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How PwC can help

Your long term partner

Geopolitical, economic and environmental uncertainties abound. We can help you address competing issues, and evaluate the impact of large shifts so you can plan for the future. And we bring a team of specialists together from across PwC to help establish a thorough, integrated strategy and direction.

We’ll collaborate with you over the long term to create resilience, driving your business, and the aerospace, defence and security industry, forward.

Forging a recovery path

The industry is experiencing unprecedented setbacks that significantly affect demand, investments and the workforce. It’s time to rethink operations, deals and sales. Now is the time to rethink delivery strategies and risk exposure.

Our team of skilled professionals brings fresh thinking, analysis, and problem-solving to these large and complex issues. We focus on repairing weakened links to support long-term strength and renewed vitality. Together, we can help reimagine success for your organisation.

Your guide from deals to transformation

PwC understands the impact of compounding global trends and regulations and works with you to formulate an impactful response. We can help you strengthen your position for the future by strategically managing risk, building flexible supply chains and agile operations. Together, we can help you reduce your costs and create new value through deals.

Your workforce will be a critical ally throughout this journey. Our proprietary platforms and upskilling strategies help you develop a competitive, engaged, and future-ready workforce. We can also help you capture increased value from your digital transformation.

Technology made for speed and agility

Data, analytics, and technology are reshaping industry expectations and opportunities. Companies that invest in technology's exponential potential can accelerate research and development (R&D), generate more insights through data, and build more resilient operations.

PwC brings our expertise in technology and cybersecurity to guide your adoption of new tools and new thinking. We’ll collaborate with you to quickly scale these innovative efforts for long-term, sustainable growth.

Automotive

Accelerate through the curves. Hello, tomorrow. Reimagining moving people and goods.

The automotive sector is in the midst of unprecedented change. Marked by the continued advancement of EVs and AVs, a convergence of industries, transformed supply chains, and rapidly changing customer preferences geared towards more sustainable options, these shifts are requiring companies to simultaneously navigate today’s evolving landscape and plan for the future of mobility.

PwC’s community of solvers bring industry experience, investment in the latest digital technologies and knowledge of local markets around the world. Helping you deliver strong and lasting results to become future-ready in every aspect of your business. Bringing you valuable insights to address critical risk, tax, audit, assurance, strategy consulting and ESG issues across the globe. Working with you to build trust across the value chain.

How PwC can help

End-to end value chain agility

Emerging transportation models will pose new demands on product development, supply chain efficiency, sustainability and local regulations. But they also present new ways to create value.

We convene knowledge, expertise and unique capabilities from across PwC to identify new opportunities across the value chain, and help you bring them to life. Together, we can help you enter new sub-industries, reduce risk,digitise your supply chain and implement agile operating systems. And our digital insights, experience and proprietary tools help you reshape your value chain to excel today and in the future.

Efficiency achieved. Workforce transformed

We help keep you prepared for the curves ahead by improving operational efficiency, building flexibility and reducing costs. These moves help to achieve profitability and growth—however the market evolves.

To stay competitive, you need to bring your workforce along on this journey. Our comprehensive, targeted workforce strategies fill talent gaps through upskilling and digital capability building—and help you achieve lasting change through a culture of performance and excellence.

Command of local regulations

The Smart Mobility ecosystem holds promise for faster, safer, cleaner and digitally connected transportation models. These models can benefit economies and transform societies for the better. But they also come with new risks, regulations and legal considerations. Legislation governing these changes is evolving at different speeds from one country to the next.

We bring our global connections and resources, local legislative and customer insights and deep industry experience to navigate this changing terrain. Paired with our understanding of risk, regulatory and legal environments in target markets, we’re ready to help you identify the right strategic decisions, investments and priorities.

Electric or autonomous—we’re good to go

Consumers have embraced connected vehicles and are increasingly looking for sustainable options, shared models and electric cars. Expectations, and competition, will continue to grow—and automakers have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.

PwC harnesses our industry partnerships developing mobility and infrastructure strategies to help you accelerate innovation and create value from data. Our specialists will work with you to help map your evolving priorities and navigate the shift to the Smart Mobility ecosystem.

Chemicals

Chemical companies must navigate a volatile landscape: raw material shortages, rising energy costs and logistics challenges. PwC can help with industry-specific advisory and strategy services. Sustainability is a key driver of change

Several big trends are driving change in the chemicals sector, especially the rising importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. Delivering sustained outcomes and maintaining trust will require smarter, more efficient ways of working.

Such a transformation will help the sector shift to lower-carbon processes and operations. It will also make it easier to manage the ongoing convergence that will see chemicals businesses work increasingly closely with the energy and utilities industry.

Other factors reshaping the sector include digitisation, new mergers and acquisitions, changing consumer demands and black swan events. All this will require companies to re-examine their business models, find new ways to create value for customers and upskill their workforces for the future.

Chemical companies that are paying attention to current trends are reinventing themselves as champions of the circular economy. That’s increasingly important as the world moves towards sustainability and tackles efforts such as reducing plastic waste.

This requires fundamental changes in the way that chemical companies operate, the products they develop for customers and the organisations they collaborate with across supply chains and the broader economy.

To move in the right direction, the sector must understand the value that it can create and deliver, not just for itself but for users downstream. This includes financial value, as well as value through improved sustainability or lower carbon emissions. Chemical companies will need better data to do this, which requires digital transformation. They will also need to explore new partnerships, even with competitors, to develop new methods for extracting and recycling chemicals from existing materials.

Succeeding in the future economy will require chemical companies to proactively manage ESG expectations. The sector is in a unique position, finding itself sandwiched between increasingly strict industry regulations on one hand and rising customer demands for sustainability on the other. Technology – digitisation in particular – will be critical for this.

The chemical industry is energy intensive and relies heavily on fossil fuel inputs. It will need to innovate rapidly to reduce its carbon emissions. Companies that adopt sustainable processes and technologies will enjoy an advantage in a global economy that’s shifting rapidly to net zero.

Transforming its use of energy will require the chemicals sector to reduce consumption, increase efficiency, replace carbon-based energy sources with renewables and find ways to recover energy from end-of-life products.

Chemical companies also have an opportunity to improve ESG performance across value chains. They can do this by changing inputs and processes to create lower-carbon products, or by making it possible to recover and recycle critical materials from their products after use.

As they pursue transformation, companies in the chemicals sector need to become much more customer- and application-centric. This means developing and delivering innovative products and solutions that address customer and consumer needs.

Producing more sustainable materials and processes is costly – and it’s part of the reason that many chemicals companies have struggled to get a return out of both digital and sustainability initiatives. Overcoming such challenges will require the industry to redefine value across its broader value chain, and to innovate in collaboration with other parties. This will help put the sector on the path to adding value sustainably and will provide a competitive edge to companies that currently worry about losing business to rivals.

Compared to other industries, the chemicals sector has not kept pace with digitisation. Its future sustainability depends on technological transformation that can support new business models.

While many chemicals companies have digitised some aspects of their business, these efforts have often been aimed at specific areas, such as supply chain and production, with the goal of improving the bottom line. A more holistic approach is needed to innovate and mitigate risk for the future.

Improving digital channels and the workforce’s digital skills will help companies retain customers who increasingly expect 24/7 service – including self-service – as well as shorter order lead times and immediate access to the information they need. Analytics and artificial intelligence will provide insights to make better decisions, optimise operations and reduce customer churn.

Multiple trends are reshaping the industry

Data-driven innovation

With more data insights into supply chains, customers, and end consumers, chemical companies have the opportunity to better understand the sustainability of their operations and decarbonise their business models through innovation. They can also use analytics to improve decision-making around the value—both financial and non-financial—that they create for stakeholders and partners downstream.

Data analysis of customers and supply chains will also help companies identify industry sustainability trends and preferences. This opens the door to opportunities to respond to market needs by innovating new, more sustainable processes and materials.

Green hydrogen

Green hydrogen could help significantly reduce global carbon emissions. And developing a hydrogen-based economy will bring many new opportunities for the chemicals sector. However, sustainable hydrogen and hydrogen-based resources are not yet readily available in the near term.

Almost all of today’s hydrogen is ‘grey’ hydrogen produced using fossil fuels – natural gas, in particular. While green hydrogen production is possible, it often costs many times more than grey hydrogen.

By innovating green hydrogen production processes, the chemicals industry has an opportunity to reduce both its own carbon footprint and that of other hydrogen-using sectors across the supply chain. Chemical companies also have an opportunity to expand their capabilities in this area through cross-sector collaboration and acquisitions of innovative startups.

Cross-industry collaboration

While chemical companies today continually pursue innovation through internal research initiatives, they have an opportunity to accelerate such efforts through industry and cross-industry collaboration.

Many governments around the world are providing financial support and other incentives to encourage these efforts, and companies should seek these out.

As they pursue net-zero goals, companies also need to be ready to work with competitors and customers to improve innovation across the industry and the global supply chain. Sustainability isn’t something that can be achieved by individual effort alone – it requires a wide range of resources and skills across industries and stakeholder groups.

ESG-driven innovation

Because its products are used by so many other industries, the chemicals sector is in a unique position to drive sustainability across the global supply chain. Significant opportunity lies in innovating new ways to reduce industry waste, replace traditional materials and processes with lower-carbon ones and enable greater product recovery and recycling.

Such innovations would not only help move many businesses and end consumers closer to net zero, but could deliver a range of other knock-on benefits: increased product durability, reduced need for repurchases and greater opportunities for reuse and repair. They could also make it easier for industries to comply with evolving regulations on carbon and waste, integrate sustainability performance into their reporting and lead the way on new trends and standards.

Sustainability-focused deals

As global net zero efforts gain momentum, the chemicals sector has an opportunity to reshape its product portfolio accordingly through mergers, acquisitions and corporate venturing activity. So it needs to be looking at ways to rethink its approach to deals and partnerships.

New strategies will help chemical companies access new technologies and capabilities, expand into new business models and capture new opportunities for growth. Such approaches are needed to overcome current challenges such as stagnating growth and a lack of agility.

At the same time, the industry is also likely to see growing divestment of carbon-intensive assets. Companies that shed unsustainable lines of business can not only shrink their carbon emissions but can also reduce their exposure to climate and regulatory risks.

Growth in Asia

The Asia-Pacific region will play a dual role in the future of the chemicals industry. For multinationals, it’s a market with a large potential for growth. The region’s expanding number of market consolidators and low-cost players will also mean increasing competition for established companies.

As a leader in the industry’s growth over the past couple of decades, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to continue gaining increased influence on global trade. And the region’s growing demand for chemical products creates new opportunities for companies that can establish a foothold in local markets – whether through developing new products for those markets, partnering with Asian industry players or tailoring sales activities to local needs.

Doing business in Asia-Pacific – China in particular – also raises the potential for new industry opportunities and challenges. It will be important to stay abreast of potential risks that could arise from market volatility, local environmental hazards, regulatory updates and intellectual property rights considerations.

Oil and Gas

Outlook: An industry reinventing itself. In a world facing climate change, few industries will need to adapt more than the carbon-intensive oil and gas sector. We can help navigate industry challenges. ESG pressures, geopolitics will drive wholesale transformation

The global economy had just started a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic when the market experienced unprecedented levels of volatility again. This upset an already complex situation of tight oil markets and heightened price volatility. Energy companies are now forced to refocus their ESG efforts on supply security and energy independence. As the gas sector continues its strategic diversification efforts, there’s new momentum for transitioning to renewables.

The crisis has become an acute motivator to go green now, rather than in 30 years. Accelerating this transition means developing energy storage that’s fit for the future and expanding interconnections so countries can share energy. This highlights how crucial it is to invest in solar, heat pumps and energy efficiency. It’s also vital to speed up approval processes for renewables infrastructure.

Until recently, the need to decarbonise was largely viewed in the context of ESG. But we have now received a wakeup call: Transitioning to clean energy is critical for ensuring energy security.

Sustainability challenges on multiple fronts

The historically volatile oil and gas sector will only see increasing uncertainty in coming years. Among the forces driving that will be growing pressure for digital transformation, evolving regulations on carbon emissions reduction and reporting, new infrastructure investment demands and changing workforce needs.

Staying ahead of change is critical

Shifting interest in fossil fuel investments

As the world progresses on the path to net zero, the oil and gas industry will see increasingly less reason to invest in new fossil fuel supplies. Spending has already declined in recent years, driven in part by lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another factor has been the expectations of investors and other stakeholders, who are leading the call for more investment in renewable energy resources instead. However, given the current situation, there’s now renewed interest in also securing energy supplies through domestic hydrocarbon production.

ESG as a driver of value

Faced with changing business growth models, the sector is seeking to build value through other strategies. As pressure builds to improve ESG performance, an increasing number of companies will consider such efforts to help reduce business risks, improve resilience, enhance corporate reputations, grow revenues, and create long-term value.

Growing investment in renewables and ‘green molecules’

In recent years, companies have steadily increased their investments in renewable energy and ‘green molecule’ resources like hydrogen fuel produced using renewables rather than natural gas. Those investments are expected to keep growing as more businesses and governments commit to net-zero goals. However, more progress is needed: Oil, coal and natural gas still account for 80% of today’s energy supply.

Decarbonising supply chains

Moving to new and greener sources of energy will do more than transform the global energy system – it will drive change across supply chains of all kinds. In addition to expanding demand for solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, it will create new demands for lower-carbon raw materials, parts, products and means of transport. Businesses that embrace these changes and find new ways to create new value from decarbonising their value chains will gain lasting strategic and competitive advantages.

Risks of limited capital, supply shortages

With investors increasingly directing their money towards renewables and green energy technologies, oil and gas companies are likely to face a capital-constrained future. This will drive more self-funded growth. Without proper planning for this new business environment, there’s also a risk of energy supply shortages. Companies can avert such risk and discover new opportunities by reassessing their current business strategies and planning for a future market that will be very different from today’s.

Rising earnings bring new opportunities

Oil and gas demand and prices rebounded after the availability of COVID-19 vaccines paved the way for economic recovery. That’s generated positive free cash flow for many companies, raising questions about how they should use that money. Businesses have several options to choose from: debt repayment, dividend payouts, new asset developments, infrastructure upgrades and mergers or acquisitions.

M&A and consolidation

With company debt declining, the oil and gas sector is seeing increased activity in strategic M&A. This will drive consolidation, reshape the industry and create new market alignments. Industry deals with complementary sectors will also help to steadily blur the boundaries between oil and gas, power and utilities, chemicals and other businesses closely tied to energy.

Improving the industry’s ESG engagement

ESG requirements are continuing to evolve, and global sustainability standards have yet to be established. As a result, companies in the emissions-intensive oil and gas industry can expect ongoing challenges in setting targets, tracking performance and reporting on progress. Building momentum towards sustainability will also require cultural change and buy-in from across the workforce. These changes are likely to become easier as ESG requirements become standardised and more government and financial incentives for sustainability are put in place.

‘Licence to operate’ factors

The oil and gas industry could risk its social licence to operate if it doesn’t take clear actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through renewables, carbon capture or other strategies. Governments, investors, consumers and other stakeholders increasingly expect companies to set net-zero targets and achieve sustainability. Businesses that act sooner rather than later will be able to demonstrate their commitment to these goals, improve resilience and build long-term value in a fast-changing economy.

Commodity trading

Commodity traders continue to show a strong interest in short-term oil and gas investments. However, they increasingly recognise the longer-term risks created by the industry’s carbon-heavy footprint. Like other investors, they can be expected to demonstrate a growing preference for companies that are acting to improve ESG performance and achieve net-zero goals.

