Latest news with #strategicleadership
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Euna Solutions' 2025 State of Public Procurement Report Finds Budgets Flat, Costs Up, and Teams Pushed to the Brink by Last-Minute Requests
ATLANTA & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 5, 2025-- Euna Solutions®, a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions for the public sector, today announced the release of its 2025 State of Public Procurement Report. It offers a comprehensive look into how public procurement professionals across North America are confronting economic volatility, budget constraints, and rising stakeholder demands by leveraging technology, streamlining operations, and reimagining their roles as strategic leaders. 'This year's report makes clear that procurement teams are not just managing spend, they're becoming strategic stewards of public trust in a time of economic uncertainty,' said Tom Amburgey, CEO of Euna Solutions. 'This year's State of Public Procurement Report shows that with the right tools, even small teams can drive outsized impact. As automation and AI reshape what's possible, Euna is committed to helping public agencies modernize procurement in a way that's not only efficient, but intelligent, equitable, and future-ready.' Based on survey responses from 86 public procurement professionals and 252 suppliers, along with anonymized data from over 3,000 procurement teams using Euna Procurement, the 2025 State of Public Procurement Report reveals a sector that is at a critical inflection point. Despite flat budgets, public procurement teams face shrinking purchasing power due to inflation and rising costs, with 2025 emerging as a pivotal year for transformation. The report's key findings include: The themes within the 2025 State of Public Procurement Report, especially the trend toward automation, full-cycle digital workflows, and data-driven decision-making, point the way toward AI's growing role in the future of public procurement. 'AI is poised to play a pivotal role in public procurement by automating difficult tasks and enabling faster, more strategic decision-making based on real-time data and performance trends,' said Amburgey. 'The foundations being laid today with automation and modern cloud-based platforms are paving the way for intelligent systems that can help procurement teams do even more with their limited resources.' To read the full 2025 State of Public Procurement Report visit: View source version on CONTACT: Media contact: Michael Tebo Gabriel Marketing Group (for Euna Solutions) Phone: 571-835-8775 Email:[email protected] KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA GEORGIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PAYMENTS PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT STATE/LOCAL TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Euna Solutions Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 08/05/2025 06:10 AM/DISC: 08/05/2025 06:09 AM
Zawya
01-08-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Mott MacDonald makes key appointments for Middle East
Mott MacDonald has appointed Rick Hopper as Managing Director of its Middle East business and Jonathan Looker as Divisional General Manager for Saudi Arabia. The changes respond to growing client demand for world class engineering consultancy and strategic advice in the region and follow Paul Hilton's appointment as Managing Director for Mott MacDonald's Middle East, South Asia and international development. Hopper will be responsible for providing strategic leadership to Mott MacDonald's Middle East business, overseeing a growing portfolio of projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. He will focus on developing strong relationships with a select list of clients to ensure we continue to win and deliver high-value projects across the Middle East. Having led Mott MacDonald's Saudi Arabia business since 2023, Hopper has overseen a period of significant growth, establishing the firm's new operations in the Kingdom and playing an integral role in key wins including as City Infrastructure Engineer on THE LINE at NEOM. Hopper will be supported by Looker, who takes over from him as divisional general manager for Saudi Arabia. Hopper and Looker will both be based in Riyadh. Looker has extensive leadership and management experience at Mott MacDonald over the past 20 years, most recently as development director for the Middle East with responsibility for driving strategy and growth across the region. His leadership and vision will be vital for the successful delivery of Mott MacDonald's work related to Saudi giga projects as well as recruiting and developing talent and securing new work in the buildings, transport, water and energy markets, said a statement. Hopper said: "The Middle East's bold ambitions demand world-class engineering solutions and highly skilled and talented people to bring them to life. I look forward to leading our business and working with our clients across the region to deliver transformative projects that drive sustainable economic growth, social value and environmental stewardship.' Jonathan said: 'Saudi Vision 2030 provides an opportunity to drive sustainable development in this fast-changing market. I'm eager to build a dynamic, locally rooted team that combines global expertise with deep regional insight. This not only allows us to deliver exceptional value across Saudi Arabia but also to bring new ideas and momentum back to our wider global business.' - TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2025 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Harvard Business Review
30-07-2025
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
The Right Way to Sunset a Project
Summary. The process of sunsetting a project is a crucial but often neglected part of project management. Rather than letting projects linger—tying up capital, draining morale, and undermining performance—strategic leaders intentionally close
