Five Trends From Capgemini's Business To Planet Event
On September 25th, 2024, Capgemini hosted delegates as part of Climate Week 2024 in New York. Attendees learned how organizations and their leaders have transformed operations, built sustainable supply chains, and applied AI to improve their green strategies.
Broad Reaching Survey Shows Insight Into Both Progress and Trends In Sustainability
In the third annual “A World In Balance 2024” report by Capgemini Research Institute, 6500 consumers over the age of 18 and 2152 executives employed at 727 organizations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue were surveyed on their views, investments, and progress in sustainability. Overall findings show how organizations have prioritized investments with tangible return on investment (ROI), improved sustainable design, and doubled down on measurement. Key regulations such as the European Union’s corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD) will drive continued investments to address regulatory compliance.
The recent backlash on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs stems from both the lack of quantitative data showing how diverse teams improve performance and the discriminatory nature in how these teams were constructed. In 2015, a McKinsey study lauded the dividends to be gained from diversity. The well meaning Davos set used this study to launch a movement for diversity, resulting in hundreds of billions spent on diversity programs across businesses, the public sector, and non-profits over the past decade.
AI Begins And Ends With Nvidia
Despite the massive buzz on AI, only a few core companies that power the Age of AI will succeed. The high capital costs of research and development investment, the time required to take a product to market, and the ability to cross competitive moats create a massive barrier to entry. In fact, only a few vendors have shown significant profits in AI:
Take A Measured Approach To AI Adoption
The rush to AI projects often comes as an all or nothing approach. However, lessons learned from Constellation's Executive Network (CEN) members show a gradual and measured approach. Constellation sees five phases to adoption from both a business and cultural point of view:
What Every Tech Vendor CEO and CFO Should Know About Their CMO’s Wasted Investments In Vanity Metrics
Marketing professionals face massive pressure to show that their marketing investments have paid off. In a zero-interest rate environment, budgets were flush and marketers had a lot of leeway in building brand, hosting amazing events, and buying ads to improve market presence. However, a shift to a five percent interest rate environment has many CMO’s focused on performance marketing, showing return on investment, and moving MQLs from SQLs as fast as they can.
New Chips, New Business Models Ahead In Accelerated Computing
Nvidia stock is up 267% YoY. With over 10,000 people in physical attendance and up to 100,000 people virtually attending, this could be the largest AI conference. All eyes on the next wave for AI with CEO Jensen Huang ready to keynote at 1:00 pm PT at the SAP Center in San Jose. The key things to look for in the keynote:
Age of AI Ushers Exponential And Transformational Power In The Hands Of A Few
Society has often swung from centralization to decentralization and back in the distribution of power and rights. Living in a culture of abundance versus a culture of scarcity can alter the prioritization of decisions, the quality of interactions, and the overall optimism or pessimism of a society. AI has the power to transform societies for both good and evil.
Most professional services firms have operated in a pyramid model where the most senior owner of a P&L would have a staffing ratio of 1:3 to 1:5 and their next reports would have a staffing ratio of 1:5 to 1:10. This pyramid structure would continue until the last level.
Two Year IPO Drought Coming To An End
In 2023, only 148 companies completed an initial public offering (IPO). This was the worst year on record and followed a 15% decline from the number of IPO's in 2022, another disappointing year. In 2023, ARM was the sole blockbuster tech IPO.
After a brutal two years with a paucity of tech IPOs, the market is poised for a resurgence in 2024.
\With artificial intelligence (AI) projects all the rage, organizations must make a strategic determination to create a new CxO role at least at a functional level if not at a title level.. This decision should not be made lightly, however. Although the chief AI officer (CAIO) role is critical to an organization’s success, the level of collaboration across business, IT, finance and operations, HR, and legal risk and compliance requires an unprecedented level of cooperation and orchestration. Boards will also want to consider AI at the same level as CyberSecurity.