Cyber threats will only increase

Digital transformation can help the industry improve efficiency and reduce emissions. But it also creates new opportunities for bad actors to launch cyber attacks against oil and gas infrastructure. Such threats could severely disrupt business, cause millions in damage and even lead to loss of life. Enhancing cyber security will be a challenge as the world’s energy system grows ever more complex, but it’s also imperative. Companies that can take a cyber security lead will have an edge over competitors.

Mining & Metals

PwC’s global mining and metals practice has the expertise to help you navigate and respond to the powerful dynamics reshaping the industry. A critical role in net zero shift

The accelerating transition to net zero is heavily impacting the mining and metals sector, which will need to provide the resources critical for a greener economy.

The electric vehicle revolution is underway and solar and wind energy capacity is expanding rapidly – the International Energy Agency (see source 1) predicts that, by 2026, electricity from renewables will equal the 2020 global power capacity of “fossil fuels and nuclear combined”. These developments will drive rising demand for battery metals, rare earths, copper and iron ore.

The industry also stands to reap other rewards as the world moves to embrace ESG. Across every industry, companies with higher ESG ratings are expected to generate stronger long-term shareholder and market value, and are expected to be rewarded through access to new and lower-interest capital.

How will the industry adapt to the changing world?

Compared to many other industries, mining and metals weathered the COVID-19 pandemic well. The sector on average emerged from the pandemic with stronger balance sheets and available free cash flow on the back of higher commodity prices. The coming years will be critical for the industry as it continues to support the global energy transition and responds to stakeholder demands to integrate ESG into business strategies. How the industry responds will help build trust and business growth, and companies that get this right will position themselves best to succeed in the net zero transition.

Key trends impacting the industry

Growing demand for new minerals

Clean energy technologies critical in the global transition to net zero will require more mineral inputs. The International Energy Agency predicts that the world will need six times as much of those minerals by 2040 (source 3) to achieve net zero by the mid-century. Some minerals will require even greater increases in production. For example, demand for lithium for electric vehicles and other batteries is projected to grow more than 40-fold by 2040. Other high-demand minerals include graphite, cobalt, nickel and copper. For miners, exploring and developing sites for these mineral groups will pose both a challenge and an opportunity.

Availability of free cash flow

Strong balance sheets, record commodity prices and prudent capital management have helped the mining and metals sector to deliver outstanding results well ahead of forecasts. This leaves miners in an enviable position. However, there remains a choice on how they can make best use of the cash generated. Do they double down on their existing asset base by relying on the abundance of cheap debt and free cash flow? Or will they take a strategic step to shift towards decarbonisation and an ESG agenda, adding assets that will put them ahead of the next mining boom?

Acting on ESG delivers long-term value

Mining companies that embrace ESG as a core part of their business strategy will enjoy the greatest opportunities for sustainable growth, long-term value creation and maintaining a social licence to operate. Companies with higher ESG ratings show better market performance and outperform the broader market, delivering shareholder returns that averaged 10% higher than the general market index. In addition, improved sustainability provides a way to differentiate operations and products on the market – for example, low-carbon aluminium can command a premium price. Finally, with a growing number of investors prioritising ESG, high-scoring mining companies can gain better and lower-priced access to capital.

Tax transparency helps to build credibility

For many mining companies, the taxes they pay can be their largest contribution to ESG. While 39% of industry CEOs are concerned about tax policy uncertainty, only 30% of the top 40 companies adopted tax transparency reporting in 2020. Increasing tax transparency provides mining companies with an opportunity to reap significant benefits. For example, a company can build its reputation in the communities where it operates by highlighting the social benefits that its taxes help to support. Organisations that are open about their tax strategies and governance also have greater appeal to ESG-focused investors. Tax transparency can even give companies the opportunity to have more say in developing local and regional tax policies.

ESG thinking opens new opportunities to grow through mergers

Mining companies have an opportunity to build value by viewing mergers and acquisitions opportunities through an ESG lens. This means looking for assets that not only meet traditional industry benchmarks but feature low-carbon footprints, have links with government and support local communities. Such assets can help companies meet their net zero goals and provide solid returns on investment by strengthening their position in expanding markets for green technologies. Organisations also have room to grow through looking for deals involving battery minerals and rare earth elements, which are seeing rising demand.

Power & Utilities

Our global power and utilities practice has the expertise to help you get ahead in a world of energy change. An industry facing transformation pressures

Energy transformation isn’t something for the future. It is happening now. PwC can help you make the right moves in an era of new energy sources, distributed generation, smart grids, digital transformation and increasingly empowered customers.

The power and utilities sector is more resilient than most. But the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique supply-and-demand shock for the industry, resulting in both near- and long-term uncertainty and operational challenges.

Companies also need to rapidly transition to net zero to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. This will require a new energy mix – including green hydrogen and other alternative fuels– that will break down the traditional barriers between energy sectors, and with other industries as well.

All of this will accelerate industry consolidation and drive utilities to explore new business activities.

Thinking about energy in new ways

Adapting to climate change and a new energy mix will require the power sector to think differently about every aspect of operations. This includes embracing new kinds of relationships with consumers, critically examining how it measures and uses performance data, and reevaluating what business success looks like.

Trust in the energy/electricity system is fundamental

Consumer trust in the power & utilities sector has stayed the same or grown in recent years, most notably during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. To navigate the industry’s transformation in the years ahead, the industry needs to maintain or increase those levels of trust. Customers must be confident that their critical utility services will remain reliable even as the industry adopts new business models, moves to a new energy mix and shifts to smart grids, distributed generation and other digitally enabled technologies.

Electricity and heat production accounts for 35% of greenhouse gas emissions globally – the power and utilities sector is by far the industry with the largest emissions footprint. So the sector clearly has a major role to play in bringing emissions to net zero.

The industry needs to embrace new ways of working to transform for a more sustainable future. To succeed, companies must help customers to also become value chain partners – that is, to interact with utilities as more than just consumers of services.

This could include allowing customers to sell home-generated solar power back into the grid or to act as small-scale sources of energy storage to help stabilize power supplies across a service region. Utilities already work with industrial customers to support such balancing services, and these will be vital for providing reliable supplies of energy in the future.

The good news is that the industry has already made significant progress in some places. In the US, the power sector brought greenhouse gas emissions 52% below projected levels between 2005 and 2020 (source 2). By achieving net zero globally, the industry would have a major impact on climate change efforts.

Future changes must be built on data and analytics

With the multiple challenges it’s facing, the power and utilities sector must ensure that business-critical decisions are grounded in up-to-date, accurate and complete understanding of the issues at hand. This is true whether the challenge is balancing supply and demand across the grid, optimizing operating costs or managing user experiences to keep customers satisfied and prevent churn.

Good decisions come from reliable and timely data across the business and the business ecosystem. But with so much data available from myriad sources – digital communications, sensor readings, supply chain metrics and more – organizations need the help of analytics to understand trends, anticipate problems and manage needs proactively. Used effectively, digital data and advanced analytics will provide the vital insights that utilities need to move into the new energy era.

Hydrogen has potential, but more progress is needed

Using hydrogen as a fuel could help many carbon-intensive sectors of the economy reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike oil, coal and natural gas, hydrogen produces no carbon dioxide when used to power vehicles or other machinery – it's only byproduct is water vapor.

Today, “green” hydrogen created using renewable energy remains several times more expensive than so-called “grey” hydrogen generated using fossil fuels. Production costs have been steadily decreasing but building a sustainable hydrogen economy will also require a large-scale infrastructure upgrade, including the construction of new hydrogen production plants, pipelines and filling stations. The manufacture of fuel cell vehicles will also need to be ramped up dramatically.

Electricity becomes the core of the energy system

Moving away from carbon-based sources of energy to renewable ones will radically reshape the energy ecosystem. This transformation brings risks and opportunities for the power and utilities industry. The leaders will be those who can build a more diverse, flexible, and distributed energy infrastructure. Those who can’t—or won’t—will fall behind.

The future energy infrastructure will be more complex than today’s. And it will create new paths for generating molecules that deliver energy where it’s needed. Instead of using carbon molecules to power the transport and industry, tomorrow’s energy systems will rely on electricity produced through renewable sources. Electricity has the potential to become the dominant form of power delivery for everything from industrial processes to home heating to transport.

Renewable energy technologies are the key to reducing electricity sector emissions

Decarbonizing the power and utilities sector requires a large-scale shift to renewable sources of energy. This will mean significant investments in new energy infrastructure. That includes not only wind and solar energy development but much wider deployment of battery-based or thermal energy storage to smooth out volatility in supply and demand.

This is feasible, and many of these needed changes are already seeing considerable momentum. For example, the generation of electricity from renewables continues to accelerate around the world (Source 3). The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects that, by 2040, renewables will account for 47% of the global electricity market, up from 29% today.

The energy sector will be dominated by renewables

The energy sector’s path to net zero, the IEA notes, is “narrow but still achievable.” (Source 4)Transforming an industry that’s currently responsible for about three-fourths of all greenhouse gas emissions will mean a push to deploy clean and efficient energy technologies on a massive, global scale.

Governments will need to invest heavily in energy research and development. Businesses and individuals will also need support, as this energy transition will demand behavioral, societal, and technological changes.

Energy efficiency

Efficiency improvements are critical to temper the growing demand for energy. Without more efficient technologies and significant change in energy policies, global energy consumption is projected to increase by 50% by 2050. (Source 5)

The power and utilities industry will also benefit from ongoing efficiency increases on the supply side. Even with recent increases in commodity costs, the cost efficiency of renewables such as wind and solar has risen dramatically over the past couple of decades.

Mega blackouts

Around the world, many regions need to make large investments to bring their grid and power infrastructure up to date. Even more upgrades will be required to defend against climate change risks, including extreme weather, droughts, and wildfires. Without resilient energy systems and up-to-date digital technologies to help balance supply and demand, utilities face the growing potential for rolling blackouts that could affect large areas for days, weeks, or even months.

Utilities must also have IT defenses that can protect the grid against ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. In addition, modernizing systems will be critical to meet rising energy demands.

Grid companies have a massive role to play

The electricity grid will provide the backbone for a transformed, net zero energy system that will include more renewable energy sources, wider adoption of electric vehicles, home-based solar generation, storage and more. So grid companies must take the lead. They have a critical role to play in bringing about a cleaner, more distributed energy system – from educating consumers about required behavioral changes to integrating innovative energy storage technologies to supporting net zero industry and government policies.

Engineering & Construction

Built for the dynamic future. Hello, tomorrow. Embracing a new era in engineering and construction. The engineering and construction industry is at an inflection point. Smart cities, sustainable construction, emerging markets, government regulations—these large-scale changes are pushing companies to adapt to disruption, rethink what’s possible and act on a new vision for the future of the industry.

PwC’s community of solvers brings you our distinctive E&C insights and experience, with ESG and tech-powered strategies to drive the right business outcomes. And through our expertise in critical risk, tax, audit, assurance and strategy consulting, we help you move boldly and confidently into the future to create lasting value for your business.

How we can help

Business models with a vision

The same trends that we see challenging traditional business models are also creating breakthrough opportunities. The increasingly connected world offers a proliferation of data and automation opportunities—which means new products, customers and revenue.

We can help you seize these opportunities by making the right infrastructure and digital investments to set your company—and your vision—apart. And we help you rethink and reconfigure your value chain by forging new partnerships and alliances - leading to a greater impact in current and emerging markets, where demand is accelerating.

Resilience and efficiency solutions

Digital technologies—especially artificial intelligence (AI)—will power large-scale changes in the engineering and construction industry. You have an opportunity to drive innovation forward with confidence.

PwC can help you make strategic investments and adopt new materials and methods to reduce costs and improve productivity and safety. All while delivering consistent, powerful design efficiencies.

Through stronger, more flexible supply chains and data-driven strategies, we help you build resilience in the face of changing market dynamics and unforeseen disruption. And our breadth of experience in capital projects, infrastructure and finance helps you manage risk as you grow and strengthen your business.

Your workforce - driving productivity

Automation and remote working methods - from design to construction, to management - will transform the engineering and construction industry. Your workforce strategy is critical to meeting this moment - helping productivity breakthroughs and accelerating innovation.

We can help your people not only adapt, but thrive in this new digital era. Through our digital upskilling and capability building programmes, we address gaps, highlight industry trends and help your organisation set the pace for digitally enabled excellence.

Sustainability smarts

The way society lives and works is already changing. And smart, sustainable cities represent a new frontier for value creation for governments, businesses and society. But true sustainability requires a multifaceted approach.

Together, we can help you develop strategies to measure and track improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability. And we can help you navigate the changing regulations and bring long-term thinking to design and asset management.

Financial Services

We focus on helping clients shape the future of their FS business, and execute strategies on the impact of risk and regulation, FinTech, and the changing face of the customer.

We focus on the future of financial services, effectively working with clients as they reevaluate their strategies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, while advising on key issues such as the impact of risk and regulation, cyber and financial crime, new financial service technologies and FinTech, and the changing face of the customer.

Asset & wealth management

PwC's Asset management practice guides in such areas as market reporting, operations, human resources, regulation, restructuring, and risk management.

PwC's asset and wealth management practice provides unique industry insights to traditional asset managers, hedge funds, real estate firms, and private equity houses. Our experience with asset managers worldwide can help you with the issues that you face today, from post-COVID-19 strategy and beyond.

Insurance

PwC's Insurance practice provides guidance in such areas as technology, regulation, customer experience, the productivity agenda and other issues.

The insurance industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, new regulations, new technology, accelerating shifts in consumer demand and mounting competition from InsurTech players were challenging insurers.

We can help navigate this increasingly complex and uncertain business and geopolitical landscape. To make the most of these opportunities, we can help organisations look beyond the traditional boundaries of the insurance business to embrace new ways of working, new ways of interacting with customers, and whole new possibilities in what their business can deliver.

Banking & capital markets industry

PwC's Banking and capital markets practice provides guidance on retail banking, risk and regulation, FinTech, consumer credit, private banking and more.

Regulatory reform, more stringent capital requirements, risk management considerations, disruptive technologies, a low interest rate environment, and enhanced reporting requirements were all challenges to growth in banking and capital markets, even before COVID-19 entered the picture. Sophisticated strategies and solutions will be required for financial institutions to navigate the pandemic and gain a competitive edge. PwC professionals assist many of today's largest banks and securities firms with their most challenging issues in every segment of the financial industry: consumer/retail banking, commercial banking, wholesale banking, mortgage banking, securitisation, capital markets, insurance, investment management, broker/dealer and real estate.

Forest, Paper & Packaging

Climate change, resource scarcity, talent shortages, volatile exchange rates...

Our professionals understand the varying landscape across the forest, paper and packaging sector. We will help you view local and global issues from different angles and focus on developing strategies for improving operations and financial performance.

How PwC can help

PwC's Forest, paper and packaging practice provides guidance in such areas as US Alternative Fuel Mixture (“Black Liquor”) Credit, sustainability industry, supply chain management, downstream producers, distributors, building materials, housing market dynamics, pulp and fibre manufacture, and transportation costs.

Government & Public Services

Governments around the world face many complex issues and are constantly challenged to deliver public services in the most efficient way. We combine our domestic and global expertise to solve complex business issues and deliver innovative solutions.

