Q5 to host webinar on balancing costs with sustainable growth
In early 2023, management consultancy Q5 will host a digital panel to discuss how business leaders can navigate cost reduction campaigns without compromising on growth targets. The event comes as the latest instalment of the ‘In Conversation with Q5’ event series.
Many UK businesses currently find themselves between a rock and a hard place. With worsening economic conditions, the first order for many executives is reducing spending to protect their bottom line, and ensure the immediate survival of their business. However, investors are also indicating that should spending cuts impact ESG or growth policies, they are willing to exit their stakes.
On January 31st 2023, at 17:00, Q5’s new webinar aims to help business leaders talk through these issues – and help them answer some of the questions they have around reducing business costs, while also preparing for sustainable growth. Q5's Tom Leary will be joined by expert speakers, Graham Page, Organisational Design Director at Q5; Emma Humphreys, Interim Chief Financial Officer at News UK; and Nicola Downing, CEO at Ricoh Europe; walking through tips for CFOs and CEOs about how to enter into the process of cost-saving, who to involve, and which approaches work best.
Panellist Graham Page stated, “In times of recession & inflation many companies suffer from an immediate and significant squeeze on revenues and profits. Controlling costs is an essential element in minimising the impact of external challenges but can it be done while maintaining a focus on growing the business? We will explore how smart organisations use their strategic goals as a pathway to cutting and investing turning challenges into opportunities.”
Gartner studies suggest that 43% of leaders actually achieve the level of savings they set out to in the first year of cost reduction, with unrealistic targets contributing to the problem. And just 11% of organisations can sustain cost cuts over a three-year period. This is because most cost-cutting strategies are short term and fail to preserve the behavioural change required for smart spending decisions in the future. Over the course of the event, the panel will look to answer some of the most important questions facing organisations, to help avoid this kind of outcome.
Event Chair Tom Leary added, “Attendees of this webinar will hear directly from a CEO and CFO of globally recognised brands, how they think about transforming their cost base in times of economic uncertainty, how to set realistic targets, what they need to consider from a revenue sustainability and cultural perspective, what they have learned from doing this and what advice they have if you are a CFO or CEO in the same position.”
Attendance for ‘How to tread the fine line between cost reduction and sustainable growth’ is free of charge. E-tickets to see the webinar must be reserved via the Eventbrite page of under the event’s name.