MBS Inspiration
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The MBS Group
is Europe’s leading executive search boutique operating exclusively in consumer facing industries.
What Alex Ferguson can tell us about leadership and succession planning
How do you choose a successor when the outgoing leader has been an all-time great? There has been a fairly equal number of successes and failures at leadership succession, with probably more Harvard Business Review and McKinsey Quarterly case studies written on the subject than on any other.
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Vogue Festival 2013 - a new dawn for fashion magazines?
These days, companies not only have to go the extra mile on service but they have to constantly be looking at their overall proposition, making sure that it is current and relevant at all times. Take, for instance, fashion magazines. This is one of the consumer-facing spaces that is really having to examine its traditional model – what with up-to-the-minute online news from Twitter, and the likes of Net-a-Porter, Asos and Yoox developing cutting-edge editorial to help increase sales and profile, what are established titles like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle to do?
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Bringing sustainability to mature markets
This week it was heartening to see Unilever, one of the consumer goods space’s biggest players, showing that strength in multiple markets can be invaluable protection against a slow quarter in its recent quarterly statement. Unsurprisingly, stable growth in Latin America and Asia outshone the performance of the US and Europe, an imbalance that is becoming more and more typical in business nowadays. But this week I want to talk about sustainability, not profits – and what Unilever is doing that I find remarkable is maintaining sustainability targets in mature markets, alongside its widely-publicised achievements in some of the poorest countries in the world.
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UK brands in the US - why so hit and miss?
In the aftermath of Tesco’s recent profit slowdown, and the simultaneous announcement of its planned exit from the US, I’ve been thinking about just why British brands don’t always cut the mustard in the States. It seems as though the American consumer is sometimes just too hard to figure out for UK retailers! Of course, it is definitely possible to succeed, as the case of Burberry has shown: Angela Ahrendts has performed miracles in turning the company into a truly global player. Is it just down to an amazing CEO, then? Or is it more complicated than that?
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Companies that give back
I always like it when companies are brave enough to do something different. That’s why I celebrated when it was revealed in the news this week that Tod’s is to donate a portion of its profits to aid smaller Italian manufacturers. It provides welcome evidence that there are companies out there that try to make a positive impression for communities as well as shareholders. Whether through donations or fundraising, firms like L’Oréal and Sainsbury’s have shown that the power and reach of a large corporation can transform lives and cultivate a brilliant public image at the same time.
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Why UK entertainments and attractions are still flying high
Having written about one UK industry showing stellar recent achievements a couple of weeks ago – namely, the airline sector – this Friday I thought I’d write about another space that is showing the UK in a great light across the world. The UK’s biggest and most influential entertainments and attractions companies are embarking on a program of expansion that is making them the envy of many other industries. I wondered what companies like Merlin are doing to make themselves stand out, and how they compare to overseas competitors like Disney?
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How Vice magazine is 'disrupting its category'
There is no better indication of how media is changing than the story of basketball player Dennis Rodman and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s unlikely friendship, which broke in Western newspapers earlier this month. This is not because of the bizarre nature of the story itself, though, but the fact that the only reporting journalists there on the scene were not from the Times or the Telegraph, but from Vice Magazine! By consistently reporting from unusual and counter-cultural situations, Vice has become one of the companies that has done the most to shake up established consumer-facing industries in recent years, along with brewers Brewdog and high-end travel firm Kuoni. But how do these companies pull it off? What is it that these firms are doing differently?
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The airline industry’s battle between budget and high-end
Many industries have seen growth stall over the last few years, and the airline industry is no exception. But over the last 12 months or so, things have started to change. For instance, in October last year global forecasts had to be revised after it was revealed that the airline industry will make more money than expected over the next year. An industry-wide upturn seems to be in full swing, especially in the UK, but what has caused this? Personally, I think it comes down to the increased competition that has come through the explosive growth of budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet.
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Working abroad - a viable alternative for graduates?
It is common knowledge that the last few years have not been the kindest for jobseekers of all ages, but the latest jobs figures for the UK, released this month, made for disappointing reading. In February this year, permanent vacancies were down by 9.6%, and temporary vacancies fell by even more, down 11.7%! I think that to overcome this problem, companies need to be braver when hiring, especially with younger workers – I meet many young people who are intelligent, driven and determined, but who cannot find employers willing to take a chance on them.
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Working from home - is there a solution for everyone?
Deep down I really believe in empowering people to work from anywhere. These days it’s a no-brainer! We can be wired up to any network at home, Skype and FaceTime are so accessible and we are all switched on to social media 24/7 anyway. I have completed some of my best negotiations in the most memorable places, including Laguna Beach, California!
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Sports sponsorships: are they worth it?
I have always been a hero worshipper – I just can’t help it. It started as a young girl growing up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa where I followed PE City football team, an outfit which was almost entirely made up of retired UK footballers from the second division. In Port Elizabeth, they were revered no differently from the sporting legends of today, despite the fact that these heroes would not have even made it into the first division here in the UK!
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Superbowl 2013 - which commercials hit the spot?
I hope that some of you were able to watch at least part of the spectacular show that is the Super Bowl on Sunday night, if only to see just what it is that makes it one of the world’s most important sporting and cultural events. To me, it seems that the actual sport is only a small part of the whole thing; for instance, Beyonce’s stunning halftime performance and the incredible surroundings of New Orleans both made this year’s edition very special. One of the most eye-catching Super Bowl traditions always centres around the adverts, though, and I thought I’d take a look at some of the most successful.
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Sports and fashion: what makes collaborations so successful?
I’m sure everyone was tuned into the final of the Australian Open last week – it was a great shame for British tennis that Andy Murray lost, but both competitors certainly performed at an incredible level! As someone who always has her eye out for exciting brands, I was interested to see the eventual champion Novak Djokovic wearing Uniqlo-emblazoned kit. Some have called this a slightly unusual pairing, but I have noticed collaborations between sports and fashion brands becoming ever more common in the past year or so. So why have the lines between sports and fashion become more blurred recently?
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Has Facebook just revolutionised social search?
I’ve been writing a lot about technology recently, but with the momentous happenings at Facebook this week I thought I should discuss the sector one more time! Facebook’s announcement of Graph Search, a new social search engine operating within the website itself, is a big step for the online search industry even if it’s not a direct competitor with Google and the like. Instead, it is the dream tool for the individual, enabling you to see everything your network of friends like to watch, where they go and what they eat, and much more besides.
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