Finextra
28-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
AccessFintech appoints Sarah Shenton from Goldman Sachs as CEO
AccessFintech, the data network driving capital optimization and greater operational capacity, today announced the appointment of Sarah Shenton as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. 0 This strategic leadership change marks a significant step for the company as it positions itself for its next phase of growth. Shenton brings over 20 years of experience in operations, engineering and strategic investing to AccessFintech. Most recently, she led the Value Accelerator at Goldman Sachs' alternative assets business, where she collaborated with leadership teams at high-growth companies to drive scale, operational efficiency and commercial success. A long-time advocate for AccessFintech, Shenton led Goldman Sachs' Series A investment in the company and served as a Board Director from 2018 to 2025. She succeeds John Shay, who has effectively led the company as Interim CEO. John will remain part of the firm as Special Advisor to the CEO, ensuring a seamless transition and offering continued support and industry expertise to the leadership team. 'Sarah brings a rare combination of operational depth, technical insight and strategic vision to the CEO role,' said John Shay. 'Her deep knowledge of our company and industry, alongside her commitment to our mission, will be invaluable as we embark on our next growth phase.' 'I am honored to take on the role of CEO,' said Sarah Shenton. 'We've created a strong foundation and an ecosystem that matters, and now is the time to build on this success and deliver exceptional value to clients. As technology continues to transform markets, I look forward to working with our amazing team to seize the exciting opportunities ahead.' Shenton's appointment follows a unanimous decision by the Board, built on years of close collaboration during her tenure as a Director since 2018. 'Sarah's deep market expertise and long-standing commitment to AccessFintech's vision make her exceptionally well-suited to guide the organization into its next chapter of growth,' said Kevin Marcus, Partner at WestCap, on behalf of the AccessFintech Board. 'We are also deeply grateful to John Shay for his steady leadership as Interim CEO and are pleased he will continue to play an active role on the team as an Advisor.' AccessFintech has built a powerful data and workflow platform —the Synergy Network— that connects and distributes 75+ distinct data sets across 250+ leading financial institutions, enabling real-time collaboration and execution management across the post-trade lifecycle. Under Shenton's leadership, the company will continue to strengthen its role as a critical player in capital markets infrastructure and advance its mission to improve financial operations for clients.
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Trade Deals Reveal About Leadership In A Fractured World
The old playbook is broken. Linear planning, market dominance and top-down control no longer deliver competitive advantage in an environment shaped by geopolitical rupture, institutional drag and regulatory fragmentation. Leaders today don't just need vision—they need agility within constraint. Two recent trade developments between the United Kingdom, the European Union and India may look modest on the surface. But they offer a clear window into how modern strategic leadership operates under pressure. These deals (one smoothing the UK's relationship with the EU post-Brexit and the other unlocking access to India's vast spirits market) showcase how to make progress when control is partial, options are limited and success depends not on power but on positioning. Both the UK-EU trade reset and the UK-India agreement were not expansions into new territory. Instead, they were efforts to recover access that had been lost or limited due to previous policy decisions. These were not declarations of dominance but exercises in restoring relevance through compromise and precision. This reflects an important idea from organizational theory: strategic leadership often unfolds within institutional structures that limit unilateral decision-making. Classic models frame leaders as architects of change with wide latitude. Contemporary leadership theory, however, recognizes that leaders operate within systems shaped by history, regulation, norms and interdependencies. Rather than trying to reverse the post-Brexit economic model wholesale, UK policymakers identified discrete areas where friction could be reduced without reopening the entire negotiation. In doing so, they demonstrated how to lead when the system cannot be reengineered but can be reshaped at the margins. The implication for executives is clear: when full control is unavailable, the strategic task is to locate leverage points where modest shifts can create meaningful results. If you're facing legacy constraints—whether in regulation, supply chains or internal policy—don't default to full-system redesign. Instead, scan for pressure points where small concessions or updates can unlock outsized returns. For example, if cross-border frictions are limiting market access, try aligning on standards or logistics rather than renegotiating core terms. In internal strategy, if bureaucracy is slowing innovation, look for processes that can be decoupled or delegated without triggering structural overhaul. The whisky tariff cut exemplifies this approach. By lowering India's 150% import duties on Scotch to 75% (with a plan to reduce it further to 40% over a decade), the UK created access to the world's largest whisky market without rewriting broader trade frameworks. The move offers Scotch producers the ability to scale gradually in a price-sensitive but high-growth environment, leveraging demand without triggering competitive retaliation. India was already the largest market for Scotch whisky