Partner of Amrop Woodburn Mann in South Africa, sets out the case for a different approach to board evaluation, presenting a new model to help structure the route forward.

This interview originally appeared in Ethical Boardroom Magazine, Summer Edition 2019.

New Adventurous Leadership 2 | Business Modernism

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:22:50 Z

The coronavirus crisis has brought us closer to ‘Business Modernism’, showing us that organizations need a new breed of adventurous leader who can develop a new interface between people and technology. Futurist Nils Elmark explains.

9 Keys For Candidates Working With Executive Search Consultants

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:19:23 Z

In his pursuit of a new role, Patrick had dealt with five executive search firms and his experience had been less than positive. He had secured a meeting with two, and the other three had failed to respond to his emails or return his calls. He had been proactive and dynamic in staying in touch, he thought. Yet after three months’ chasing, nothing had transpired. Radio silence.

Wise Leadership and AI: Can We Trust AI to Tame Complexity?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:15:52 Z

A runaway streetcar is moving towards five people lying on the track. You can choose to re-direct it to a side-track, killing one person who is lying on the side-track, and saving the five, or do nothing. What happens when a self-driving car, meeting an unavoidable collision, has to algorithmically choose whether to sacrifice its occupants or risk fatally harming others?

This article offers a deeper dive into the workings of AI - and its ethical implications. We’ll look at its darker side, showing how AI will need a moral framework if it is to be a force for good. We’ll prepare the ground for Article 3 in our series — The Road To Singularity, examining where AI could potentially take us next.

Boardroom Talent: How Can Executive Search Do Better?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:05:51 Z

Executive search consultants are extremely discreet; their clients and candidates need them to be. For Amrop’s Eelco van Eijck, one undesirable consequence is that clients lack a clear view of his profession. And that the sector feels insufficient incentive to apply professional and behavioral rules, or develop its quality standard.

Interview with Eelco van Eijck, Amrop, The Netherlands, By Rino Schreuder

Energy Transition: Strategies and Insights From the C-Suite

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:01:44 Z

The scale of the energy transition is unparalleled and will affect all sectors, some dramatically. Ever more companies are seeing the opportunities: innovation and efficiency have helped put the green energy business case on the map. Yet these cannot be isolated efforts, but rather require collaboration between stakeholders.

In this special Amrop report, directors of major Dutch companies, including global market leaders, respond to the transforming energy space.

Wise Leadership and AI - 5 | The AI Race

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:33:09 Z

The trend towards ‘techno-nationalism’, where a nation relies on its own resources to become a leader in AI machine learning and other crucial strategic tech areas, is fully underway. The race is on, but how is it playing out? And why will wise leadership talent be so important?

The groundbreaking deep learning approach to AI has turbo-charged the cognitive capabilities of machines. This ‘narrow artificial intelligence’ (versus the as-yet-unachieved ‘general artificial intelligence’) can now do a better job than humans in a range of domains, from identifying faces and recognizing speech, to issuing loans.

Unsurprisingly, many companies, and the countries from which they originate, are eager to master them. How these countries, especially the USA and China, the two most advanced in AI, choose to compete and cooperate, will have a dramatic effect on global economics, and geopolitics in general.

Joining Forces: What happens when the CEO and CHRO work hand-in-hand?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:25:46 Z

For a CEO, it is ever more critical to understand and build on the different perspectives that impact success: customers, competitors, partners, employees. As the pace of change quickens, one needs to act on this 'diversity of thought', moving swiftly and daring to make mistakes.

Yet being this curious, open and action-oriented, and risking mistakes (within reason) is counter to the wiring of many organizations. If the cultural change is challenging, one key is the CEO/CHRO partnership.

The Age of No Age: It’s all in the eye of the beholder

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:20:03 Z

When it comes to senior talent management and board composition, why do we think of ‘old’ age the way we do?

Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop Switzerland, argues that it’s time to ring the changes in a maturing world.

Cash or Continuity? When the investors come knocking

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:16:07 Z

When eager suitors enter the arena, what should the rules of the game be? Short-term profit maximization for shareholders, or longer-term value optimization for stakeholders? When your company is offered a high stock price or an otherwise-tempting proposition, shouldn’t shareholders accept? Or is the reality more complex and ambiguous?

In this article the Amrop Board Services Practice and corporate governance specialist Peter Verhezen re-visit assumptions of ‘shareholder primacy’ and its link with fiduciary duty. We find out how and why sustainable performance is increasingly important not only for organizations, but for investors.

The New Shape of Work: Why the Only Way Up is No Longer Up

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:12:19 Z

Any credible career should follow an uninterrupted, upward trajectory, or so the assumption goes. Many hiring organizations, executive search firms and leadership candidates still exercise this kind of ‘up or out’ thinking.

Yet a growing number of successful executives are seriously questioning What’s Next.

The prospect of ‘more of the same’ is unappealing, and for different reasons. For millennials, the ‘career for life’ is becoming an irrelevance, and many corporates no longer offer one. Many senior leaders peak at the age of 50 and feel pressured to climb a mountain that no longer interests them – a pressure compounded by the rise of the retirement age in many markets.

Wising Up: Smart Decisions or Sustainable Decisions?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:06:11 Z

Today’s ethical, ecological and societal challenges call for executives who are not just accomplished and smart, but wise. Smart leaders become wise when they address and resolve the dilemmas of modern business in a holistic way. Hiring organizations should select leaders who not only create and capture economic value, but who create a more sustainable - and legitimate - organization.

Why do smart business leaders so often get it wrong? How could they make more ethical, responsible and sustainable decisions? Decisions that are not only more reasonable, but also more wise?

From Disruption to Daylight: How leaders are travelling the digital change curve

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 11:59:00 Z

The journey to digital, from the way you’ve always worked, to the way everyone else is beginning to work, can be viscerally shocking. The digital path leads senior executives through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, to acceptance.

The Challenging Role of Chairs

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 11:54:32 Z

In many countries, the role of the Chair is evolving. In all organizations, it is vital. Today there’s no shortage of prescriptions. But behind the guidelines, the task is filled with challenges.

Amrop's Global Board Practice uncovers nine of them.