Industry news

In 2023, EY named Janet Truncale as its next chief executive officer. The move was a landmark appointment at the top table of the professional services industry – with none of the Big Four auditing and advisory firms having previously been headed by a woman beyond an interim capacity.

One year on, EY could be about to see the same thing in its UK practice. EY’s UK business is the second-largest firm in its international network, behind the US – and to date, it has never had a woman in its top role. But a shortlist on which two-thirds of the candidates are women suggests this could be about to change.

Microsoft has announced the creation of a dedicated decarbonisation team tasked with reducing Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services

Microsoft has confirmed a trio of appointments specifically designed to help the company address its Scope 3 emissions.

They are:

• Sofia Khan, former Net Zero lead for Meta and sustainability manager at Quantis;
• Tim Hopper, a Microsoft veteran with over 20 years of experience across sustainability efforts;
• Ray Waweru, former lead for sustainable procurement at Google and responsible sourcing manager at WeWork.

With rapid urbanisation and industrial growth in Asia, waste management has become increasingly critical. The challenge of handling the vast volumes of waste generated requires companies to play a pivotal role in implementing innovative solutions and driving progress towards a more sustainable future.

Offering invaluable insights in this landscape is Sharad Somani, who leads the infrastructure advisory practice for KPMG Asia Pacific and is also the Head of KPMG ESG at KPMG in Singapore. His areas of expertise include project financing, economics and regulatory advisory, as well as energy transition.

After six years at the helm of Capgemini UK, Paul Margetts is moving to pastures new within the group and will become the CEO of Capgemini Asia-Pacific as from the 1st October. The vacancy created by this move has been filled by Rob Walker, who most recently served as President of Global Growth Markets at Cognizant.

Paul, who joined the company in 1992, has successfully presided over a c.60% increase in regional revenue during his time as UK MD. The territory was not only the fastest growing of all Capgemini’s geographic units in 2023, but also again the best performing region in terms of profitability (see here). He has been both a champion of the Group’s push towards Net Zero and a leader within Capgemini’s on its progress to increase inclusion and social value. He leaves large shoes to fill as he heads east.

It's been a dynamic and unsettling year for Unilever — from a major CEO transition and the decision to exit the ice cream business to a significant restructuring. The company, known for its global leadership position on sustainability, also announced that it was evolving its broad sustainability agenda, refocusing its resources on allocating to its biggest sustainability priorities.

Read the full article on Forbes here.

The excitement around generative AI continues to struggle to manifest genuine gains for businesses, according to a new report from Capgemini. While almost two-thirds of organisations have piloted initiatives with the technology, three-quarters say that large-scale deployment across their operations would be very difficult.

The importance of generative AI has risen steadily on the corporate agenda, over the last 18 months. The hype around GenAI, and its purported potential to reduce costs and boost efficiency and output has led to its fast-tracked adoption by businesses across the industrial spectrum – with one poll in mid-2024 suggesting 62% of respondents thought it would be crucial in the coming three years. Meanwhile, 57% said they were at least exploring use cases, and 58% were already piloting initiatives involving the technology.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Embracing responsible sourcing is known to unlock new growth opportunities for businesses.

Climate change, circular economies, ESG and sustainability have all become business priorities over the past few years, with global supply chains sitting right in the middle of these issues – both as a major contributor to the problem and as an area of focus for improvements. Businesses must, therefore, purchase materials and products from companies that can show that they have good sustainability practices, from both a labour and manufacturing point of view.

Read the full article on Sustainability Magazine here.

Sustainability often starts in the supply chain. Without an effective sustainability program within the sourcing and procurement and supply chain functions, the rest of the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) footprint can quickly disintegrate.

Why it matters: To maintain competitiveness, organizations must build a diversified and resilient supply base that embeds sustainability into business operations. A key element of sustainable operations is sustainable sourcing.

Read the full article on Protiviti here.

In recent years, TCS has become one of the leading providers of IT Services to the UK retail sector developing an impressive roster of clients that includes the likes of Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ASDA, Kingfisher, M&S, and Co-op. TCS has worked with fashion retailer Primark since 2016, having helped the company improve the reliability of its IT systems, notably around cybersecurity. TCS has now announced an expansion of this relationship with a new five-year deal to transform the retailer’s IT systems to help accelerate new store openings. Specifically, the IT services provider will look to drive standardisation and consistency within Primark’s IT estate with a “product-based operating model powered by intelligent automation and DevOps”.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, announced today significant changes to its governance in order to accelerate its growth and foster innovation.

Its Board of Directors has decided to adopt a new structure to meet these three main objectives:

• integrate best governance practices by differentiating the powers of the Board of Directors from those of management;
• strengthen the DNA of the Teleperformance Group, in particular as it relates to entrepreneurship and its business development culture;
• strengthen top management and implement a succession plan managed by an Ad Hoc Committee.

Read the full article on Morning Star here.