How we can help

Our government and public services practice focuses on providing audit and assurance, tax and consulting services to local, national, regional and global government entities. We work together with our clients, looking for practical, workable and innovative solutions that make a difference in solving the pressing challenges that are being faced every day across a range of areas in the public domain, including education, defense and security, digital government, international development, local government and public finance.

Defence

PwC is actively helping governments and international alliances around the world understand and respond to increasing complex and unpredictable defence challenges. Governments and alliances, at all levels (international, national, state and local), operate in an environment characterised by increasing economic migration, changing demographics, diminishing natural resources, rising security concerns, financial pressure, and a more demanding electorate. In today's world the mandate to transform from traditional defence capabilities has never been stronger. PwC is well-equipped to facilitate this change.

The focus of our defense offerings is helping defence organizations to become more agile - flexible, accountable, and able to rapidly respond. PwC's network of premier business advisors has strong relationships with defense leaders at the local level while also bringing knowledge of the global security environment and the complexities and dependencies therein. Below are some of the services that are delivered in a collaborative, open and direct style by our professionals wherever in the world you need us.

Operational effectiveness
Evaluation & studies
Stabilisation operations
Human capital & change management
Risk & governance management
Program & project management
Finance & assurance services
Information technology services

Education/not-for-profit

Education is key to economic competitiveness and social cohesion. It helps individuals and communities to reach their full potential. Governments across the world are therefore committed to raising educational attainment and skills and promoting access to lifelong learning. Governments face common challenges in seeking to achieve their education and skills objectives.

How can new investment in learning be managed most effectively and equitably, often within decentralised governance structures? What strategies can be employed to secure resources from the private and not-for-profit sectors? What should 21st century learning organisations look like? What sort of teaching and learning should take place in them? How can out-dated management arrangements be updated or transformed?

PwC is committed to helping governments and other public agencies address these and many other complex questions. We can do so successfully because our work in the education sector is grounded in experience at all levels of government and public services. It covers:

Advising international bodies such as the World Bank and the European Commission;
Providing consultancy support to national government education departments and their agencies on major new education policies and programmes;
Working with state, regional and local government bodies including on organisational restructuring and privatisation; and
Supporting the frontline deliverers of learning services - universities, colleges and schools - particularly through our assurance services.

International development

Making a difference, delivering on our purpose. Helping to solve some of the world’s biggest development challenges and transform the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people.

We work with the organisations at the forefront of ending extreme poverty, and tackling disease, insecurity, inequality and the effects of climate change including multi-lateral and bi-lateral funding agencies, governments, international NGOs, foundations and the private sector.

With over 743 offices in 157 countries and over 223,000 staff, when it comes to finding powerful solutions to complex, multi-stakeholder problems few organisations have a stronger track record than PwC. We bring our expertise, experience, and harness the power of our global network, to help reduce poverty, improve health and education, and create a more equitable and prosperous world.

Public safety, justice, and security

Helping governments progress toward future proof. Planning for what’s next

In a world where crime is moving inside, and becoming more digital, governments must move quickly and efficiently to keep people safe and secure. With changes in crime, such as a rise in domestic violence, cyber threats and complex (organised) crime, policymaking is critical—and so too is reliable implementation on the ground for citizens.

At PwC, we have in-depth knowledge and experience to guide government leaders as they build trust and deliver sustained, mission-focused outcomes through forward-thinking transformation. Whether you’re focusing on order and security, laws and enforcement, jurisdictions and geographic boundaries, sovereignty, or cyber issues, we can help.

A global network of knowledge and experience

The world is increasingly connected. Many megatrends—such as demographic changes, global power shifts, rapid urbanization, climate change, resource scarcity, and technological breakthroughs—affect everyone. Yet different areas face different challenges at different times. That’s why we have teams on the ground in different places, addressing nuances while sharing information to solve some of the most complex security challenges of our time.

Health Services

PwC has one of the largest health industry networks advising clients — including policy makers, healthcare providers, payers and health sciences — to meet the challenges of addressing value, new entrants and new global markets

How we can help

Although healthcare challenges can vary from region to region, health systems around the world have the same objective: to finance and deliver the highest possible quality of care to the maximum number of people at the lowest possible cost.

We provide health organisations with professional guidance not just on healthcare issues in their local markets but also about operating in global markets including a broad mix of service lines that may include manufactured goods, retail, mobile communication devices, and information systems. PwC brings a world of multiple-industry experience to its healthcare engagements.

Hospitality & Leisure

Hospitality and leisure companies must meet the challenges of consumer trends, economic conditions, technology and competition. PwC’s global team stands ready to help.

How we can help

PwC's Hospitality and leisure practice provides guidance in such areas as gaming, lodging, marinas, sports facilities and teams, travel and tourism, vacation ownership, franchise and management selection, lease structuring, lodging asset, valuation and appraisal.

Industrial Manufacturing

Making the leap to more digital, dynamic and efficient operations.The only constant in today’s industrial manufacturing environment is disruption. Disruption from new tech-based entrants, to the decoupling of the global supply chain, to the transition to net zero. And changing consumer preferences and new distribution models are continuously reshaping the industry. But with disruption comes the opportunity to innovate.

To stay competitive, organisations must be able to integrate new business models and pro-actively invest in new technologies to accelerate and adapt. All while addressing critical risk, tax, audit, assurance and strategy consulting issues across the globe. PwC’s community of solvers collaborates with manufacturers to help tackle today’s challenges. Finding new ways to create value and opportunities for sustained growth.

How PwC can help

Strategic investments. Smarter value chains

Strategic, data-driven investments can help you make improvements across the value chain. These include building new capabilities, uncovering efficiency gains and incorporating new technological solutions.

We can guide you through cost and footprint optimisation, digitisation and deals to help strengthen your value chain and manage risk. And our real-time insights help you transform your supply chain to be more flexible, resilient and transparent. We can be your long-term, collaborative partner to help sustain powerful performance improvements.

Manufacturing - prepared to pivot

We see various forces at work reshaping the industry and the role of the manufacturer. And many are pivoting—embracing digital business-to-business (B2B) commerce and extended services.

These shifts open new profit pools, create opportunities and help you adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace and evolving customer expectations. We can work with you to understand where to make bold moves, how to sell and price and where and when to evolve.

We also collaborate with you on workforce planning and long-term strategies to maximise the value of your talent investments.

Your workforce—your value driver

A highly skilled digital workforce has become critical to keeping pace with this evolving industry. PwC can help your employees unlock their full potential and the potential of digital manufacturing. We help to identify and fill talent gaps, improve engagement and build a culture of performance.

We also collaborate with you on workforce planning and long-term strategies to maximise the value of your talent investments.

Dynamic and ready for complexity

Manufacturers are constructing smart factories while building a global presence and enhancing supply chains. And as you build and grow, you must balance innovation with risk, regulatory and legal shifts and market considerations.

We bring together a team of cross-functional experts with fresh perspectives, local insights and global industry knowledge. This team guides you through new value-creation opportunities and helps you determine where and when to position your operations. Together, we can help you achieve the transformations you need to deliver value today and into the future.

Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences

PwC’s global network of pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech experts works with you to define and deliver effective solutions to the complex challenges affecting your business in all areas from innovation to regulation and patient engagement.

How we can help

PwC's pharmaceuticals and life sciences practice helps pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device clients develop future focused business strategies and to implement the time critical programmes and procedures essential to success within worldwide regulatory frameworks.

The environment in which Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences companies operate is increasingly challenging, being driven by a more and more demanding healthcare agenda. The global need for innovative, cost effective medicines continues to rise whilst regulators, payers, health care providers and patients are demanding greater value for money, proven effectiveness of products, more transparency and access to information. To meet these demands companies are seeking ways to improve R&D productivity, increase the efficiency of its operations, rationalise spending on sales and marketing and enhance financial performance.

Working closely with our clients, ranging from small entrepreneurial life science companies to large global corporations, we aim to achieve increased performance by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a company’s key business operations.

Across the whole Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences value chain, PwC's trusted consultants and professional advisors use their wealth of industry based experience, knowledge and expertise to help our clients evaluate their strategic business options, improve management and control, and identify cost saving initiatives.

Private Equity

PwC’s Private equity practice provides guidance in such areas as managing funds, improving portfolio company performance, and throughout deal execution.

PwC is a leading advisor to private equity investors. We help drive performance optimization and growth enhancement of portfolio companies across the deal lifecycle. We also advise on fund-level strategies, sustainability, portfolio operations, and digital enablement.

Our scale, scope, and presence across geographies offer unparalleled capabilities, insights, and expertise. Our tailored and differentiated approaches to regions and markets help private equity firms make better investment decisions and realize value across their portfolios.

Create new opportunities in a changing world

Now is the time for private equity and principal investors to reimagine what’s possible. As market conditions shift—reacting to megatrends like digitization, deglobalization, and decarbonization—the private capital landscape is changing, with new opportunities for business model reinvention across asset classes. To help our clients build trust and deliver sustainable outcomes, our community of solvers brings together deep industry expertise and advanced tech capabilities to identify risks and uncover opportunities. Find out how we can support you, from your investment thesis to transaction to post-deal value creation to an exit strategy.

Working with PwC

We help create value at every stage of the transaction, from purchase through to optimisation and exit. Through one team, PwC provides private equity clients with a single point of access for wide-ranging solutions to challenges at every level of their private equity business.

Tax

The international tax atmosphere is in constant change, with increasing taxes, regulations, compliance and disputes. Our objective is to be by your side, wherever you operate, to help your organisation understand, comply and manage these global tax affairs, while achieving your strategic business goals.

Deals

Our deals practitioners work with private equity investors across the investment cycle, including: pre-financing, sourcing strategies, commercial and operational due diligence, post-investment performance transformation and value realisation, portfolio review, buyout/exit strategy, and synergy strategies.

Fund

In addition to our core functional services that span tax, accounting, and audit services, our work at the fund level includes strategy execution, operationalisation, and digital enablement of the fund.We see your business as a whole, and treat you as one client to bring significant economies of scale and efficient and effective planning, execution and response. Our integrated approach allows us to help create deal value by building the critical link between strategy and execution. At the management company and fund level, our team can assist your key personnel’s critical activities.

Portfolio operations

Our approach brings together our rigorous financial acumen, coupled with our strategy and operational specialists underpinned by our deep data, analytics, and technology capabilities to help deliver the outcomes and performance returns to our clients.We work with clients to design and execute portfolio optimisation and growth solutions centered on strategic positioning of the business, operational improvement, growth solution and revenue enhancement, and balance sheet optimisation. PwC has developed a specialised unit in our Private Equity Value Creation (PEVC) practice that is exclusively focused on advising private equity with a robust analytics based approach to rapidly identify commercial, operational, and digital value creation levers.

Sustainability

Environmental factors are changing the way we live and work at a rapid pace, driving organisations to rethink their strategy and transform their business, all while reporting progress transparently. At PwC, we’ve made a clear commitment to sustainability ourselves, and we’re ready to help our clients to also reach their own goals, exceed stakeholder expectations and redefine their value proposition. We help define sustainability strategies that will positively impact business and society, including designing sustainability strategy programs, governance and control solutions, data and reporting, and embedding sustainability levers and protocols into value creation playbooks.

Corporate finance

Our Corporate Finance practice provides lead-advisory services across a wide range of situations including sell-side and buy-side M&A; debt and equity fundraising; infrastructure and real-estate investment, financing and operations; and the sale and purchase of portfolios of assets. We work with other verticals in our wider Deals business to provide our clients with holistic and industry sector-specific support across their transactions, and leverage our extensive global network to source buyers for assets and providers of finance from across the world. Our business is globally connected, sector-focussed, value and data-driven, and tech enabled.

Business restructuring services

We work with private equity investors and portfolio companies on challenging situations that involve distressed businesses or underperforming companies, leveraging the expertise and capability of our Business Restructuring Services practice. This specialised global practice focuses uniquely on restructuring and sustainable financial and operational improvement across all industries and geographies.

Sovereign Investment Funds

The PwC Sovereign investment funds team brings insight and specialist knowledge that can help SWFs in improving performance.

Sovereign Investment Funds (SIF) are state-owned and backed investors including Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF), state-backed investment arms, and public pension funds (PPF).

PwC is a leading advisor to this global investor community. With hubs in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, New York, and London, PwC’s global Sovereign Investment Fund team advises government agencies and Sovereign funds themselves on transactions and investment structuring, capital allocation strategies, operating models and portfolio value creation.

SIFs are expected to play an increasingly influential role at a local, regional and global level. That growth will be overwhelmingly influenced by three megatrends: digitisation, decarbonisation and deglobalisation.

Create new opportunities in a changing world

Working with PwC

Deals

PwC’s work with investors, and asset managers spans across the investment cycle, including pre-financing, sourcing strategies, financial, commercial and operational due diligence, HR and talent diligence and leadership, post-investment performance transformation and value realisation and portfolio strategy.

Investment strategy and value creation

PwC advises on market, sector, and asset capital deployment strategies, search and screen, and defining investment hypotheses leading to post transaction value realisation and asset optimization across top and bottom line growth and cost efficiencies. PwC brings a wealth of experience and capabilities that can help you plan and manage such transformation programmes to keep assets stable, relevant and attractive to investors. We can help you to both transform the companies you’re already investing in and explore the transformation opportunities of new investments.

Tax advisory (fund & portfolio)

PwC’s fund tax work with sovereign investors spans the fund lifecycle, including set-up/structuring taking into consideration sovereign/pension investors’ unique positions, monitoring for potential impacts of legislative developments, and capitalising on opportunities to generate efficiencies.

Fund strategy, governance, and organisational design

PwC advises sovereign, alternative, and traditional asset managers on strategic business planning, target operating model design and implementation, and the optimal organisational structure and talent strategy.

Sustainability strategies and solutions

PwC advises clients in defining the fund sustainability strategy, implementing internal governance and controls, data strategy and analytics, and market and customer reporting.

Media

Our global media practice has the expertise to help you capture attention and build value in today's global multi-speed media landscape.

How we can help

Our global Media practice works with businesses to assist them with the shift from traditional business models to businesses, brands, and revenue streams that leverage digital content and platforms. We ensure they are at the forefront of the digital transformation driving immense change within this complex and evolving industry.

Our annual Global Entertainment & Media Outlook provides detailed commentary and data forecasts across 13 industry segments in 53 countries. It is designed to help businesses understand how their environment is changing so they can maximise their growth strategies.

Industry issues

Profitable growth within the Media industry will increasingly come from capturing market share rather than from expansion in the overall market. In response, media companies worldwide have embarked on a quest to create the most compelling, engaging and intuitive user experiences. And as companies adapt, invest, experiment and innovate to secure higher revenues and market share, they’re driving and capitalising on profound shifts in six key areas: business models, value chains, technology, content strategy, deals and regulation.

Business models

Many segments are at a tipping point where companies must be flexible and innovative to capture new growth streams through emerging business models. For example, in recorded music, labels are reaping big gains in performance rights as streaming becomes the dominant revenue source.

Value chains

Technological advances, and the new consumer behaviours they enable, are redistributing revenues and competitive advantage along the E&M value chain. In response, E&M businesses are building direct, sustainable relationships with consumers through a relentless focus on user experience.

Technological chains

Technological change is enabling E&M companies to innovate in product offerings, brands and business models around the user experience. We see this in fast-growth segments like virtual reality and e-sports, and in many other segments where data is evolving into a form of currency.

