Embracing Disruption: Finding Opportunities in Crises
Posted on: 03 March 2017
The annual Trinity Global Business Forum which took place this week looked at disruptive forces that currently prevail in the business environment nationally and internationally.
“Business executives and entrepreneurs are working in the most turbulent business environment in living memory. The onset of Brexit, de-internationalisation, automation, the digital technology revolution and major socio-political upheaval have created some major uncertainties, challenges and opportunities for business. At the 2017 Trinity Global Business Forum thought leaders from the business and research communities addressed these issues and outlined their vision of the future. The theme for the Forum was ‘Embracing Disruption’ and that is exactly what we did throughout the day as we dissected, analysed and uncovered the implications of the paradigm shift facing business today. It was a highly informative and engaging event which covers the pivotal issues in an intense single day,” explained Professor Andrew Burke, Dean of Trinity Business School and Chair of Business Studies.
The Forum featured a stellar line up of business leaders and academics including CEO of Ibec, Danny McCoy, Global President of Mars Food, Drinks and Multiscale, Fiona Dawson, Global Head of Customer Experience at Dropbox, Adrienne Gormley, Associate Professor in Behaviour Science and Marketing, Kristian Myrseth and Economic Commentator, David McWilliams. There were panel discussions on topics such as: SMEs Competing Post Brexit; Digital Disruption: Implications for Truth and the Future of Business; and Weaning ourselves off Foreign-Owned MNCs.
Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec: Beyond Brexit
In his keynote he outlined why Brexit was the greatest challenge facing Irish businesses, the unique risks Ireland faced due to our deep economic ties with the UK, and the potential competitive threats facing our economy, particularly our exporting sector. He outlined the immediate domestic response package needed to safeguard Irish jobs, the strategies being used by Irish businesses to mitigate the current volatile trading environment, and how we could play a central role in the formal negotiation process when article 50 was triggered in March.
Fiona Dawson Global President of Mars Food, Drinks and Multisales: Women in Leaderships: The Missing Middle
Studies showed that corporations are stronger with more women in senior leadership positions. Yet, the pipeline for these positions was limited by the ‘Missing Middle’ phenomenon. While 70% of junior managers were women, only 34% of middle managers were female. Ms Dawson explored the factors behind the Missing Middle and discussed what steps corporations could take to address this key challenge.
Adrienne Gormley Global Head of Customer Experience at Dropbox: The Future of Work in Disruptive Environments
The current debate on digital transformation was naturally very technology-centric. It was characterised by terms such as platform, automation, scalability and disruption. The human factor was often underestimated or even ignored. However, leading digital companies provided outstanding workplaces, which were enablers for productivity, creativity and innovation. Adrienne shared her perspectives on this new Future of Work.
David McWilliams Economic Commentator Can the Centre Hold?
In his address, the economic commentator questioned whether the world order was changing. He asked what were the economic forces driving this and what next for Europe. Finally he surmised which way Ireland should jump.