News


“Digital Growth – It’s a People Thing” with Emma Hogan & Richard Joffe.

Lindsay Every • August 28, 2024

Derwent had the pleasure of hosting an executive forum “Digital Growth – It’s a People Thing” in Sydney with guest speakers Emma Hogan & Richard Joffe.

 

Organisations that succeed in driving growth and transformation are the ones that get the people strategies right. There are critical people elements to consider when leading growth and a more sustainable digital future – these include developing the right operating model, organisational structure, aligning the right capability to the structure, and establishing optimal ways of working.

 

Facilitated by Lindsay Every, Derwent’s Group Managing Partner and Digital Practice Lead, Emma and Richard shared their perspectives on some of the key success factors for teams and organisations to consider when developing and enabling digital capability.


Key takeaways from the discussion included:

  • Great leaders will attract the best, which has a flow-down effect – it all starts with having the right people at the top.
  • Digital strategies are truly the enabler to be more efficient and effective.
  • Culture is critical – remove boundaries, allow people to test and fail, and let them do their best work.
  • Clear KPI’s and the right mix of incentives are key to alignment – people will often do what gets rewarded. 


Assessing the digital health of an organisation

  • It’s important to firstly understand what technology is currently in place. What’s working effectively? Where is there overlap? How do we align digital and technology plans to the company goals.
  • Get a sense of what digital means to an organisation and the people in different parts of the business.
  • The sophistication of an organisation’s data and analytics capability is often a great measure of its digital maturity.
  • Data drives everything, rather than basing decisions just on feelings or hunches, take the temperature of a team on how they use data.


Prioritising areas for digitisation

  • Digitisation is much more about enablement than automation. How do we improve service delivery? How to we deliver to customers who are expecting an anticipatory experience?
  • The age and stage of a business play a key role in establishing priorities. It’s important to protect the core business while also progressing new opportunities to think differently, innovate and enable change.
  • You have to be careful that innovation is not BAU. There should be urgency that a small section of an organisation is working to actively move the needle.
  • Service-based industries can see significant improvements in areas such as marketing, customer service, supply chain etc.
  • Review the decisions and investments you make in digital strategies. A recent BCG article highlighted that less than 40% of companies that have implemented AI or ML have seen any yield.
  • Are their key opportunities or functional areas that are ripe for digitisation? For example, the use of Data Science, Analytics and AI has transformed modern day marketers and allowed them to deliver a level of hyper-personalisation that customers in today’s world now demand.

 

Creating a culture of digital innovation

  • There is a constant tension between digital experimentation and achieving standard business goals.
  • Whilst it’s important to remained disciplined on core priorities, you are able to achieve amazing things when removing boundaries and shifting the thinking about what’s possible when it comes to accelerating digital.
  • A burning platform can change the psychology of how individuals frame the upside and downside. Turning “no’s” into “maybe’s” and positioning “what’s the loss of not doing something?”. People are neurologically wired to avoid losses, so you are able to shift the mindset to accept and grow from testing and failing.
  • As an organisation grows, maintaining a culture of digital innovation can become increasingly hard. What people, processes and systems can be replicated as the business scales?
  • Incentives and culture are inherently aligned. Individuals will behave and perform according to the goals and associated rewards of an organisation.

 

The people elements for success in digital transformation

  • Talent drives digital. The top 10% of a workforce can drive the majority of digital outcomes. Attracting them to the organisation, providing autonomy, and setting them up for success is critical.
  • The storytelling and framing of any digital projects or investments is very important. When done effectively, it can ensure buy in from employees and customers. 
  • You can constantly improve the organisational organism by bringing in people who can be the best at something. Leading talent have a flywheel effect.


  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Share this article

Recent Articles

By Ben Derwent March 19, 2025
Derwent is pleased to announce that Graeme Young has joined the firm as a Partner in the Financial Services Practice. Graeme brings over 15 years’ experience in executive search and recruitment, with a focus on the Insurance market. He leverages his vast experience in global Insurance, with deep technical knowledge and networks to deliver impactful leadership and C-suite appointments. Graeme was most recently a Director at Eliot Partnership, a leading global firm in Insurance Executive Search, where he led the Australian business. Prior to his Executive Search career, Graeme spent over 20 years working across global Insurance and Reinsurance markets, commencing in London and moving to Sydney in 1998. Derwent is proud to be one of Australia’s largest Executive and Board Search firms. Our leading team of 90+ drives our growth, success and scale in delivering to the clients who entrust us to advise on critical hiring needs.
By Katharine Whittaker March 11, 2025
In the 1940’s, women dominated the early days of computing when ENIAC was built. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose computer. Then the personal computer was released in 1984, and it led to the rise of white male computing, so the number of women in technology rapidly declined. According to the Tech Council of Australia, women are twice as likely to enter the tech industry at the age of 25-30, as they are before age 25. This means tech is not the first step for many women – they are coming through alternate pathways. Last week, Derwent hosted a ´Women in Tech” breakfast to create a safe space for female leaders to share their challenges and discuss solutions that both executive search firms, like Derwent, and the community can implement to continue to promote and deliver diversity in executive hiring. Our conversation was led by guest speakers Kavita Mistry and Marigold Duncan , who shared their unique and diverse careers in tech. For Marigold, it was the allure of rapid growth, impactful work, and a collaborative culture, a stark contrast to her previous life in banking. Kavita, with a blend of artistic and mathematical influences, found her passion ignited by the logic and creativity inherent in technology. Their journeys, though diverse, highlight a common thread – tech offers a space for innovation and impact. However, the path to leadership isn't without its challenges. Both Marigold and Kavita spoke candidly about the hurdles women face, particularly in finding their voice and navigating leadership dynamics. Kavita emphasised the importance of speaking up, identifying and encouraging quieter voices, and leveraging female role models. Marigold shared her experiences leading international teams, learning to communicate assertively, and overcoming the unconscious biases that often shape decision-making. Mentorship and sponsorship emerged as crucial elements of their journeys. Both leaders emphasised the need for clarity in mentorship goals, the value of diverse perspectives, and the importance of nurturing long-term relationships. Kavita highlighted the distinction between mentorship (guidance) and sponsorship (advocacy), while Marigold stressed the value of seeking out mentors who understand your ambitions. So, how can women support other women in tech? Both leaders advocated for challenging unconscious biases in hiring, building strong networks, and providing coaching, particularly for interview preparation. They emphasised the importance of "watering and feeding" relationships, ensuring they are mutually beneficial and sustainable. Balancing work and family was another key topic. Marigold, a mother of three, acknowledged the constant effort required, emphasising the importance of self-awareness and adapting to changing needs. Kavita echoed this, highlighting the importance of prioritising energy, self-care, and aligning work commitments with life stages. Ultimately, the discussion offered valuable insights for women navigating the tech industry. It's a journey of continuous learning, resilience, and building strong networks. By embracing their unique perspectives, challenging biases, and supporting each other, women can not only thrive in tech but also shape its future. At Derwent, we are committed to long-term diversity through both assisting clients with inclusive hiring processes and attraction strategies, and fostering the next generation of female leaders.
By Ben Derwent January 29, 2025
We are delighted to announce the launch of our Interim Solutions business, led by John O’Leary. Demand for interim talent is evolving rapidly given changing market conditions and the way employers are structuring the capability and flexibility of their workforces. Interim talent delivers immediate impact, bringing capacity and capability to deliver outcomes across a range of initiatives and settings. This offering provides flexibility and scalability during peak talent needs, with an available bench of specialist capability and expertise.
Share by: