ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
A Different Kind of Partner in an AI World
AI-native strategy
consulting
Experienced hires
We are hiring experienced top-tier strategy consultants
Quantified Strategy
Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
Global Advisors is a leader in defining quantified strategies, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions and achieving measureable results.
We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
We support implementation of adaptive capability and capacity.
Our latest
Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Is insecurity behind that dysfunction?
By Marc Wilson
Marc is a partner at Global Advisors and based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Download this article at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
We tend to characterise insecurity as what we see in overtly fragile, shy and awkward people. We think that their insecurity presents as lack of confidence. And often we associate it with under-achievement.
Sometimes we might be aware that insecurities can lie behind the -ias, -isms and the phobias. Body dysmorphia? Insecurity about attractiveness. Racism? Often the need to find security by claiming superiority, belonging to group with power, a group you understand and whose acceptance you want. Homophobia? Often insecurity about one’s own sexuality or masculinity / feminity.
So it is often counter-intuitive when we discover that often behind incredible success lies – insecurity! In fact, an article I once read described the successful elite of strategy consulting firms as typically “insecure over-achievers.”
Insecurity must be one of the most misunderstood drivers of dysfunction. Instead we see its related symptoms and react to those. “That woman is so overbearing. That guy is so aggressive! That girl is so self-absorbed. That guy is so competitive.” Even, “That guy is so arrogant.”
How is it that someone we might perceive as competitive, arrogant or overconfident might be insecure? Sometimes people overcompensate to hide a weakness or insecurity. Sometimes in an effort to avoid feeling defensive of a perceived shortcoming, they might go on the offensive – telling people they are the opposite or even faking security.
Do we even know what insecurity is? The very need to…
Read the rest of “Power, Control and Space” at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
Strategy Tools
Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?
By Stuart Graham and Marc Wilson
Stuart is a manager and Marc is a partner at Global Advisors.
Both are based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Growth, profit or returns? It’s all three, however we find that the relationship between these and shareholder value creation is poorly understood – if at all.
All three measures become critical to the way forward as companies navigate the Covid-19 crisis.
After ensuring business survival, navigating through the Covid-19 crisis requires returns on invested capital AND growth to deliver shareholder returns. S&P 500 companies averaged 13% RONA and 5% revenue growth (CAGR) through the financial crisis (2008-2012) .
Monolithic survival approaches may starve compensating growth opportunities – a portfolio approach is required.
Key insights
Returns are not enough – companies must also grow to create value.
Profits and cash flows cannot increase indefinitely through cost-reduction, efficiency, business mix, etc – top-line growth is critical.
Returns must be above costs of capital to be value accretive.
S&P 500 companies averaged 13% ROIC and 5% revenue growth (CAGR) through the financial crisis (2008-2012).
Margins and revenue growth, or even profit growth in themselves don’t answer that question of whether shareholder value was created or destroyed. There are many examples of where growth and high margins actually destroy value.
Company valuations reflect an aggregate of their business portfolio – rebalancing segments based on their growth and return profiles can lift company value.
Growth requires investment – at the very least in the working capital required to support revenue growth.
Measuring RONA or ROIC and Revenue growth shows whether business activity is value accretive or destructive.
You can use the Global Advisors Market Cap (valuation) framework to map your business – and agree action to deliver improved shareholder returns.
Fast Facts
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The use of full absorption or average costing in a manufacturing environment with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The increase in price to cover costs results in volume decreases – lowering factory utilisation and increasing unit production costs. This is the start of the utilisation-pricing “death spiral”
- Costing according to factory utilisation – partial absorption costing – offers the opportunity to be more strategic about costing and utilisation
- “Unabsorbed” costs can be targeted through OEE and volume improvements. At the same time, the “disadvantage” of having a large factory is normalised and pricing can compete with more fully-utilised factories
- A recent manufacturing client saw 60% of unit costs arise from factory under-utilisation – sub-optimal OEE levels (non-conformance), low volumes and work-centre bottlenecks contributed to the utilisation gap
- These principles can apply to any asset-intensive business – for example banking
Selected News
Quote: Kristalina Georgieva – Managing Director, IMF
“What is being eliminated [by AI] are often tasks done by new entries into the labor force – young people. Conversely, people with higher skills get better pay, spend more locally, and that ironically increases demand for low-skill jobs. This is bad news for recent … graduates.” – Kristalina Georgieva – Managing Director, IMF
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), delivered this stark observation during a World Economic Forum Town Hall in Davos on 23 January 2026, amid discussions on ‘Dilemmas around Growth’. Speaking as AI’s rapid adoption accelerates, she highlighted a dual dynamic: the elimination of routine entry-level tasks traditionally filled by young graduates, coupled with productivity gains for higher-skilled workers that paradoxically boost demand for low-skill service roles.1,2,5
Context of the Quote
Georgieva’s remarks form part of the IMF’s latest research, which estimates that AI will impact 40% of global jobs and 60% in advanced economies through enhancement, elimination, or transformation.1,3 She described AI as a ‘tsunami hitting the labour market’, emphasising its immediate effects: one in ten jobs in advanced economies already demands new skills, often IT-related, creating wage pressures on the middle class while entry-level positions vanish.1,2,5 This ‘accordion of opportunities’ sees high-skill workers earning more, spending locally, and sustaining low-skill jobs like hospitality, but leaves recent graduates struggling to enter the workforce.5
Backstory on Kristalina Georgieva
Born in 1953 in Sofia, Bulgaria, Kristalina Georgieva rose from communist-era academia to global economic leadership. She earned a PhD in economic modelling and worked as an economist before Bulgaria’s democratic transition. Joining the World Bank in 1993, she climbed to roles including Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia, then Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response at the European Commission (2010-2014). Appointed IMF Managing Director in 2019, she navigated the COVID-19 crisis, steering over USD 1 trillion in lending and advocating fiscal resilience. Georgieva’s tenure has focused on inequality, climate finance, and digital transformation, making her a authoritative voice on AI’s socioeconomic implications.3,5
Leading Theorists on AI and Labour Markets
The theoretical foundations of Georgieva’s analysis trace to pioneering economists dissecting technology’s job impacts.
