Think globally, act locally say firms

Dominic Quin, digital transformation director at Fonterra, is a panelist at the upcoming PwC Herald Talks event. Photo/NZ Herald

PwC Herald Talks - Global vs Local
July 5th
7.00am - 9.00am
SKYCITY Theatre
Tickets available on iTicket
Tickets - $89

As the world becomes increasingly connected, businesses are thinking globally and acting locally.

The use of technology means countries are now more accessible than ever before.

Products can be shipped around the world in a few days and software can be set up instantly, but to be successful, businesses need to focus on localising their business operations while maintaining an international view, according to business leaders.

For Fonterra digital transformation director Dominic Quin, having a globally local view means having local support in the company's international markets.

"For us it's about accessibility and proximity to the customer, and being as close as we can," Quin said.

"In some cases we have people on the ground and other times we use digital technology to help us in that space."

Quin, one of four panelists at next week's PwC Herald Talks event in Auckland, said the company exported about 95 per cent of its products to 140 countries, and was a truly global business.

Redesign Group managing director Jo Pennycuick also operated by this principle, with local staff on the ground in international markets.

"We have a lot of our client base overseas so it means we're able to facilitate a lot of our work locally in the market," Pennycuick said.

"New Zealand is 17 hours away and eight hours ahead of some of our markets so it means we have to have a local team."

Although being an international company based in New Zealand provided significant opportunities, it also came with challenges, not least the different time zones.

"There are a lot of challenges and having good trained staff [overseas] does mitigate some of that," she said.

"But we also have really good systems in place. If we're an hour or two out then the wheels can fall off slightly so we have to be organised."

Thinking globally and acting locally is the subject of next week's PwC Herald Talks at SkyCity theatre.