The New Zealand Herald

New Zealanders Exercise Caution Amid Rising Inflation

In The New Zealand Herald, BCG’s Phillip Benedetti discusses the mood of New Zealand consumers and what it signals about the country’s future economy. According to a BCG survey on consumer sentiment and purchasing behavior, Kiwis harbor some of the highest levels of concern regarding inflation, despite experiencing lower inflation rates than those living in the US and Europe. Spending cuts are expected in several areas of the economy, including fashion, luxury retail, and hospitality, but Benedetti asserts that certain sectors, such as travel, will actually see an uptick.

Australian Financial Review

What CEOs Can Learn from Energy Traders

In an interview with Australian Financial Review, BCG’s Philip Hirschhorn and Anthony Roediger address the need for flexibility among businesses amid the ongoing energy crisis. While leaders often prioritize control and stability when it comes to resource management, Hirschhorn and Roediger encourage them to think more like energy traders and lean into the uncertainty, trusting that price highs will naturally ripple into price lows on which they can capitalize. They note that CEOs need to change their thinking and have the “ability to plan across multiple horizons.”

The Business Times

Envisioning the Brokerage of the Future

In The Business Times, BCG’s Sumit Kumar discusses the changing tide of the brokerage industry amid the roaring bull market. As a new cohort of younger players enters the investing arena, brokers must revamp their approaches in ways that target the new demographic. Kumar envisions a brokerage of the future that employs user-friendly platforms, engages with the investing community, and offers greater variability in terms of tradable assets.

Yahoo Finance

How the Metaverse Is Looking to Transform the Workplace with Virtual Reality

In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, BCG’s Sarah Willersdorf examines the rapidly expanding global metaverse market, which BCG projects will reach nearly $400 billion by 2025. While a significant proportion of revenue is concentrated in the gaming world, Willersdorf focuses on virtual reality’s utility in a hybrid work environment. By transporting employees to a picturesque waterfront for happy hour or a snowy mountain resort for a company retreat, the metaverse can create a sense of unity among a remote workforce, transforming the future of the workplace.

The Edge Singapore

Is Hiring Digital Talent Tough? Get It from Within

In The Edge Singapore, BCG’s Sagar Goel and Orsolya Kovács-Ondrejkovic write about the digitalization of companies’ operations following the pandemic, and how such transitions have increased the global demand for digital talent. Considering the expense of hiring new talent, Goel and Kovács-Ondrejkovic explore various ways employers can broaden their current workers’ skillsets. “Few employers get at-scale reskilling right, but those who do will certainly build a competitive advantage in the near term,” they write.

The Business Times

How to Create a Flourishing Bionic World

In an interview with The Business Times, BCG’s Vincent Chin shares his career journey as the first Asian to lead the firm’s global public sector practice. He discusses his leadership style, along with the importance of upholding a human connection with both clients and colleagues in the digital era. “Today, the right vision for the world is not technology. The right vision for the world is bionic,” says Chin. “Societies and companies can uplift human lives by marrying the best of high-tech and high-touch.”

Australian Financial Review

A Sustainable Competitive Advantage Saves the Planet as Well

In Australian Financial Review, BCG’s Rebecca Russell writes that sustainability leaders across sectors are more likely to attract and retain talent, realize higher growth, save costs, avoid regulatory risk, and create new sources of customer value. Russell’s opinion piece, which is the last in a series of Australian Financial Review articles highlighting BCG and AFR’s 2022 Sustainability Leaders list, outlines three steps companies can take to ensure their organization is ready to compete on sustainability: invest in understanding your ESG impacts, set bold and specific ESG ambitions, and implement the right operating model.

Sifted

The Quantum Computing Race Accelerates

In an interview with the Financial Times-backed news site, Sifted, BCG’s François Candelon says that quantum computing could generate $850 billion of value globally in the next 15 to 30 years, but Europe must act quickly or risk falling behind the US and China in the next tech revolution. “It’s a massive enabler for all the other elements,” he explains. “You take AI, machine learning, drug discovery, pricing in financial markets — these will all be opened up by quantum.” Candelon also provides four recommendations to ensure that European quantum startups can successfully scale up.

Forbes

Burnout Has Been Causing Working Parents to Quit

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Deborah Lovich addresses the “twin burdens” of work and home which, in tandem, are prompting working parents to leave their jobs. She references a series of surveys that highlight the consequences of such stress and burnout, including a US labor shortage characterized by 11 million unfilled jobs and a notable decline of women in the workforce. To confront this challenge, Lovich outlines three ways that employers can help their employees—and, in turn, help themselves.

Bloomberg Radio

Wealth Creation Continues Despite Systemic Crises

In an interview with Bloomberg Radio, BCG’s Anna Zakrzewski discusses BCG’s 22nd annual Global Wealth Report, which finds that financial wealth globally grew by a staggering 10.6% from 2020 to 2021—the fastest rate in over a decade. She says that wealth development has been extremely resilient, even against the backdrop of geopolitical turbulence. Zakrzewski also explains why women’s wealth is growing faster than ever before and outpacing the growth of wealth held by men.

Fortune

It’s Time for CEOs to Put Suppliers First

In Fortune, BCG’s Christian Schuh, Wolfgang Schnellbächer, Alenka Triplat, and Daniel Weise urge CEOs to put their suppliers and procurement function at the heart of their business in order to succeed in challenging times. Based on findings from their new book, Profit from the Source: Transforming Your Business by Putting Suppliers at the Core, the authors provide a blueprint for CEOs to unleash seven sources of competitive advantage.

Financial Times

Consumers Reevaluate Luxury Spending

In the Financial Times, BCG’s Veronique Yang comments on the cautious spending habits of Chinese consumers following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in multiple cities. She predicts luxury spending will recover in the last quarter of the year, contingent on the resolution of supply chain issues and returning consumer confidence. “The fundamental outlook remains the same, but it’s very clear that there is a further polarization in the luxury sector, with big luxury brands performing really well despite the COVID challenges and the affordable luxury and premium sector struggling,” she says.