Content strategy

Although there’s a near-perfect correlation between rapid E&M growth and younger populations, content strategies must take account of a multitude of local factors. However, a bigger issue remains content discovery, since companies must penetrate consumers’ personal filtering mechanisms.

Deals

Capabilities-driven E&M deals will continue to create new revenue streams and enhance the user experience. In particular, we expect an increase in strategic deals focused on data, analytics and technology innovation.

Regulation

While companies increasingly operate on a global scale, it remains vital to understand the changes afoot at a local level. And while the impacts of regulation are hard to predict, its effects on E&M are often clear—witness giant streaming and e-commerce companies deciding not to compete directly in China.

Telecommunications

Providing assurance, consulting, and tax guidance to telecomm, cable, satellite and internet companies. You can count on our insight and experience to help you find the best approaches to achieving your financial, operational and strategic goals.

How we can help

PwC’s global Telecommunications industry group is dedicated to delivering effective solutions and expertise to the complex business challenges facing Telecommunications companies worldwide. We can help you with capex, customer excellence, partnerships, network life-cycle management, unexpected restrictions and regulations, investor confidence, compliance and risk. The solutions and expertise we provide to address these challenges enables your business to break down barriers to growth, manage change, navigate complexity and unlock value to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Telecommunications industry accounting group (TIAG)

The Telecommunications Industry Accounting Group (TIAG) engages with colleagues in the Telecom industry to understand priorities in accounting and reporting, facilitate dialogue with the standard setters and, where appropriate, offer our own observations.

At first our agenda was dominated by the proliferation of new fibre networks and how one might account for purchases and sales of fibre capacity under IRUs. This was followed by dealing with the implications of the end of the dot com bubble, and particularly addressing the impact of changes in expected future cash flows on asset carrying values.

The link between creating customer and shareholder value is becoming increasingly entwined. This has led to significant auction activity, roll outs of new technology, and diversification into new areas such as broadcast content and cloud computing. As companies are dealing with more revenue streams, challenges are being presented to the finance teams as to how to capture and measure this data accurately. Many of the telecommunication companies are also heavily affected by the new revenue recognition standard. As the new guidance does not only impact us with new accounting -- it may require adjusting processes and IT systems of many business models in the industry. Additionally, in 2016 a new leasing accounting standard was issued. Also, this change significantly affects the industry as lessor and lessee accounting is impacted.

Over the years, the TIAG network has established a prominent accounting industry forum for telecommunication companies. In addition to establishing industry solutions, as mentioned above, we bring the network together once a year at our GAAP Summit, welcoming discussion and networking among peers.

Telecom capital expenditure (Capex)

Telecom operators know they have problems controlling their capital expenditure (capex). According to a PwC survey, telecom operators indicated they could be wasting up to 20% or $65 billion/year in capex.

Improving Capex effectiveness

We have proprietary data, fresh perspectives and new tools to bring to the table. This distinctive approach gives us – and you – a head start. We cut straight to three areas: ruthless decision making, clear accountability and strong capital controls. Here are some examples of our measurable results for other telcos.

Ruthless decision making:

Our Capital Value Planning tool can support telecom operators to build a more commercially led approach to capex planning, bringing together commitments from across the business to allow executives to make clearer choices.

Clear accountability:

Operators often struggle with accountability, particularly when the investment straddles networks, IT and marketing. Our approach ‘up-ends’ traditional thinking by re-casting projects as a portfolio of outcomes and unpicks the traditional model of ‘shooting the IT messenger’. We can help advise on new organisational models that drive real accountability for ROI, not just Revenue, EBITDA and Cash.

Strong capital controls:

Even the best decision go wrong if the value is leaking during delivery. PwC can assist telecoms operators to build a strong capex financial control function that delivers high quality outputs for both business insight and financial reporting. We can help with capex reporting, Fixed Assets Registers (FAR), capex work-in-progress (WIP), regulatory compliance and network inventory.

Ruthless capex decision making

PwC bring new tools that can assist telecom operators to quickly make clearer choices, and link specific actions to investor returns. We regularly identify 10-40% of capex that can be re-directed towards growth initiatives. Here’s how:

Making clearer choices PwC opens the black box of capex and by linking products to assets. We show how investment options can be separated into independent choices allowing executive teams to make clearer tradeoffs based on a multiyear appraisal of end-to-end costs.

Actionable insights All network and technology investments need to be justified by rigorous and robust commercial rationale. PwC can help you build a capex planning tool that allows all investments to be modelled, planned and – crucially – compared using a consistent approach with common denominators.

Link to investor returns PwC’s capex programme enables telecoms operators to identify good versus bad capex. Operators can focus ruthlessly culling value-destructive investments while making larger, continuous investments in priorities, underpinned by new data into the metrics which drive Investor Returns.

Transportation & Logistics

The transportation and logistics industry is confronting immense change: digital transformation, new market entrants, changing customer expectations, and evolving business models. If you want to remain competitive, now is the time for action.

HOW CAN WE HELP

The global transportation and logistics sector stands at a crossroads.

The global pandemic both accelerated eCommerce and turned supply chains inside out. Geopolitical uncertainty and global inflationary pressure have further shaken traditional trade patterns and long-hel norms. Shipping costs, for example, are multiple times the rates we knew from 2018.

Yet, there is good news as well. Tough times often usher in a new era of innovation. Startups of all stripes are emerging in every area of the industry, and the private sector and governments alike are investing in digital capabilities that smoothen information exchange and support integration. In addition, citizens, corporates, and the public sector alike have each come to understand the need for responsible sustainability.

As you navigate this highly dynamic environment, PwC, too is continuing to build our industry-specific service offerings in consulting, deals, assurance, and tax. Please reach out to our global leaders listed below if you would like more information on how we can help.

Transport tomorrow - focus on the industry's future

What does the future hold for the transportation & logistics industry? How will business models be disrupted? Who’s driving change? What are the opportunities? What are the key technologies?

Today's transportation and logistics worlds are being disrupted on all fronts. Freight forwarding, passenger transport, shipping, rail and aviation – almost all transport modes and business models are affected by changing customer expectations, new technologies and new players accessing transportation and logistics markets. Explore our perspectives and insights as we look into what the future holds.

Legal Business Solutions

In today’s fast-moving world, business challenges and opportunities don't fit neatly into square boxes. Whether you are looking at a business transformation, structuring a new deal, responding to a risk or regulatory challenge or redefining your ESG agenda, your ability to respond holistically to a complex set of factors, will be key to your success.

That’s where PwC’s community of solvers makes a difference. Our Legal Business Solutions team delivers human-led, tech-powered solutions. By bringing together legal expertise and scaled delivery capability, we give you the agility you need to execute on your goals. From predicting the impact of regulatory, economic and political shifts, to understanding how to future-proof your strategy, together we help you:

Navigate complexity with confidence
Find new ways to grow
Transform ways of working.

We believe in the power of legal business solutions to solve your most significant challenges and take on the future. Working with us is about seeing beyond uncertainty and risk to uncover new opportunities. It’s about harnessing the power of PwC’s global reach, local presence and industry depth to chart a future-ready path to success. We deliver the connected expertise that bridges all aspects of your business— so you can grow and protect it, today and tomorrow.

Access our network of legal, technology and consulting professionals where you need them today and navigate to your territory via the dropdown below.

Banking and Financial Services

We help you manage Financial Services change and stay focused on the bigger picture.

Competition Law and Antitrust

Need help navigating the regulatory landscape? We help you see beyond the current conditions by designing a globally scalable legal solution for growing and protecting your business.

Cybersecurity and Data Protection

Tech-enabled & business-minded lawyers, with vast global reach.

Entity Governance and Compliance

With regulation, risk—and board responsibilities for management of legal entities—on the rise, a strong global subsidiary governance framework is critical to avoiding both financial and reputational damage.

Employment Law

In a fluid, fast-changing global marketplace, the ability to adapt is crucial to the survival and growth of businesses.

International Business Reorganisations

In a fluid, fast-changing global marketplace, structural and business flexibility has become a competitive necessity for large organisations.

Legal and Sustainability Services

Managing legal considerations means thinking about environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. The legal function is a critical enabler for meeting ESG goals. More and more, investors and other stakeholders expect businesses to pursue sustainability, address risks such as climate change and commit to diversity, inclusion and equity. Meanwhile, standards and regulations around ESG are expanding rapidly at the local, national and global levels. These trends are driving rising demand for ESG-focused legal services – and even whole new legal practices dedicated solely to ESG matters. It’s also increasingly important to consider ESG factors when weighing the legal implications of business decisions and long-term plans.

Legal Tech and Alliances

Fuelled by advancing technology, new business models and altered client expectations, the legal industry faces unprecedented change across its entire value chain.

Mergers and Acquisitions

The increasing globalisation of competition and the sharp increase in global regulatory scrutiny are some of the many factors that have led to an increase in strategic transactional activity.

NewLaw

Tech-enabled & business-minded lawyers, with vast global reach.

Tax Controversy and Dispute Resolution

Multinational corporations are facing the most challenging tax environment in history: a convergence of global forces has resulted in a substantial increase in the number and size of tax audits, assessments, and disputes with revenue authorities worldwide.

Consulting Solutions By Capability

Capital Projects & Infrastructure

We help you sustainably plan, build, finance, operate, decommission, and create value from your capital projects and infrastructure. Advising on infrastructure to benefit communities and the environment

PwC helps you deliver sustainable, resilient and inclusive capital projects and infrastructure in an uncertain world.

Infrastructure is critical to achieving the world’s climate goals. According to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), approximately 80% of the world’s current greenhouse gas emissions come from infrastructure.

Our clients—whether they are policymakers, construction contractors, financiers or corporates—have a critical role to play in delivering and maintaining sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure. We understand the unique challenges of your industry, and are ready to help you manage these challenges and capture the opportunities that change brings.

Helping to shape the future of infrastructure

Recent events are having a real impact on infrastructure investment and delivery, creating both challenges and opportunities. The biggest factors driving change include increasing technology adoption, the urgent need for sustainability, and growing operational resilience and security requirements.

The green transition

BNP Paribas estimates that 70% of the increase in future greenhouse gas emissions will come from infrastructure that hasn’t yet been built. Infrastructure investment needs to focus on reducing carbon consumption by pivoting from fossil fuels to renewables and alternative fuels. It should also provide incentives for greener construction methods and promote environmentally friendly modes of transport.

Another factor to consider is ‘just transition’ costs, such as compensation of displaced workers and workforce reskilling.

Facing increased pressure from stakeholders, many infrastructure investors are strengthening their environmental, social and governance (ESG) focus, and looking to invest in environmentally sustainable assets. In addition, several standards and frameworks have emerged to integrate climate-related factors into investment decisions and redirect capital to more sustainable projects. As ESG reporting becomes more mainstream and policy pressure increases, expect growing demand for such assets.

Rising technology adoption

Today’s reduced infrastructure capacity and rising costs could drive asset owners and project managers to accelerate their adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. There is also an opportunity to reduce capital expenses for maintenance using technologies including intelligent drones, which reduce the need for onsite workers and can increase safety. As well as saving costs, such technologies can dramatically improve preventative maintenance, inspecting and scoping work faster than existing methods and providing more detailed information about necessary repairs.

More broadly, the shift to remote working arrangements across many industries has underlined the growing need for secure, resilient, cloud-based technologies and connective infrastructure.

Resilience and security

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought operational resilience into sharp focus, particularly by exposing the fragility of supply chains. Supply chain challenges continue, with inflation hitting material, equipment and energy prices. Other ongoing issues include labour market shortages, the urgent need for steel and cement industries to decarbonise and reporting requirements for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Scope 3 emissions. Developed under the guidance of the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the GHG Protocol is a set of global frameworks for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions. The Scope 3 Standard determines an organisation’s emissions impacts from activities beyond its internal operations—for example, emissions linked to the goods and materials it buys.

The security of critical infrastructure is also increasingly in the spotlight. Critical infrastructure—such as power-generating facilities, gas pipelines and water supplies—faces risks from natural disasters, human-caused disasters (such as terrorism or theft) and accidental or technical disasters (for example, system failures). Cybersecurity threats to operational technology are also a significant concern.

Geopolitical developments

The war in Ukraine created a humanitarian crisis impacting food supplies, energy markets and prices around the world. The estimated cost to support and rebuild Ukraine amounts to $411bn over the next ten years, according to a joint assessment from the government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the United Nations1. The war has also sharpened governments’ focus on energy security. This will likely lead to an acceleration of renewable energy projects to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, as well as energy storage projects to manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources.

In the short term, some governments have responded to the war's impact on energy security by temporarily recommissioning fossil fuel generation plants and storage facilities to ensure supply. As a result, the trilemma of balancing affordability, supply and carbon reduction has never been more stark.These developments highlight the importance of capital projects and infrastructure in the global energy transition.

How we can help

Around the world, we help our clients plan, finance, manage and deliver large-scale capital projects and infrastructure. Combining engineering, technology, industry and finance experience and knowledge, our teams work with companies throughout the full lifecycle of their capital projects. Our clients are from the public and private sectors, including investors, contractors, owners, shareholders and users.

Financing sustainable infrastructure

Many countries have long underinvested in infrastructure and must now repay increased debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infrastructure projects must be affordable for taxpayers and users and stable, or investors will not be interested in financing them.

Private capital remains plentiful, and regulations and reporting requirements drive the availability of sustainable financing products. However, a majority of infrastructure capital has yet to be invested as investors look for lower-risk opportunities. More private finance is particularly needed in emerging markets. This creates challenges around making projects investable and creating income sources to repay private capital, particularly for climate resilience projects.

PwC can help clients design incentivisation and commercial models and public-private partnerships (PPPs) to help overcome these challenges. We can also help prepare investable projects and finance using a range of financing methods, such as PPPs or blended finance.

Climate reporting and infrastructure planning

PwC can help clients assess ESG compliance with reporting disclosures (such as Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Sustainable Finance Disclosure regulation) and provide monitoring and reporting systems.

We can also help companies with emissions goals that hinge on capital projects. In such projects, success depends on addressing complexity and managing collaboration. Outcomes need to be measured in environmental and social as well as economic terms.

Project delays can put climate and other ESG goals at risk, as can projects that are delivered on time but don’t deliver on their promises to reduce climate impacts. The result: wasted money, reputational damage and disappointed investors, customers and other stakeholders. To meet science-based targets, it’s vital to minimise the time between conceiving a project and putting it into operation. This requires alliances, teamwork and novel approaches to contracting.

PwC helps clients to develop roadmaps to decarbonise infrastructure assets and operations, and to plan, procure and execute successful capital projects to meet time, cost and quality metrics.

Optimising tech opportunities

A wide range of technologies are available to optimise how infrastructure is maintained and operated—from Internet of Things (IoT) applications for real-time oversight to data analytics for predictive maintenance and robotics for conducting on-site inspections in remote or hard-to-access locations. PwC can help clients to digitally transform capital projects and infrastructure and overcome technological, organisational and data barriers.

Cybersecurity also continues to be a significant threat, and concerns are growing about the potentially catastrophic impacts of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. The consequences of such breaches go far beyond financial loss. They include the potential for prolonged outages of essential services and, subsequently, impacts on health, safety and even national security.

PwC can help clients understand their supply chain risks and develop business continuity and security strategies to protect infrastructure from physical and cyber threats.

Creating sustainable value

Market trends are leading to increased uncertainty in the infrastructure sector, with growing competition for low-risk sustainable investments, uncertainties in demand, unpredictable/reduced revenues, emerging tech innovations and rising attention to ESG. As a result, infrastructure owners need sophisticated strategies to preserve and create value.

