The Global Sourcing Association (GSA), is delighted to announce its role as a founding member of the Global Technology & Business Services Council (GT&BSC) being launched today. The GT&BSC has been developed through the alliance of the twelve major independent regional organizations representing the technology and business services sector across the world in order to collaborate, promote and represent the industry on a global basis for the first time.
The Council, which collectively represents the interests of over 10,000 companies and 10 million employees, will play a critical role in developing the future of the industry, safeguarding its future and that of its employees.
Kerry Hallard, CEO of the GSA commented: “This is a really significant development for the industry. By its very nature it is a global industry. Our members, which are comprised of both enterprise buyers and service providers, as well as advisers and SMEs, buy and deliver technology and business services around the world, so having a Council which helps them understand the nuances of the different regions and which has been forged to promote and share the same best practices globally will be hugely beneficial, and, is of utmost importance right now.
I firmly believe the global technology and business services industry has been central to helping organisations navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and will be critical in companies’ and Governments’ restart strategies. Now is not the time for short termism or protectionism. GSA research reveals that trust in partnerships increased throughout COVID-19 as organizations collaborated in an agile, flexible and transparent way. The trend towards a strategic sourcing function will continue as companies accelerate their digital transformations and deployments of key technologies, such as automation, Cloud, IoT, AI, 5G, data analytics; and so will need to access talent and best in class partners from around the world.
Mark Devonshire, Chair of the GSA commented: “The Digital Revolution is truly here. A cashless society is a reality. Virtual is the new norm, and all organisations are rethinking physical. The high street as we know it will not exist. Schooling, learning, working and health will become business as usual to be virtual and digital. Tech is at the heart of our new society. All surveys and studies across the globe are indicating CEOs and companies are in the majority accelerating technological transformation.
Whilst the economy will be challenging, history demonstrates that sourcing significantly peaks in such times for cost reasons. We will see a new version of outsourcing, which is not of the ‘your mess for less’ characteristic, but transparent value output-based services highly enabled by automation and cloud. We cannot predict the next 6 or 24 months, however all businesses are searching for potential answers, new ways of working, best practice and ideas from across the globe. We are very excited to launch and be a founding member of the GT&BSC, as this delivers even more best practice and global expertise to the benefit of GSA’s members’.
The Council will share best practices, thought leadership and collaborate on new operating models on a global stage, which will provide significant value to all of the GT&BSC organisations members, their customers and their employees and aiding and accelerating recovery around the world. The Council will look at the evolving skills required by the industry and work to upskill the profession accordingly.
View the GT&BSC Website.