On Friday 20 May TradeWindow’s Chief Revenue Officer, Andrew Balgarnie, spoke at the International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia (IFCBAA) conference.

Andrew’s key points included:

• In recent times, the world has learnt a lesson in how interconnected our economies are, with delays and shortages in any one place rippling out nearly everywhere across the world.
• There is a need to step back to see how technology can support business strategy and make organisations fitter for this more challenging and increasingly competitive environment.
• Technology is not the silver bullet, rather, technology provides the tools that can make us more efficient and informed.
• Digital tools have now become central to business interactions, pushing businesses further up the digital technology adoption curve almost overnight.
• Prior waves of digital transformation saw slow and steady uptake, with opportunities for experimentation and carefully planned pilots. However, slow and steady doesn’t work in response to a sudden and unforeseen shock.
• Global consulting company, Boston Consulting Group, reports that 83% of business leaders now plan to accelerate their organisation’s digital transformation.
• In a world of constant and relentless change, the days of ‘making a plan’ and waiting for it to unfold are far gone. When change is constant, what seemed like a good plan yesterday may not seem like a good one tomorrow.
• Success in this environment requires adaptive leadership. It requires staying above the fray to recognise opportunities and risks early, allowing you to get ahead of the competition, and mitigate against threats.
• There are a range of elements driving digitalisation:
  • Governments around the world are taking steps to remove bureaucratic paper-based processes.
  • Data security is a major issue.
  • Sustainability is driving change.
• Technology is ever evolving with new, more effective solutions replacing the inefficient ‘old ways’.
  • The current wave of technology is no different to those that have gone before with solutions initially ridiculed but eventually revered.
  • When blockchain first came about it was questioned, but now it’s evolved into the basis for establishing trust over the internet, and the possibilities are endless.
  • The trust factor is why blockchain appeals so strongly to governments and major corporates.
• Digital transformation works best when leaders go back to the fundamentals: they focus on changing the mindset, culture, and processes of the organisation before deciding what digital tools to use, and how to use them. Vision drives technology, not the other way around.

If you’d like to discuss how to start your own digital journey, our team of industry and subject matter experts are here to help guide you on the best solutions for your business. Get in touch today.