PwC can help clients create sustainable value within their infrastructure portfolios by identifying actions better to align the risk-return balance to their target levels. We can also support clients’ ESG ambitions and objectives for their investment portfolios. In addition, our global community of solvers can provide comprehensive transaction support through services such as lead advisory, financial and commercial due diligence and associated tax and accounting services. We can also help clients divest from assets not supporting their ESG ambitions.

Technology

As artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things move from concept to reality, technology companies in every segment—semiconductors, software, hardware, internet services—face difficult challenges and exciting opportunities.

HOW CAN WE HELP

Change is coming faster today than ever before and companies must adapt. All business executives worry about change, but technology companies must be especially cognizant of the forces driving change and increased complexity. We view the following eight technologies as the most disruptive to business today:

Artificial intelligence
Augmented reality/virtual reality
Blockchain
Drones
Internet of things (IoT)
Robots
3D printing
Autonomous vehicles

From strategy development to digital transformation and business growth, PwC can help technology companies determine the right course of action, assisting you to manage key priorities that require concrete steps to reposition now, while also recalibrating for the future—whether it's creating new revenue streams or developing new business models. Talk to us, we stand ready to help.

Technology strategy

In the rapidly evolving digital world, leveraging technology is essential for survival and growth. PwC specialises in transforming IT functions, empowering enterprise strategies, and modernising infrastructures and applications. We provide strategic guidance to harness technology effectively, ensuring sustainable results and keeping your business ahead in the digital race.

Artificial intelligence

PwC is accelerating investments in technology, industry collaborations, training and in the services we offer to clients — all the areas that have already made us a generative AI leader. Our approach to bringing generative AI to businesses is rooted in building trust and delivering outcomes.

Data & analytics

In the era of big data, PwC empowers organisations to extract valuable insights for competitive advantage. Our thorough solutions span from data governance to advanced machine learning, focusing on scalability, security, and ethical AI. We enable clients to leverage data and AI for innovation, operational efficiency, and personalised customer experiences, guiding you towards a transformative data-driven future.

Cloud

At PwC, we offer more than just cloud migration; we reinvent how your business operates. Our services range from accelerating advanced technologies like GenAI to building robust data strategies and promoting sustainable practices. We help your organisation transform rapidly, enhancing efficiency, security, and agility in the cloud.

Cybersecurity & privacy

As digital initiatives reshape businesses, PwC can help you with the secure adoption of new technologies and operating models. We focus on capturing the benefits of digital transformation confidently, emphasising the secure delivery of new capabilities.

Managed Services

PwC’s Managed Services will transform and run your complex processes and functions. What we provide is so much more than outsourcing. Consider us your digital business ally with the connected tech, leading-edge skills and hands-on support to help you continuously improve at scale.

Emerging tech

Emerging technologies are driving business and industry evolution. PwC helps differentiate between hype and reality, enabling clients to lead disruptions rather than follow. We blend innovation with trust, offering current, human-led, tech-powered solutions to maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing tech landscape.

Alliances & Ecosystems

PwC goes beyond mere technology implementation, driving innovation and business transformation. Our expertise in enterprise platforms and applications delivers tailored digital solutions, enhancing business processes for transformation, innovation, and operational efficiency.

PwC Finance Transformation

Finance is increasingly turning into a strategic driver of the business,-managing uncertainties, improving resilience and driving sustainable outcomes. Finance must lead from the front to drive change, focus on trust and operate as a strategic business partner. This requires Finance to act with agility, deliver actionable data-driven insights and rapidly evaluate multiple scenarios. This has also reinforced the need for Finance to transform and adapt to the new world where new skills, behaviours and ways of working are required to be a leading Finance function.

Finance Transformation is a strategic shift in your Finance operating model enabled by continuous digital transformation across People, Process, and Performance. The PwC Finance Transformation framework outlines 7 levers in the Future of Finance agenda. Although you can start anywhere, true value is achieved when the 7 levers are successfully orchestrated through transformation based on your overarching vision and strategy.

Finance organisation and structure

The Finance organisation includes human and machine based roles in a structure that combines digital workforce, shared services, centres of excellence and Business Partnering Teams. Teams operate virtually using agile workflow models to optimise service delivery and drive organisational agility.

Finance workforce and capabilities

The Finance workforce is ‘digitally fit’ and has a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement. Emerging skills and capabilities include influencing stakeholders, storytelling, change and leadership skills underpinned by new digital capabilities.

Process excellence and automation

Processes are standardised, automated and simple to operate. Automated workflows enable improved efficiencies and effective escalation.

Cloud ERP and digital platforms

New digital Finance capabilities are enabled using cloud ERP and digital solutions underpinned by connected, relevant and trusted data.

Automated and predictive controls

Automated controls are embedded into the end-to-end business processes. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables a shift from detective to predictive controls.

Advanced analytics, insights and action

AI and machine-learning models deliver real-time, predictive financial planning forecasting and business insights that define the actions that should be taken to drive business performance. Dynamic scenario modelling provides rapid insights into risks and opportunities.

Strategic finance business partnering

Business partners leverage real-time and connected data to provide actionable strategic insights to drive commercial decision making and business performance, supporting the pivot to an insight-led advisory function.

How do you future-proof for inevitable yet uncertain change?

Our portfolio of front office transformation Solutions will help you rethink the way people interact, transact and engage with your company. We offer an advanced service platform that delivers a connected, customer-centric experience through seamless engagement. Our pre-built technology and innovative assets combined with our specialist advisors help you increase customer loyalty, drive growth, boost productivity and inspire your workforce.

Data: your new superpower

Imagine having advanced business analytics that give you the ability to see and predict everything, everywhere. Every interaction with customers. Every moving part in your supply chain. Every financial transaction, anywhere in the world.

Imagine a data architecture that lets you process all that information instantly, to improve customer insights, build products faster, or spot fraud.Now imagine using predictive analytics that give you the ability to react to events before they happen. To stop customer churn. Prevent accidents. Predict the impact of medical treatments. And imagine if analytics could help you to drive business innovation and open up totally new revenue streams to create products and offers you haven’t even dreamed of yet.

Cloud

Your cloud journey involves more than just evolving your IT. It’s about transforming your business—everything from your technology, to your processes, to your people. To get you there faster, we use our software accelerators, industry know-how and robust cloud engineering capabilities to create a business-first approach to the cloud.

Designed to enable innovation that creates new business models and amazing customer experiences, our cloud transformation solutions are human-led and tech-powered—helping you drive revenue for your business while managing risk and building resilience.

HR Transformation

With digital HR, we’re all in — with the latest, most relevant technologies that apply to your business needs. Our tech strategy and solutions are tailored to accelerate your transformation, driving impact and measurable results. Our suite of innovative digital tools fuel better insights and deliver faster, improved business outcomes.

To prepare for the future, HR leaders must balance growth and efficiency—delivering value now while creating a future agenda. PwC’s HR Transformation Solution combines smarter people strategies with emerging technologies and a connected human experience to deliver a transformation that is built to last.

M&A Integration

M&A Integration is far from a mystery, but strategic, operational, and financial success is getting harder to achieve. No one knows this better than you. It’s why you’re looking for a strategic M&A Integration advisor who doesn’t just manage acquisitions — but helps them deliver the right deal value.

At PwC, The Accelerated Transition® helps our clients by providing deep deal and sector experience, our proven integration methodology and an agile approach to digital solutions — all of which allow us to collaborate with extreme responsiveness to increase deal efficiency and decrease time to close.

A thorough understanding of integration strategy and tactical execution is crucial to achieving your deal’s true potential. That’s why we don’t just connect the right people, insights, processes, and digital solutions to execute for you.

Transactions are a time of change. Creating and protecting value in a merger, acquisition, disposal, IPO or other refinancing is fundamental. To achieve long-term value, it’s vital to create the most efficient structure possible in terms of ongoing operating model and financing.

PwC can help guide you through the M&A environment, wherever you do business. We have one of the largest globally focused tax networks in the deals industry, using local, experienced professionals to develop pragmatic M&A tax and transaction solutions in the face of increasing global complexity.

PwC's M&A tax teams work with corporate organisations, private equity, sovereign wealth funds, individuals and family offices. We collaborate closely with our colleagues in the other parts of our transaction business and with external advisers in the deals space to help your business see the path ahead.

We can help you with the groundwork of preparing for a deal, focusing on maximising the sale value by managing the various aspects of the divestiture process up front. We can do that by:

Evaluating the tax implications of carve-outs, spin-offs and IPOs, to enhance planning, preparation and positioning.
Mapping the future operating model of the business, so you can present a clear vision of how the stand-alone business will run.
Preparing a tax vendor due diligence report, a tax vendor assistance report or a tax factbook - to reflect the status of the business to be sold and make the sale process quicker and easier.
Work with you to critically assess tax and structural opportunities to enhance deal value.
Helping you meet your tax compliance and reporting requirements.

Whether you’re a corporate or financial buyer, PwC's specialist M&A Tax teams can provide insights and clarity on the tax position of the target business. We do this by:

Assessing the tax profile of the target business, including its compliance position, tax attributes and overall operating model.
Spotting potential tax risks and opportunities.
Advising on the impact of the deal and negotiating strategies.

Accessing deal value can hinge on having an efficient, sustainable operating structure. Your structure should align the requirements of day to day business operations, financing and future flexibility. We help to do this by:

Putting the right structure in place to help you complete the transaction efficiently.
Facilitating a flexible platform for the ongoing operation of the business, enabling future acquisitions, debt servicing, returns to shareholders and a potential future exit.
Preparing the step-by-step process for completing the transaction.
Evaluating and looking at options for the transfer pricing framework.
Structuring incentives for employees.

Cybersecurity and Privacy

Safeguarding your business isn’t just a responsibility. It’s a mindset and an opportunity. Today, more than ever, it’s vital to be cyber-ready for whatever comes next. As more data is generated and shared, it becomes the lifeblood of our interconnected business ecosystem, making it increasingly valuable for organisations — and for skilled threat actors. Every day, digitisation raises an increasing risk of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, unlike any we’ve experienced before. That’s why businesses must embrace transformation and develop an effective and agile approach to cybersecurity and privacy.

At PwC, we work as a community of solvers, coming together in unexpected ways, to help you stay ahead of the curve. We bring an innovative combination of expertise and technologies.

Workforce Strategy

With up to 85% of costs tied up in people, organisations need to predict their strategic and operational requirements and allocate resources accordingly. But the world is changing. The digital workforce is here — and the new possibilities that man and machine in collaboration bring us are endless and are transforming the role of people at work. The global pandemic further highlighted the need to understand workforce skills in order to enable a quick pivot — and those organizations that were further along in embracing digitization came out ahead. By understanding the possibilities of automation, the changing ways organisations harness the potential of human skills, and the needs of the business in a changing global business landscape and throughout the employee lifecycle we ensure organisations can find, nurture and incentivise the right adaptable, innovative and skilled people they need for the digital age.

Does your organisation have the right workforce to meet your immediate and emerging business challenges?
Do you know what skills you will need for the future of your business?
Do you have an understanding of how today’s complex global environment will impact where and how you deploy your talented people?

Tax and Legal Services

Managing fast- changing regulatory environments and economic risks can be challenging. We bring the people, knowledge, and technology to support your day-to-day tax and legal functions, enabling you to make informed, compliant decisions that drive your operations forward and let you focus on what matters. With one connected approach across people, data, and borders, we simplify complexity and help you to reframe tax. Building trust that protects your reputation and unlocks new possibilities for your business.

The tax reporting landscape is changing faster than ever before and navigating the complexities of compliance can feel like a major challenge. Working with PwC means our commitment to delivering a simpler, faster, smarter compliance experience. From analysing and reporting, to the way we build our team around yours. We help you build trust to power greater value.

The implementation of the OECD’s Pillar Two introduces complex challenges for multinational groups with consolidated revenue over €750m.

PwC has a tech-enabled approach, driven by the Pillar Two Engine, to help you quickly calculate the impact of Pillar Two and develop a response that is aligned to your business strategy. Supported by a global network of international tax specialists, PwC works collaboratively to navigate complexity and power great value to assess, report and comply effectively.

In today's dynamic world, staying ahead in the regulatory landscape is crucial. Viewing tax strategy through a sustainability lens is becoming the norm for leading companies. It is a value driver in enabling businesses to deliver on their sustainability goals.

Utilising our tech-enabled approach, our tax teams deliver insights that guide you through complexities, power sustainable growth and build trust.

Audit and Assurance Services

Surface deeper data. Go beyond financials. Build trust to power real progress. Unshakeable trust. Nothing matters more to you and your stakeholders. That’s why we combine deep assurance knowledge and data-powered insights, to go beyond the financials. Robust. Independent. And transparent. Building trust that powers real progress.

With quality at the heart of our business, and through a range of services, we use our powerful technology to deliver trust on evolving business needs and stakeholder expectations. Taking a holistic view of your business, we work with you to provide transparency across financial and non-financial reporting.

We will work with you to navigate risk, strengthen business functions and support management with the guidance needed to make well informed decisions. We will draw on our worldwide network of resources, our community of solvers, which is committed to helping our clients protect and strengthen every aspect of their business, from people to performance, systems to strategy, business plans to business resilience.

Actuarial services

Our actuarial practice has over 1,000 specialists in 36 countries providing life, health and non-life assurance and advisory services to the insurance industry, its regulators, and other financial services providers.

We advise a wide range of clients in traditional areas of actuarial work such as reserving, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, exit solutions and capital modelling. As part of the world's largest professional services organisation, we draw on the extensive knowledge of accountants, risk managers, performance improvement consultants, tax advisors, as well as corporate finance and business recovery specialists.

We specialise in helping financial services companies create, sustain and increase shareholder value by adopting a value-based approach to the issues they face. Risk quantification and dynamic financial modelling of risk outcomes provides the management tools required for more informed business decisions.

Corporate reporting

Building trust and delivering quality in corporate reporting.

The way businesses operate and what drives success is changing. Their response to urgent issues such as climate change, the pandemic and social inequalities is under scrutiny, and expectations are increasing. Corporate reporting needs to communicate the value that a business creates – and the impact this has on the planet and our people – across economic, social and environmental dimensions. And it’s not just shareholders who want to understand this to inform their decisions. Other stakeholders are looking at a company’s broader performance and impact too – from customers, suppliers and employees, to governments, regulators and society in general.

Insightful, holistic, and trusted reporting plays a vital role in a business's success. It provides crucial information for management’s internal decision-making, compliance with regulatory requirements, and meeting stakeholder needs.

Capital markets

Whatever capital raising transaction you’re contemplating, wherever in the world, our global Capital Markets Advisory team is there to support you every step of the way. Navigating the challenges in moments of exceptional change.

Our Capital Markets Assurance and Advisory Services (CMAAS) team provides advice on domestic and international deals, business processes, and regulatory guidelines that directly impact accounting and financial services. We introduce the latest ways for accessing capital and focusing on growth-oriented investments. Through our capital markets consulting services, we deliver guidance on IPO financing, accounting, debt service offerings, and regulatory reporting.

Using our technology-driven solutions combined with our eminent expertise in transformation and project management, we work with you to unlock the value of your business at every stage.

PwC Internal Audit

Enhancing your Internal Audit (IA) capabilities to give you the power to see risk differently and the confidence to move faster in an uncertain world.

