With change comes opportunity, if we’re brave enough

I’ve been thinking a lot about change recently. I’m a Brit who’s recently moved back to the UK after spending the last three years living and working in the United States. Like everyone, I’m changing to cope with COVID. I’ve returned to a UK and Ireland changing to meet a post-Brexit business landscape, and change is very much the buzz word in America too, following last week’s presidential inauguration.

Two things about the inauguration ceremony and Biden’s first days as POTUS stood out for me: firstly, Amanda Gorman’s sensational poem. Wow! Those words, written and delivered by a young woman clearly passionate about her country and full of hope for its future, really struck a chord with me. Gorman spoke of learning from the past, of building bridges rather than sewing divisions and of a nation coming together to “forge a union with purpose.” Secondly, Biden’s new cabinet is the most racially diverse Presidential cabinet in the history of the US.  These things … whatever your politics … send a message of hopeful change not just to America but to the world. 

Back in the UK I see our own green shoots of change emerging. While headlines are still grim, our vaccine rollout brings hope of brighter days ahead where we will be able to meet up with friends, family and colleagues. Personally, I can’t wait to experience live music again, and - of course – go to a Man City home game! But we won’t go back to exactly how things were pre-Covid. I’ve noticed a lot of people being more reflective than usual about what we’ve learned, and what we’ll change, from where we work to how seriously we take our health. 

It’s an exciting time to be leading Accenture’s UK and Ireland business. I’m looking forward to getting to know more of the team and our clients as we work together to “build back better”. We’ve helped many of our clients embrace rapid digital transformation in order to continue operating. Others have changed their business models and some have even switched what they do/produce/sell. As our latest Fjord Trends report explores, customer behaviour has changed and businesses need to keep pace. 

That’s why I’m buoyed by our focus on - and investment in - cloud. I believe it is the enabler of business reinvention and agility. If done right, it will fuel long-term, sustainable growth for the organisations who embrace it. And I don’t mean just big business. Driven by imagination and ambition, cloud can underpin a post-Brexit renaissance in the UK and Ireland. We have a lot to do: re-connect our communities, create jobs, protect our planet and manage some of the social inequality and digital exclusion issues that the pandemic has, sadly, exacerbated.

Change is a constant, but this year is likely to be another one of dramatic change for all of us. It’s a perfect time for everyone … particularly business leaders … to think about why they’re here and how they want to show up in the world. It’s time to reinvent. As Amanda Gorman said, so eloquently, last week, “there is always light . . . if only we’re brave enough to be it.”