- David Autor: MIT economist whose ‘task-based framework’ (with Frank Levy) posits jobs as bundles of tasks, some automatable. Autor’s research shows AI targets routine cognitive tasks, polarising labour markets by hollowing out middle-skill roles while boosting high- and low-skill demand-a ‘polarisation’ mirroring Georgieva’s entry-level concerns.3
- Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee: MIT scholars and authors of The Second Machine Age, they argue AI enables ‘recombinant innovation’, automating cognitive work unlike prior mechanisation. Their work warns of ‘winner-takes-all’ dynamics exacerbating inequality without policy interventions like reskilling, aligning with IMF calls for adaptability training.3
- Daron Acemoglu: MIT Nobel laureate (2024) who, with Pascual Restrepo, models automation’s ‘displacement vs productivity effects’. Their framework predicts AI displaces routine tasks but creates complementary roles; however, without incentives for human-AI collaboration, net job losses loom for low-skill youth.5
These theorists underpin IMF models, stressing that AI’s net employment effect hinges on policy: Northern Europe’s success in ‘learning how to learn’ exemplifies adaptive education over rigid skills training.5
Broader Implications
Georgieva urges proactive measures-reskilling youth, bolstering social safety nets, and regulating AI for inclusivity-to avert deepened inequality. Emerging markets face steeper skills gaps, risking divergence from advanced economies.1,3,5 Her personal embrace of tools like Microsoft Copilot underscores individual agency, yet systemic reform remains essential for equitable growth.
References
2. https://fortune.com/2026/01/23/imf-chief-warns-ai-tsunami-entry-level-jobs-gen-z-middle-class/
3. https://globaladvisors.biz/2026/01/23/quote-kristalina-georgieva-managing-director-imf/
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ANV7yuaTuA
!["What is being eliminated [by AI] are often tasks done by new entries into the labor force - young people. Conversely, people with higher skills get better pay, spend more locally, and that ironically increases demand for low-skill jobs. This is bad news for recent ... graduates." - Quote: Kristalina Georgieva - Managing Director, IMF](https://i0.wp.com/globaladvisors.biz/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260124_18h30_GlobalAdvisors_Marketing_Quote_KristalinaGeorgieva_GAQ.png?w=1080&ssl=1)
Polls
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Services
Global Advisors is different
We help clients to measurably improve strategic decision-making and the results they achieve through defining clearly prioritised choices, reducing uncertainty, winning hearts and minds and partnering to deliver.
Our difference is embodied in our team. Our values define us.
Corporate portfolio strategy
Define optimal business portfolios aligned with investor expectations
BUSINESS UNIT STRATEGY
Define how to win against competitors
Reach full potential
Understand your business’ core, reach full potential and grow into optimal adjacencies
Deal advisory
M&A, due diligence, deal structuring, balance sheet optimisation
Global Advisors Digital Data Analytics
14 years of quantitative and data science experience
An enabler to delivering quantified strategy and accelerated implementation
Digital enablement, acceleration and data science
Leading-edge data science and digital skills
Experts in large data processing, analytics and data visualisation
Developers of digital proof-of-concepts
An accelerator for Global Advisors and our clients
Join Global Advisors
We hire and grow amazing people
Consultants join our firm based on a fit with our values, culture and vision. They believe in and are excited by our differentiated approach. They realise that working on our clients’ most important projects is a privilege. While the problems we solve are strategic to clients, consultants recognise that solutions primarily require hard work – rigorous and thorough analysis, partnering with client team members to overcome political and emotional obstacles, and a large investment in knowledge development and self-growth.
Get In Touch
16th Floor, The Forum, 2 Maude Street, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
+27114616371