Implementing the IIA’s new Global Internal Audit Standards. Use the IIA’s new Global Internal Audit Standards™ to drive transformation and value from your Internal Audit function. Internal Audit can help organisations navigate the new risk multiverse. How can Internal Audit’s superpowers help organisations ‘see through walls’ to avoid hazards, remove complexity, and find new opportunities? Find out in PwC’s Global Internal Audit Study.

A pioneer in the new risk multiverse

As the world enters a risk landscape that’s more complex and connected than ever before, it’s time for Internal Audit (IA) to shine. IA is at the heart of trust. It gives companies and their stakeholders confidence in their people, processes, systems and data, allowing them to see risk differently, move faster and make better decisions. IA has a unique combination of risk-mindset, objectivity and organisational reach. At PwC, we believe that—with the right vision, approach and technology—IA can act as a ‘lighthouse’ to help companies navigate risk and see around corners. This both protects value and casts light on new opportunities for value creation. IA is the last line of defence, but increasingly the first one called to help.

IPO Centre

Helping you choose the right market for your business and navigate every phase of the IPO journey, irrespective of where you are in the world

The PwC Global IPO Centre makes it easier for you to understand what you need to know, and what you need to do, to complete an IPO. We can help you evaluate the pros and cons of an IPO, navigate the listing process and prepare your business for life as a public company, regardless of the market you choose to list on.

We have a team of nearly 500 professionals deployed in over 30 key global capital markets. With our in-depth knowledge of the execution process and the rules and regulations governing the world’s leading capital markets, we can help clients choose the right markets for their businesses and navigate every phase of the complex IPO process.

Our services:

Accounting and reporting
ESG
Programme management (PMO)
Tax and structuring
Capital markets/Equity advisory
IPO/Exit readiness assessment
Rewards and incentives
Corporate Governance
IT security and control
Risk management and controls

Our experienced capital market specialists will answer all your structural, operational and regulatory questions, identify potential stumbling blocks and work with you to design a detailed plan for your individual path to the capital markets. We accompany you through the entire transformation process - from the initial strategic considerations, readiness assessment and early preparations, through the intensive phase of transaction execution and into life as a public company. Our clients value our individual and objective advice. We are at your disposal with the full range of experts to tackle challenges that are personal to you and your business. You can contact us here to discuss further.

Sustainability assurance

Building trust and transparency through sustainability assurance. Trust is the most valuable commodity for organisations today – it’s hard to build, hard to keep. With headlines focusing on greenwashing and unsubstantiated claims, your stakeholders expect more transparency on a broader range of issues related to your organisation and its impact on the planet. Stakeholders now expect the same high standards for sustainability reporting as they do for financials.

How sustainability responses are reflected in your reporting impacts stakeholders’ perceptions of what you stand for, your relevance, reliability and integrity – and ultimately, enterprise value and competitive advantage. Given the significance and impact of this information, and the intense scrutiny it is subject to, it’s essential that it is relevant, reliable, trustworthy.

Corporate reporting is the first port of call when seeking trusted information. Investors, in particular, place trust in independent assurance provided by a regulated professional services firm. At PwC we’ve been building trust in corporate disclosure for 170 years.

We bring together experts from across our global network – specialists in areas such as assurance, risk, sustainability, and climate change – all with a track record of dealing with complex issues and difficult questions.

How we can help

Let’s start with a conversation about where you are and where you should be. We will work with you to determine the level of sustainability assurance that matches the maturity of your reporting, delivering recommendations for getting you to the next level – whether you are preparing for your first limited assurance opinion or looking for reasonable ESG assurance in line with your financial statement audit.

Sustainability reporting, including greenhouse gas and climate-related disclosures

Stakeholders must understand your sustainability story. They need to trust the picture you paint. Our sustainability assurance services bring credibility and integrity to your reporting, answering the following questions:

Are you reporting on what matters most to your stakeholders and business?
Is your progress on environmental and social targets reported with integrity, and transparency?
Are there any trust gaps in your reporting, where the reliability of decision-critical information is in question?
How reliable are the sustainability metrics that underpin executive remuneration?

Reporting frameworks and taxonomies

Navigating change in the sustainability reporting and assurance landscapes is a full-time job. Our global reach and ongoing dialogue with standard setters means we know what’s required to meet your obligations. And we can provide the assurance services to help you deliver it.

We work closely with international standards setters, allowing us to gain clarity on the evolving requirements at the ISSB, EFRAG (for CSRD) and the SEC. We are also involved with the IAASB and IESBA as they work to update the assurance and professional ethics and independence standards for the sustainability space. Additionally, we are active participants in the processes individual countries undergo to enact national rules around sustainability reporting and assurance.

Consider:

Do you know what sustainability assurance requirements affect you, and when?
Is the information you report used in stakeholders’ decisions about your company?
Would an independent perspective add credibility to your reporting?

Risk Assurance

Today’s business environment is more complex and more connected than ever before. Companies face new and unknown risks, but also new and untapped opportunities.

Today’s business and risk landscape presents both great challenges and opportunities. PwC’s global network of Risk Assurance professionals combines deep cross-functional expertise and leading technologies to improve visibility into risks, respond with agility and drive greater preparedness for the future.

We bring together specialist disciplines and commercial expertise to give you the insight, foresight and independent advice you need to build and safeguard the value of all parts of your business. We’ll transform the way you perceive - and navigate - risks, so you can stay at the forefront of change.

Explore our services:

Internal audit solutions
Governance, risk and compliance
Digital trust solutions
Trust and transparency

Business Strategy Consulting Services

A world of risks and challenges, from disruption to globalisation. A new economy, defined by technology and fluidity. All these changes are affecting how clients choose to play in the value chain and how they can position themselves for real competitive advantage. It may mean rethinking your corporate core and functions, or adopting new business models altogether.

With codified strategic planning tools and methodologies, we help clients improve performance from the start and position themselves for success. Working together, we focus on differentiating capabilities, cut costs to reinvest in growth, take advantage of digitisation, and open the door for M&A opportunities.

How we help clients

Corporate strategy

We help clients improve performance and position themselves for success by assessing how internal and external changes affect progress towards strategic goals, with foresight and analysis of competitive dynamics and considering the clients’ key capabilities.

Services include:

Corporate centre profitability
Enterprise strategies
Annual planning processes
Scenario planning
Strategic planning
Wargaming

Organic growth

Organic growth may seem tougher than ever, but we use proven strategies and the full benefits of PwC’s global network to help our clients take full advantage of opportunities. We focus on enhancing or adding differentiating capabilities for the market share you can get, not the market share you don’t have.

Portfolio strategy

A good product or service alone is no longer sufficient for success. Instead, outstanding portfolio management is a necessity. We help clients make smart capital investments to leverage their greatest strengths and propel future growth. Our insights and methodology will ensure that your portfolios and resources remain aligned with your overall objectives and strategies and help you develop the agility to quickly respond to market changes.

Pricing and profitability

Tailoring the right pricing strategy to the product life cycle is critical to success. Pricing must be set in the context of the broader marketplace — customers, channels, and competitors — and align with a company’s overall strategy. We help clients develop holistic pricing strategies and capabilities that support profitable growth and optimize value capture.

Services include:

Pricing and revenue model strategy
Customer portfolio profitability and optimization
Trade promotion, rebate, and discount effectiveness

Shareholder value strategy

Maximising shareholder value means choosing a course of action that has the most intrinsic value. We help clients improve their shareholder value by setting goals based on insight and foresight about the fundamental sources and drivers of value. We then identify and build capabilities at the enterprise level and across business units that will drive sustainable growth over the long term.

Services include:

Sustaining or improving great performance
Performance turnaround
EPS and TSR divergence
Whole vs. parts
Activist board
Making acquisitions pay

Strategic planning

Over the long term, strategic planning yields major benefits by continuously evaluating your company’s performance against strategic goals and using benchmarks to tell you how external changes are affecting your progress. We help clients build and maintain a relevant planning and performance management system, with clearly articulated objectives and metrics to stay on track

Value Creation

As businesses around the world continue to adapt to unprecedented challenges, the traditional view of value is due for an overhaul. A strategic pivot. A broader, bolder perspective.

But in pursuing a holistic transformation, which levers of growth should you pull to achieve long-term, sustained outcomes?

Whether you’re targeting an acquisition, considering a divestiture or looking to improve your enterprise performance, a Value Creation mindset goes beyond the expected to reveal untapped sources of growth.

Empower your purpose with an intelligent purchase

Companies adapting to a COVID-changed world are rushing to reconfigure their businesses and capabilities, fueling M&A activity. But history shows that deals don’t always create value. How can corporate leaders ensure they are allocating capital to create sustained outcomes?

Our research reveals that acquisitions based on a capabilities strategy will generate the best returns. To avoid value loss, learn how to integrate capabilities consideration into impactful deal-making.

What about non-financial drivers of value?

For businesses looking for innovative growth solutions, it’s no longer enough to focus on financial drivers of value.

To create, protect and sustain enterprise value, executives must do more—and consider both a diverse set of stakeholders and a broad set of intangible considerations such as resilience, societal changes and ESG opportunities.

How can a company’s values be activated to drive value creation? Discover five actions that leaders can take to execute effective strategies in the context of a broader value creation ecosystem.

How we can help

Exploring unexpected angles, our agile community of solvers works with you to define new approaches to value creation—from making your business more resilient to bolstering your ESG framework. We look holistically at all aspects of an organisation’s performance to propose enterprise-wide transformation initiatives or smaller scale optimisation programmes.

Driven by data, our tech-powered teams use AI, machine learning and cutting-edge analytics to build scenarios for your value chain. Our expertise in finance, operations, deals, strategy, tax and accounting, enables us to go wide and take the long-view to ensure your business is positioned to deliver sustained outcomes for the future.

Fit for Growth

We help the world’s top companies get leaner, stronger, and more ready for growth.

Our Fit for Growth* approach is a proven model for unlocking performance that helps companies manage their cost more strategically, allowing them to cut costs and grow stronger at the same time. We offer a clear path to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis by helping you re-assess strategic priorities across the value chain to thrive in the new normal.

End-to-end Fit for Growth transformation

We take an end-to-end view of the value chain to help our clients through the entire process of getting fit and ready to grow. We begin by assessing a company's strategy and determining the few differentiating capabilities it needs to thrive.

We then help institutionalize a more strategic approach to cost management by shifting investment to "good" costs and away from "bad", redirecting spending to the areas that lay the groundwork for sustainable, long-term growth.

A Fit for Growth business transformation frequently touches every part of a company — and our collaborative approach is designed to support you at every stage of that journey.

Operating model design

We help our clients design and implement a fit-for-purpose operating model, one that holistically supports their strategy and leverages the company's people and culture – all the formal and informal elements that affect success.

Our unique Organizational DNA approach helps focus on the underlying factors that together define an organization's "personality" and help explain its performance. Getting factors like decision rights and information flow right — within the organization’s structure and culture — will supercharge your organization.

Overhead optimization

We help our clients optimize overhead functions to best enable their strategy and achieve greater cost efficiency.

We support our clients across the full spectrum of implementation, including benchmarking, adopting lean headquarters models, setting up and optimizing shared services, leveraging the benefits of outsourcing and offshoring, redesigning end-to-end business processes, and managing internal demand to maximize overhead efficiency.

Sourcing

We help our clients transform procurement into an indispensable part of their strategic goals and overall competitiveness.

We partner with companies to improve their sourcing capabilities to capture significant savings in both direct and indirect material and services, and to manage changes in the sourcing organization, partnerships, IT, and performance management.

Manufacturing Excellence

We help our clients optimize their manufacturing capabilities by helping assess overall manufacturing competitiveness, determining the status of manufacturing technology, defining the right make-versus-buy concepts, and establishing new global manufacturing networks.

We also support them to drive cost-improvement programs build lean management and lean Six Sigma capabilities, and improve quality or throughput.

Services operations excellence

We help our clients develop and implement better ways to manage complexity.

We support them in designing product and service architectures that maximize commonalities and minimize differences, defining each product or service in a way that simplifies both innovation and delivery.

We work with our clients to focus technologies and processes in the delivery system to simplify it, and assist with implementing tailored business streams that segment the process-support infrastructure, typically based on stability, predictability, or difficulty.

Supply chain optimization

We help our clients’ supply chains achieve top-line growth through geographic reach and differentiated service and drive improvements in bottom-line performance through scale and efficiency.

We work with companies to develop and embed a robust set of capabilities for optimizing supply, manufacturing, and distribution networks, tailoring product flows, managing complexity, integrating demand management and operations planning, and driving sustainability and continuous improvement.

Marketing and sales excellence

We help our clients thrive in today's competitive environment — in which customers may not always be right, but they certainly know what they want.

Our approach includes optimizing the marketing mix; analyzing the use of customer-segmented go-to-market models versus product-driven go-to-market models; improving sales channels, sales-force effectiveness, and back-office sales; boosting marketing efforts with data-driven decisions; and supporting IT operations.

Product and service innovation

We help our clients develop a powerful innovation capability that supports their business strategy by focusing on innovation that is both technically and economically sound.

We advise companies on setting strategy, making needed process and organizational changes, developing new products, and assessing the scientific and technological robustness of their offerings.

IT transformation

We help our clients succeed in the "new normal" for IT: shrinking budgets paired with pressure drive top-line growth. Even in this environment, IT can be a strategic enabler of business success if companies reduce costs thoughtfully and support capabilities where it counts.

We help companies identify the IT capabilities that best align with their overall business strategy to drive value. We then support them in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of their IT through IT strategy, business and IT alignment, organization, governance, architecture, and infrastructure, as well as sourcing and outsourcing.

We help companies ensure they're investing in the most important parts of their IT portfolio and motivate IT talent to deliver world-class performance.

Cultural evolution and change management

We help our clients use their culture as a powerful tool in their Fit for Growth transformation process because people initiatives spell the difference between success and failure in any large change program. The key to success is to work with and within your culture. We start by identifying elements of a company's culture that will support its strategic aspirations.

We then use a systematic approach, working with our clients to understand the enablers of change and the barriers to it that are unique to their company. Finally, we help deploy both informal and formal levers to promote key behaviors that shift mindsets and produce a long-term impact on performance.

Front Office Transformation, Reimagined

We take a progressive approach to accelerate business value. Our portfolio of front office transformation Solutions will help you rethink the way people interact, transact and engage with your company. We offer an advanced service platform that delivers a connected, customer-centric experience through seamless engagement. Our pre-built technology and innovative assets combined with our specialist advisors help you increase customer loyalty, drive growth, boost productivity and inspire your workforce.

Discover our robust portfolio of Front Office Solutions

To accelerate value, you need best-in-class digital enablement. Expert-led. Customer-focused. Employee approved.

Retail Execution Tool

Built on Salesforce’s Consumer Goods Cloud, this suite accelerates growth and productivity

Digital Fitness

Our Digital Workforce Transformation changes the way employees learn, think, communicate, and solve

Trust & Security

A suite of solutions to improve customer satisfaction, support compliance to consumer protection and financial regulations

Sales & Marketing Excellence

A FullForce certified, single platform accelerator

OneBank

Helps relationship managers and consumer bankers understand clients in a new way with Customer 360

GuestLive

Provides customer-facing employees, in the travel and hospitality industry, meaningful information and actionable insights

Performance Analyzer

The most robust revenue management platform in the market

Agile Commerce

Provides a global template to implement and deploy a complex mix of digital marketing and commerce in just four weeks

Service Excellence

Transforms the way you manage your customer lifecycle across channels, while increasing revenue and reducing costs

Amplifier

An intelligent adoption solution for your entire organization to ensure you get the most out of your digital transformations

Change Navigator

Analyzes your change environment, identifies impact, creates a best-fit change plan, and tracks progress against key rollout metrics

Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS)

Speeds up customer onboarding and time to value, and allows you to manage changes across your customer’s subscription lifecycle to increase recurring revenues

Digital Operations

How do you channel operational disruption into a competitive advantage?

