Over the past quarter, BIE’s conversations with business and transformation leaders point to a more specific shift than activity levels alone suggest. Organisations are centralising ownership of change, prioritising end-to-end coordination over isolated functional improvement and reshaping capability towards fewer, more senior operators. At the same time, carve-outs, outsourcing transitions, ERP programmes and pre-event readiness are creating targeted gaps that require experienced, outcome-led support.
The market is therefore active but selective. Clients increasingly want compact, experienced support that can mobilise quickly, align multiple functions and convert strategy into delivery, rather than large project teams or long, speculative programmes.
1. Enterprise transformation is replacing functional change
Businesses are increasingly bringing IT, transformation, process improvement and shared services under one accountable leader. The rationale is consistent: when these capabilities sit separately, sequencing becomes a negotiation, functional leaders pursue competing initiatives and the centre spends too much time arbitrating priorities.
The emerging model is a single enterprise agenda, often expressed through a practical twelve-month roadmap rather than a three-year programme. It reflects a growing willingness to pause function-specific initiatives until collective priorities are agreed.
This shift is also changing where organisations find value. Several leaders described reaching the limits of optimising individual processes in isolation. The next gains are increasingly being found in the connections between finance, procurement, supply chain, technology and operations, with end-to-end process ownership replacing standalone efficiency programmes.
As a result, demand is rising for leaders who can coordinate across functions, make enterprise-level trade-offs and translate strategy into a sequenced delivery agenda, rather than simply optimise a single specialist area.
2. Capability is being redesigned, not simply reduced
Automation and process improvement are producing fewer errors and faster cycle times, but not always lower headcount. Instead, many organisations are deliberately trading volume for seniority, reducing junior roles while increasing analytical, commercial and leadership capability.
Finance functions are increasingly being designed to look forward rather than report backwards. Investment is flowing into business partnering, planning, tax, investor relations, controls, compliance and succession capability.
The same pattern is visible in many private equity-backed businesses, where role redesign is proving more common than wholesale headcount reduction. Sponsors continue to invest in areas such as reporting quality, forecast visibility, capital governance and asset replacement planning, with improved processes being used to create a different capability mix rather than simply lower costs.
3. Organisations are investing in capability before major change events
A notable trend this quarter is the growing focus on preparing people, operating models and governance structures before major transformation milestones occur.
More organisations are improving shared services and improving ways of working before ERP implementation, recognising that new technology cannot compensate for inconsistent processes. The preferred sequence is increasingly to stabilise operations, prove the model and then scale at pace.
The same thinking is evident in outsourcing and shared-service environments, where organisations are paying greater attention to the retained organisation. While future-state service models are often well defined, the capabilities required within the business to manage providers, influence stakeholders and drive value are frequently less developed.
Pre-event readiness is also beginning earlier. Where an IPO, listing or exit is anticipated, organisations are bringing forward recruitment and reward decisions in areas such as tax, investor relations, controls and succession planning. Early investment in capability is increasingly viewed as a commercial advantage rather than a preparatory exercise.
4. Complex transformation programmes continue to create specialist demand
Carve-outs, separations, outsourcing transitions and large-scale ERP programmes remain significant drivers of demand for experienced transformation leaders.
In carve-out environments, antitrust, legal and contractual complexity continue to extend separation timelines well beyond initial expectations. Support needs often remain long after formal completion, particularly around transitional services, contract separation and end-state design.
ERP programmes are creating similar challenges, particularly where businesses have grown through acquisition or where implementation timelines have slipped. Once a workable model has been proven, leaders increasingly favour rapid deployment and accelerated execution, increasing demand for experienced programme leadership and multi-jurisdiction delivery capability.
Across these assignments, organisations consistently value practical experience over theoretical expertise and seek individuals who can complement incumbent teams rather than replicate existing capability.
5. Buyers want expertise, not scale
One of the clearest messages from the quarter is that clients increasingly prefer focused expertise over large advisory structures.
While larger consulting firms continue to play an important role where brand assurance or formal reporting is required, organisations are becoming more selective about where they deploy external spend. Buyers are increasingly looking for experienced individuals who can provide judgement, credibility and pace without unnecessary complexity.
This continues to support outcome-led interim and embedded delivery models, particularly across ERP mobilisation, separations, outsourcing transitions and specialist programme leadership. Demand remains concentrated on proven execution capability rather than team size.
Industrials, chemicals and materials: Portfolio reshaping is giving way to tighter management of the remaining core. Governance is centralising around shorter roadmaps, while demand spans finance, procurement, supply chain and IT. Carve-out and transitional-service support continues beyond formal completion.
Construction, infrastructure and engineering services: Performance varies by exposure, but some businesses are delivering materially higher profitability on flat revenue through improved operational discipline. ERP implementation, acquisition integration and shared-service consolidation remain major priorities.
Technology and communications: Pre-event readiness is driving earlier investment in tax, investor relations, controls and succession capability, alongside an ongoing shift towards more experienced transformation leadership.
Consumer, travel and transport: New private equity ownership is driving finance role redesign, stronger reporting capability and improved forecast visibility, with continued focus on operational performance and capital governance.
Publishing, education and not-for-profit: Outsourcing and shared-service adoption continues to accelerate. Demand is strongest for retained-service leaders who can balance supplier management with internal stakeholder engagement.
Over the next three to six months, demand is likely to remain strongest for leaders who can align enterprise-wide change, strengthen operating models, mobilise complex transformation programmes and build capability ahead of major events.
While transformation activity remains healthy, the differentiator is no longer the scale of change,it is the ability to execute it. Organisations increasingly need experienced operators who can bring together multiple functions, accelerate delivery and convert strategic ambition into measurable outcomes.
For BIE, this creates a clear opportunity to provide concentrated expertise: senior leaders who can complement existing teams, deliver against defined outcomes and help organisations build stronger, more future-focused capabilities.
Written by Simon Moore, Managing Director within BIE’s CFO & Financial Leadership Practice
If any of the themes explored in this quarter’s insights resonate with your organisation’s priorities, challenges or transformation agenda, we’d be pleased to continue the conversation.
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