by volume in 2024, importing over 192 million bottles. However, due to these punitive tariffs, it ranked only fourth by value. With the phased reduction in duties, the Scotch Whisky Association projects a potential $1.25 billion boost in exports over the next five years, an increase that underscores how strategic entry points rather than sweeping overhauls can shift entire market trajectories. Yet this opening does not guarantee dominance. Irish Single Malt, long considered a boutique competitor, has been expanding rapidly in emerging markets. Speaking in an interview, Vijay Pereira, president-elect of the Indian Academy of Management, said: 'Market access is just the first move. What will distinguish success is how well producers engage with the nuances of Indian consumer preferences, regional logistics and competitive storytelling. This isn't a tariff game—it's a trust game.' In this context, the real advantage lies not simply in exporting more whisky but in embedding British spirits—Scotch and otherwise—within a broader consumer and distribution ecosystem. Strategic gains will favor those who localize effectively, adapt to complex regulatory layers and build durable relationships across the value chain. This kind of structural pragmatism prompts reflection on how leaders interpret constraints in their own environments. Where in the organization has complexity or legacy policy been mistaken for immovability? And what possibilities open up when constraints are treated not as fixed boundaries but as part of the strategic landscape to be navigated deliberately? One of the more subtle aspects of these trade adjustments is how they were framed. The agreements were not presented as reversals or concessions. Instead, they were positioned as updates aligned with national interest and long-term economic health. This reflects the leader's role in narrative construction, a central principle in sensemaking theory. In organizational settings, past strategies often become embedded in culture and stakeholder expectations. Deviating from them can appear inconsistent unless reframed with credibility. The UK government did not propose rejoining the EU's single market. Instead, it agreed to mutual standards on agricultural exports to ease cross-border commerce. This allowed for progress without violating prior commitments. For leaders, the takeaway is that reframing is a critical leadership capability. Whether shifting market focus, redefining product lines or adjusting partnerships, the ability to reposition strategy without destabilizing trust is essential. If your firm is pivoting direction—whether in products, markets or partnerships—don't assume stakeholders will follow just because the logic is sound. Instead, ask: What story does this shift interrupt, and how can I author a new one that preserves continuity while embracing change? Reframing isn't spin—it's translating disruption into legitimacy. A change accepted is often a story believed. Such moves raise a useful internal question: when strategy changes, does the story that supports it evolve in tandem? And if stakeholder resistance emerges, is it because the change itself is misaligned or because the rationale has not been communicated in terms people can actually accept? The UK-India trade agreement includes a gradual reduction in import tariffs, with an immediate cut followed by further decreases over a ten-year period. This approach exemplifies incrementalism, a strategic method that values pacing, institutional learning and stakeholder accommodation over rapid transformation. Incrementalism often contrasts with traditional strategic planning, which tends to favor clear endpoints and tightly defined timelines. Yet in volatile or highly regulated environments, adaptive strategies built on phased actions are more sustainable. They allow for adjustment as conditions evolve and feedback is collected. In management literature, this aligns with the concept of emergent strategy, a process in which leaders begin with a broad objective but adapt their tactics as new information becomes available. For firms navigating uncertain regulatory environments or international expansion, phased entry strategies can de-risk decisions, preserve optionality and signal flexibility to partners. If your strategy involves high-risk or politically sensitive shifts—such as entering new markets, changing pricing models or adopting new technology—build in phased checkpoints. Launch pilots with opt-in participation before scaling. Use no-regret moves that are low-risk but informative. And treat every phase not as prelude to the final answer but as a source of directional learning. Strategic discipline today is not about moving quickly. It's about sequencing moves in ways that enhance learning, reduce exposure and increase cumulative impact. In the case of whisky, this phased liberalization gives producers time to assess price elasticity, supply chain capacity and consumer education in a complex, regionally diverse market. Smaller distilleries that previously found India commercially inaccessible may now consider gradual market entry, testing demand and building partnerships under more favorable conditions. Leaders might ask whether their organizations allow for such thoughtful calibration. Is the current pace of execution driven by internal ambition or by what external stakeholders can realistically absorb? And when strategy is rolled out, is space built in for reflection, revision and learning, or is deviation still seen as failure? If your leadership context is defined more by limits than by leverage, don't ask what can I control—ask where can I gain traction? Within a fragmented world, strategy is less about conquest and more about choreography. It's about knowing when to move, where to yield and how to frame progress so it sticks. The real question is not what can be controlled but how leadership is exercised when most of the game is played between the lines.