Periodic supply chain evaluations are no longer sufficient, it's time to look to digital transformation and innovation. Omni-channel direct-to-consumer fulfillment models are now everyone’s business, impacting manufacturing, packaging and distribution to returns processing and customer service.

You need transparency into network design, supply and demand planning processes, cost balancing, and operational capacity to adapt, segment and tailor products and services.

PwC’s Digital Operations Performance & Intelligence Suite provides end-to-end visibility from business planning, digital transformation and product development to supply chain management, procurement and smart factory.

PwC’s end-to-end digital operations solution

Using advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and IoT, our Digital Operations solution helps you dynamically model, plan and outperform in Industry 4.0. The solution integrates product development, planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing under a governing command center that optimises performance with end-to-end insights, innovative operations solutions and automated actions.

Performance insights & data analytics

Companies that inject big data and analytics into their operations outperform their peers by 5% in productivity and 6% in profitability.^*

Our solution provides:

Specialised tools to cleanse and ingest structured and unstructured data, sophisticated visualisations, integrated business planning, and dynamic modeling.
Pre-built analytics:
Supply Chain Intelligence
Factory Intelligence
Procurement Intelligence

We leverage SAP and Oracle enterprise and analytics solutions as well as PwC analytics tools built on Microsoft Azure to enhance your digital operations capabilities.

Product development

IDC predicts that by 2025, over two-thirds of the Global 2000 (G2000) will have become high-performance, large-scale producers of software-based digital innovation.^*

As products and services become more software-oriented, PwC’s Digital Operations solution helps you align product development organizations, processes, and tools with downstream operations to more effectively deliver software-based products.

PwC’s solution is based on:
A cross-discipline approach to guide innovation with business, technology and tax considerations
Data-driven benchmarking using Data Hoover analytics tool to drive decision-making
Digital assets such as PwC’s Value Network Tracker for quick access to data about markets and competitors, and the 6-POINTS software assessment tool to confidently progress from concept to quality production.
Industry applicability: Consumer Markets, Health Industries (pharma and life sciences), Industrial Products & Services, Tech, Media & Telecom.

Connected supply chain

72% of Digital Champions have implemented technologies to gain supply chain transparency compared to only 13% of Digital Novices.^*

PwC’s Supply Chain Intelligence provides data ingestion tools and uses advanced analytics and AI to convert operational data into insightful visualisations.
Helps to identify and quantify improvement opportunities and drive supply chain performance.
Leverages pre-built cases enabled by PwC and technology alliance built control towers, providing transparency and real time integration with ERP & external data sources.
Our Demand Sensing offerings, built on Oracle and SAP platforms, enable faster supply chain response to disruptions.
Capturing demand from multiple internal (e.g. price, sales pipeline) and external (e.g. weather, customer review) sources allows for more accurate plans to be created through advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms.
Enabled by cloud-based technologies from SAP, Oracle and Blue Yonder, our pre-built tools and model systems increase agility, automation and accelerate value.
Industry applicability: Consumer Markets, Health Industries, Industrial Products & Services, Tech, Media & Telecom.

Digital procurement

The procurement function plays a pivotal role in managing risk and cost across supplier management, strategic sourcing, contract management, purchase to pay and spend analytics.

PwC’s Procurement Intelligence tool analyzes your existing performance and improves source-to-pay processes, improves category management and increases overall performance. We can help to reduce third-party costs by 5-10% in as little as 3 weeks.

Provide a seamless user experience for business and procurement users with our pre-built configured systems across various source-to-pay technologies such as SAP Ariba and Coupa.
Create user-friendly, mobile-enabled source-to-pay user interfaces to drive adoption.
Drive efficiency and visibility to supplier management activities with Salesforce SRM.
Reduce procurement-related fraud and non-compliance with our Fraud Scan tool and big data analytics.
Industry applicability: Consumer Markets, Financial Services, Health Industries, Industrial Products & Services, Tech, Media & Telecom.

Smart factory

68% of manufacturers plan to increase their investment in the internet of things (IoT) over the next 2 years.^*

PwC's Smart Factory helps manufacturers connect and optimize by capturing data from factory assets (machines, materials, people), processes, and systems and leveraging that data to improve overall manufacturing flow and performance.
Enabled by PwC’s Factory Intelligence, a full-stack solution built on the Microsoft Azure platform
Combines multi-source data (IoT, enterprise, 3rd party), analytics, visualization, and workflow management into dozens of smart factory use cases, ranging from basic performance visibility to advanced, artificial intelligence and automated solutions that enhance your factory with reduced manual intervention.
Build or enhance the right smart factory architecture for your business by leveraging PwC's vendor database, expertise, and transformation experience.
Industry applicability: Consumer markets, Health Industries, Industrial Products & Services, Tech, Media & Telecom.

Tax, Risk, Cyber & Privacy

By incorporating Tax practice capabilities into our Digital Operations solution, PwC helps you leverage R&D tax credits and design supply chain and manufacturing operations to lower your overall global tax footprint and facilitate tax payments to suppliers.

Our Connected Supply Chain solution includes PwC’s Global Trade Services capabilities to help you navigate trade uncertainty and optimize your trade costs and compliance.

We have embedded risk management controls into the Digital Operations solution, providing early warning systems to help you lower supplier and operational risk. We can also help you identify the cybersecurity and privacy implications to processes within traditional and digital supply chains, and build a defense-in-depth approach to protect your supply chain environments.

Global Business Services (GBS)

Changes in the cost-benefit equation—driven by new technology and a changing, unpredictable labor market—are altering the way companies think about how and where they deliver services. As companies evaluate what's core to their businesses, they are focusing more on the changing technology, data and talent landscape. This means automation and upskilling play bigger roles in the modern framework for Global Business Services (GBS) to solve not only for cost, but quality and innovation.

What is Global Business Services (GBS)?

Global Business Services describes the different types of organization models a business can use to deliver enabling services, including shared services (business-owned and operated), outsourcing (3^rd party owned and operated), Centers of Excellence, Hybrid and automation. Services can include both back office support functions (finance, HR, IT, procurement, legal, tax) and front office, customer facing functions (customer service, call center, engineering, R&D).

There is no one size fits all approach- GBS can employ a number of levers depending on the company’s culture, industry, and business dynamics.

The GBS Journey

As organizations have matured, we have seen a move from siloed functional shared services or outsourcing, to today’s more holistic end-to-end process lifecycle. The rise of digitalization enables GBS to provide value-added benefits that are as important as lower costs. Centers can incorporate automation, visualization, analytics, and other digital tools to develop more effective ways to support the business. Where technology can automate low-complexity activities, there is an opportunity to retrain and refocus your people on more value added areas. GBS has become a valuable partner and capability, rather than simply a transactional processing center.

PwC is here to work with YOU

Our PwC team is uniquely positioned to work hand in hand with clients to support their Global Business Services journey by bringing 1,500+ professionals in over 30 countries with operational, functional and technical expertise to each transformation, from strategy through execution.

The following are key capabilities to accelerate your organisation’s service delivery transformation at every phase. Your approach will depend on whether you plan to outsource to an external party or create captive shared services within a lower-cost area.

5 Phases driving your service delivery transformation

Assess your strategy

Here’s where you’ll need to assess the right strategic approach, which will involve collecting and validating current time and cost data to help build your business case and guide your decision-making. Evaluate what operating models work best for your organization, including alternatives, such as automation, captive shared services, outsourcing or a hybrid of these options. This strategic phase is not just for organizations brand new to GBS- it’s also for companies evaluating their current operations and seeking to take it to the next level.

Design your process and organization operating model

Now that you have defined a strategy, it’s time to construct the structure of your future organization. Regardless of which operating model you chose for the future state, you will need to develop process maps and a detailed organization model. Perform due diligence on the location or outsource provider, and develop an implementation plan that includes a communications strategy to continually engage with key stakeholders, both internal and external customers, through your organization’s transformation.

Execute your transformation

Once your future state is designed, you will need to operationalize and build out the facilities, IT and other infrastructure. For both outsourcing and shared services, it will also be critical to create a governance and performance strategy to share important details of the project, including severance, retention, relocation and rebadging.

Implement your vision

The work you put into your strategy will drive the implementation. You are executing your transition plan, including standing up the new captive shared service center, onboarding key talent and making sure measures are in place to capture and transfer their knowledge. Not everything about your organization will go away, so it will also be critical to implement the service levels and performance management frameworks that your organization decides to keep. If you’re outsourcing, conduct due diligence on service providers/vendors and strategically negotiate the contracts before awarding RFPs to service providers and developing an implementation strategy.

Continuous improvement model

Your journey doesn’t end after implementing. There’s more to learn, and in this phase you should track, monitor and proactively manage GBS performance and resolve issues. This could include reassessing shared services and outsourcing relationships, reviewing service delivery and managing ongoing initiatives to improve your organization. For organizations that are outsourcing, this is where you should plan how you’ll renegotiate contracts, assess renewal options or consider a contract exit.

The Benefits of Getting it Right

Increased alignment and collaboration across functions
Greater consistency of customer, supplier and vendor experience
Increased productivity and consistency through end-to-end global processes
More time and resource to focus on running the business
Improved visibility over cost consumption and behaviors
Increased compliance, scalability, and flexibility
Creative and innovative methods of achieving business value

Workforce

The pressure to optimise costs and maximize productivity is always there. Today, it’s made more complicated by disruptive technology, the increasing complexity of geopolitics and global trade, evolving risk and regulation and the ongoing race to find and keep the right talent with the right skills. These forces are reshaping the workplace and introducing new challenges that impact your whole organisation.

Making sure your workforce is ready is essential to building trust in the marketplace. PwC’s community of solvers combines the breadth of strategic knowledge and hands-on implementation experience to help your business—and your people—adjust to change and thrive in an unpredictable world. Our organisational strategists, human resource (HR) practitioners, and regulatory, tax, technology and employment specialists work together to help unleash the potential of your people, build trust in your market and deliver sustained outcomes for your business.

Strategic planning for the future of work

Culture, history and leadership style. While they may be different for every organisation, changing times and new expectations are common for everyone. Our team works across markets and capabilities to help you establish a strategy that addresses the realities of your business. Whether you want to improve the performance of your workforce, develop and redeploy talent around your business, or mitigate the risks of mergers and acquisitions, we provide the advice and support you need. With solutions that focus on your unique workplace and your employees, we can help you build on your people’s strengths, fuel collective insight and performance, and build towards a future that works for your business.

Our Capabilities:

Culture, Leadership and Change
Diversity and inclusion
Employment law
Employment tax and payroll
HR transformation and technology
Organisational design
People analytics and insights
People in deals
Retirement and pensions
Reward and benefits
Workforce risk
Workforce strategy
Upskilling

Managed Services

Move your business forward faster. PwC’s Managed Services will transform and run your complex processes and functions. What we provide is so much more than outsourcing. Consider us your digital business ally with the connected tech, leading-edge skills and hands-on support to help you continuously improve at scale.

Our network of managed services professionals are industry and delivery specialists who bring the right human-led, tech-powered solutions to unlock innovation across your organisation.

Advance with actionable insights

Simplify complexity through our deep understanding of your business. Get the data-driven insights and proven industry expertise you need to keep pace with technology changes, drive efficiency gains and transform advice into action.

Leveraging these insights, winning organisations are turning to a more strategic set of managed services, going beyond labour and cost efficiency to achieve greater innovation and higher performance.

Expand capabilities with trusted collaboration

Grow your business and build your capacity supported by our global ecosystem of tech alliances, industry specialists and significant delivery network.

Our specialised talent will build new skills in your teams across capabilities, including tax, risk, compliance, legal, cloud engineering, data and more. We help you to continuously improve and deliver sustained outcomes – all while staying focused on growth.

PwC's Managed Services:

Finance, Tax & Legal Managed Services

We can run one, or all, of your Finance, Tax, Risk, Legal, HR and Procurement departments for you, giving you the space to focus on what matters most to your business.

Whether you want support in a specific department or for us to run your entire back office, we work with you to define the best outcome for your business, develop the strategy to achieve that goal, transform your existing function and run on an ongoing basis.

Transformation Managed Services

In today’s dynamic world, corporate Project Management Officer (PMO) leaders are being asked to deliver business outcomes, yet are often administrators lacking the foundational governance, flexible delivery frameworks, and modern project influencers required to deliver actual value.

We help clients experiencing a call to action to prioritise their project portfolio of investments and drive business outcomes, enabled by our PMOps Model.

Cloud & Digital Managed Services

Through the combination of our deep industry and Cloud expertise, we are able to help you navigate the business complexities and achieve your business goals as you adopt Cloud. We provide a suite of Cloud transformation and modernisation managed services designed to help you drive value and competitive advantage through your transformation to Cloud infrastructure.

As a trusted specialist, we help you drive value through our Cloud transformation programmes and Application and Cloud Evolution Managed Services offering which focus on providing current solutions, sustained outcomes and are centred on continuous innovation.

Corporate & Supply Chain Operations Managed Services

Digitisation, globalisation, geopolitical shifts, economic factors and regulatory changes are making supply chains and procurement increasingly challenging and costly to manage, and heighten the need for businesses to maximise supply chain value on an ongoing basis.

Let us enable your strategic vision through driving cohesion and collaboration through your supply chains to help drive value, security of supply, and ethical, sustainable sourcing.

Industry Solutions

Facing inflation and economic uncertainty, companies across industries are changing their operating models to focus on building differentiating capabilities that fuel growth while also optimise cost and spend.

Bringing deep industry skill sets and experience from across the PwC network, our industry specialists harness data, technology, and technical know-how to anticipate your business needs and help to solve your most complex performance and compliance concerns.

Industry Solutions

Risk, Compliance & Security Managed Services

We help you proactively manage your reputation through managing risk detection and response in areas including tax, compliance, financial crime, cyber and operational resilience.

And through the day-to-day running of these services and our visibility of the tax, risk, resilience and compliance landscape, we can identify opportunities to turn cost into value.

Sustainability and climate change services

Bringing together our global community of sustainability and sector specialists, empowered by technology solutions and data insights, means we can help clients to pinpoint the most effective climate actions—to protect your bottom line while creating the most value. From a focused strategy, to legal, gap analysis assessments, impact management and finance advice, we cover all bases. But this isn’t about a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s about targeted, tailored solutions that are doable, reportable, and sustainable—delivering sustained outcomes and human powered, tech enabled insights for all stakeholders.

Lead with a practical plan

When it comes to climate mitigation and adaptation, the challenge of where to start can be overwhelming. But the benefits of taking action far outweigh the cost of doing nothing.

We will work with you to help you move beyond sustainability theory—to turn big, complicated concepts into concrete steps. We get hands-on and task-orientated, building a practical path to tangible results.

Sustainability is complex and multi-faceted. Dealing with energy transition requires an understanding of sustainable development goals, net zero transformation and well thought through energy solutions strategy.

Our Green Taxes and Incentives Tracker serves as a starting point offering organisations a thorough understanding of green taxes and incentives on overall corporate climate and business strategies.

Accelerate with innovative tech and insights

As climate impacts grow and reporting requirements expand, companies need to navigate the risks and opportunities of the climate transition – with no time to lose. That's where our suite of digital accelerators come in. They efficiently handle large volumes of data, both internal and external, to assess and enhance your climate mitigation, adaptation, or reporting readiness.

Given the complexity of the climate challenges companies face today, spot solutions won’t do. We've gathered the leading digital tools from across our global network to bring more holistic and tech-enabled services to our clients.

Measure and manage real progress

The Sustainable Development Goals remain as relevant as ever, while measuring impact and creating investor-grade transition plans have become critical for business leaders.

We help companies deliver robust sustainability programmes, key performance indicators (KPIs) and tangible targets. From end-to-end, our global community of more than 10,000 sustainability-focussed solvers can provide you with access to tech-enabled, sustainability solutions, so you can make a meaningful and lasting impact on your business, your people, and the planet.

PwC’s expertise extends beyond regulatory and reporting requirements. Our impact measurement and management solutions provide a roadmap of an organisation’s impact, identifying opportunities to unlock value and provide insights into hidden risks within the value chain.

We advise on net zero transformation and decarbonisation, climate and risk and resilience assessments, sustainable capital, reporting and disclosure frameworks and energy solution projects.

Sustainability success depends on the success of ‘the village’ and we therefore see our work with Alliance partners as critical to our success.

Our Sustainability Tech Suite

From net zero transformation, sustainability reporting, to climate risk and resilience. No matter your starting point, PwC’s Sustainability Tech Suite empowers our teams to help you.

The result? Real-time, data-driven insights so you can embed sustainability into your decision-making processes, boosting efficiency, cutting costs, and accelerating your journey.

Real-time emissions tracking

Generate real time emissions data to calculate impact of decarbonisation levers.

Green taxes and incentives

Identify green taxes and incentives that will have the greatest impact on your activities.

Net-zero transformation benchmarking

Rapidly benchmark against the nine building blocks of net zero transformation.

Sustainability assessments & documentation

Conduct sustainability assessments and document impacts, risks, and opportunities (IROs).

Reporting readiness

Evaluate Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and related maturity, gap assessments and readiness.

Climate risks

Articulate financial risks stemming from physical climate change.

Risk and regulation

Strong risk and resilience capabilities can be the difference between those that thrive and those that fight to survive. The interconnectedness and velocity of risks has increased in recent years, and it now takes different approaches to see them, and the entire organisation to address them. In becoming more proactive in preparing and adapting to risks, you can become more resilient. With the right insight, you can mitigate and prepare for whatever change is ahead. Disruption will always exist. But through building resilience, you’ll have a strategic advantage and be better placed to respond to disruption in a seamless, coordinated and efficient manner.

Bringing diverse thinkers together

Organisations are facing an increasingly complex risk environment that requires a diverse range of internal and external experts, technology alliance partners, third party data owners and industry specialists to work together to provide a panoramic view of their unique risk landscape. Is your organisational ecosystem allowing you to bring a range of perspectives to the problem-solving table?

Anticipating risk so you can act with confidence

Technology embedded in many areas of the business can act as sensors and supply real-time data to guide future activities. Is your organisation applying techniques and tools which can help you anticipate risk and respond with agility?

Managing risks with high reliability and efficiency

Using integrated risk and compliance systems enables higher reliability, efficiency and better decision making. Does your organisation have highly reliable systems in place to deliver the outcomes needed?

How we can help

We bring together teams of experts including PwC professionals, tech alliance partners, third-party data owners and clients. We actively work with you to make sense of data from multiple sources, internal and external, to identify meaningful risk signals and to form actionable, real-time risk intelligence. In doing so, we help you become more agile and resilient, better able to anticipate threats and take advantage of opportunity. Helping you build trust and deliver sustained outcomes.

A community of solvers. Identifying real-time signals. Creating a panoramic view of your unique risk landscape. Let’s change how we see risk.

PwC's Risk Capabilities

Governance, Risk and Compliance
Cybersecurity
Compliance Transformation
Financial Crime Managed Services
Enterprise Technology Risk Solutions
Forensics
Risk Modeling Services
Climate and ESG Reporting
Data Regulation
Crisis and Resilience
Connected Tax Compliance
Internal Audit
Pillar 2: Global Minimum Tax
Legal Regulation
Trust and Transparency Solutions
Managed Services

Tax services

In today’s fast-changing world, we help businesses navigate complexity and risk by empowering them to make informed business decisions, while meeting their tax and other responsibilities.

Our world is in a state of flux, complicated further by regulatory complexity and economic risk. PwC’s Tax and Legal Services helps to cut through the noise and stay ahead of the changes that impact your business. Equipped with the scale of a seamlessly connected global network, we are where you need us—delivering deep tax technical expertise, while providing the critical context to help you make informed and compliant decisions that drive your operations forward. At your side globally and locally, we design best-in-class integrated tax and legal strategies that empower you to move from complexity to execution.

Our services

Indirect taxes
Tax code of conduct
International tax services
Tax controversy & dispute resolution
Legal
Tax policy & administration
Mergers & acquisitions
Tax reporting & strategy
People & organisation
Transfer pricing

PwC’s Global Centre for Crisis and Resilience

Business leaders understand that the world is now in an era of ‘permacrisis.’ All companies today are facing a more complex risk landscape and increasing threat of business disruption—and most will experience a crisis as a result. Organisations that aren’t adequately prepared and/or lack an integrated resilience programme—including core operational resilience capabilities such as business continuity, emergency response, and technology, supply chain, and cyber resilience—face potentially catastrophic consequences as a result.

Connecting risk, resilience and crisis

We are now exposed to an unprecedented number of complex risks—from regulations to cyber threats, supply chain disruption to geopolitics to climate change—all of which are driving factors for disruption.

The purpose of resilience is to have measures in place which will enable an organisation to withstand or absorb those risks, should they materialise, and where this is not possible, respond appropriately to minimise the impacts and remain within pre-defined tolerances. Every critical component, system, service, process or activity should be resilient, recoverable or have continuity plans in place.

When, however, a disruption impact exceeds the acceptable level of impact for an organisation, it becomes a crisis. In a crisis, resilience plans may be overwhelmed and the tolerable levels of impact may be breached. A crisis management capability should provide a flexible and dynamic approach to enable an organisation to manage unforeseen disruptions, continue to deliver its strategic aims, and return to a viable operating state in these conditions of extreme uncertainty.

Crisis management and resilience services

PwC’s Global Centre for Crisis and Resilience has a tested and proven methodology for preparing for and responding to crises and building resilience for all types of organisations.

Crisis preparedness

Crisis preparedness assessment
Crisis management programme design
Crisis plan development
Crisis training
Crisis exercises and simulations

Crisis response

Strategic crisis response & coordination
Crisis command centre stand-up
Stakeholder mapping and engagement
Crisis strategy and scenario planning
After-action review
Crisis communications & reputation management

Resilience capabilities

Business continuity
Disaster recovery
Physical security & emergency planning
Cyber resilience
Supply chain resilience
Financial resilience

Resilience offerings

Resilience maturity assessments
Critical business services mapping
Strategic business impact analysis
Business resilience programme design, builds and enhancements
Exercises and simulations
Resilience leadership training
Technology enablement of business resilience programme

Deals

Value creation is at the heart of our deals methodology. When you work with PwC, you’ll have access to a diverse range of specialists to make this happen, whether it’s to repair value from market disruptions or create value as you evolve with industry changes. Come and explore our value creation way of working.

Bold solutions that create value

In a world of constant change, the need to know what to do and how to do it, has never been more important. Successful deals demand a balance of smart deliberation and strategic decisiveness. Our global, connected teams are ready to help you tackle any challenge or explore a new area for potential growth. Transform thinking into action, strategy into execution. We use data-driven insights, deep industry understanding and bring extensive deal-making experience to realise your potential.

Value creation

Rethink today. Reinvent tomorrow.

As businesses globally continue to manage the fallout of COVID-19, having a value creation plan has never been more important. We help organisations explore new perspectives to make their business more resilient, bolstering sustainable performance.

Acquisitions

Transform complexity into a journey toward success.

The right acquisition should bolster your business strategy and capture value. Our laser focus on preserving and creating value on your next acquisition is embedded at our core. We take it ten steps further, pulling value levers we pull.

Divestitures

Transformation comes from confidently divesting the right assets at the right time.

Time is short, structures are complex, and potential for value leakage is high. We bring better insights to create better outcomes so you can divesting confidently and secure lasting value.

Deal strategy

The race for a competitive edge requires a plan for creating value.

The decisions you make today defines your business’s value tomorrow, with opportunities in every decision. Our team will partner with you to turn high stakes into high growth potential.

Capital markets & IPOs

The right financing is the runway to ongoing success.

From IPO financing to executing a debt offering to ongoing regulatory reporting, our capital market professionals sit at all corners of the globe – so no matter where you need to access capital, we can help to make it happen, our global network works together so you can get to market faster.

Restructuring and crisis

Maximise your options to restructure your recovery, turning vulnerability into strength.

Different circumstances can send industries into downturns and any entity can become susceptible to financial distress. Our experienced teams coupled with multi-disciplined offerings allow us to deliver end-to-end solutions that preserve value and reduce risk throughout the entire restructuring continuum.

Joint ventures and alliances

Strategic partnerships and alliances play a key role in corporate growth.

Alliances and joint ventures, if done well, can lead to competitive advantage. Our extensive portfolio and an approach focused on growth strategy, combined with our industry expertise can accelerate your speed to market. We will work with you to build a strong strategy with a well-executed plan to unlock value.

Corporate finance

A successful transaction requires effective design and structuring, swift execution and post-deal management.

Our global deal-makers bring the right blend of transaction experience, deep sector insight and local relationships to drive your strategic objects and create value in your deal.

Forensic Services

Powered by technology-driven forensic intelligence and analytics, we help you build resilient strategies to protect value, build trust and create opportunities for your business to emerge stronger.

Sudden disruption can shake customer and stakeholder confidence. Whether you experience a data breach, fraud, or a massive global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, an unplanned event has the potential to inflict catastrophic harm to your organisation.

But managed skillfully, such upheaval can create opportunities for your business to emerge stronger.

With PwC’s Forensics team as your trusted advisor, you’ll get back on track. And after critical events, we’ll work with you to manage risk and put safeguards in place to protect business value.

Our collaborative Forensics approach helps you:

Build agility, adaptability and resilience into your business
Determine facts quickly and accurately
Present credible solutions to your stakeholders
Navigate and effectively manage crisis
Restore business value after an impasse
Innovate and emerge stronger

How PwC can help

Our Forensics specialists help clients protect business value and recover from crisis.

With decades of extensive industry experience supporting organisations through critical challenges, our teams of professionals provide concrete, actionable advice to design and guide strategy. Advanced technology powers a suite of proven tools and services. Forensics specialists and analysts apply battle-tested skills and knowledge.

Prepare

We help you reduce the risk of fraud, economic crime and disputes, protecting your business from financial and reputational damage.

Respond

A crisis can cause enormous risk to your brand, your people, your relationships — and your bottom line. We respond with speed and conviction to address the threat and help prevent further damage.

Emerge stronger

Managed well, a crisis can help your business develop immunity. We work with you to recover from current crises and to enhance your ability to learn and improve after an unplanned event.

Subsidiary

Strategy&

Strategy& helps our clients to understand their unique strengths and create a strategy that builds on their differentiation to deliver results.

Strategy& works with the world’s leading businesses, governments, and organisations. We help our clients lead transformational change, create new organisational models, capture value from their customer and channel strategies, increase the effectiveness of their supply chains and assets, and integrate security into their strategy to ensure the resilience of their business. We have the know-how, technology, and scale to think and deliver big.

Business strategy
Organization strategy
Customer strategy
Product and service innovation
Operations strategy
Technology strategy

Find more about Strategy&

Digital Solutions By Capability

Aura

Driving quality and consistency through a risk-based approach.

Aura, our global ERP system, makes sure work gets done one way - the right way - globally and locally. It is used by over 100,000 auditors worldwide, on every PwC audit. Aura ensures our teams take a consistent, focused and efficient approach to audit risk. This means:

A better understanding of your business due to end-to-end visibility of the audit process.
A greater focus on the things that matter thanks to a systematic risk-based approach.
Our pre-loaded risk software helps teams to identify the relevant risks and perform the right work to address them.
Consistency and quality of audit delivery across our entire client base.
Real-time monitoring of engagement quality and progress is available securely on mobile devices, anytime, anywhere.

Halo

Understanding your business and gaining deeper insights. Halo, our data auditing technology, tests huge volumes of business-critical data, analysing whole populations, improving risk assessment, analysis and testing, and unlocking a wealth of insight. Halo is revolutionising our audits by harnessing the power of data.

Enables a greater understanding of your business to enhance audit quality.
A combined trend and ratio analysis provides you with insights using information we already receive as part of the audit.
Visualisations highlight patterns and potentially higher risk transactions instantly, enabling a deeper understanding of your business and supporting more relevant conversations.
Automation of manual tasks leading to greater efficiency.

Connect

Connecting people in real time.

Connect, our global coordination tool, provides fast, efficient and secure information sharing at every stage of the audit. It streamlines, standardises and automates real-time communication between your teams and ours, 24/7, wherever you are in the world. This means:

Better information exchange and document management using a secure, web-based tool.
Process efficiencies through consolidation and automation of notifications.
Safe and secure communication for your teams and ours.
Scalability - globally available for clients, small or large.
Significantly reduced document management effort.
Fast and efficient issue resolution due to real-time tracking.

Extract

Extracts large volumes of data with limited impact on your systems.
Returns standard data formats allowing automated transformation ready for analysis by our applications.
Eliminates the need for repeated, manual intervention through the data extraction process.
Encrypts and compresses the data during the extraction and transfer.
Provides end-to-end protection of your data.
An overall more efficient data acquisition process.

Viewpoint

A digital platform with timely, relevant accounting and business insights

IFRS is the common global financial reporting language. Major new standards for financial instruments, revenue recognition and leasing present significant challenges to preparers of financial statements. Here you’ll find an overview of PwC’s IFRS resources, including the latest practical application guidance available on Viewpoint.

Viewpoint is a digital platform that provides timely and relevant accounting, financial reporting, business and regulatory insights. With powerful search, real-time updates and PwC-curated hot topic pages, Viewpoint helps you find the intelligence and content you need - when you need it.

Viewpoint’s intuitive search functionality makes researching insights around accounting standards, sustainability disclosure standards, financial reporting and regulatory developments quick and easy.

Viewpoint includes authoritative literature as well as PwC’s guidance, insight and tools to support financial reporting and sustainability reporting. It provides International, US, US GASB, UK, Canada and Japan content.

Why Viewpoint?

Offering real-time updates, PwC-curated content pages and user-friendly sharing features, Viewpoint helps you find the insights, intelligence and content you need when you need it. Use Viewpoint to access the latest news, PwC guidance, webcasts, research materials and full text of the authoritative accounting standards and sustainability disclosure standards.

Features include:

A dynamic home page
Superior search functionality
Hot topic and industry content landing pages curated by PwC subject matter specialists
Menu navigation which gets you to popular content with minimum clicks
User-friendly interface with related content available in the document window
PwC analysis and thought leadership on a range of business and industry topics
Mobile app - Download the ‘PwC Viewpoint’ app for free