Jonathan Franks, upon becoming President of the international network TGS, initiated a new global business strategy to enhance both quality and quantity within the network, aiming for expansion into more countries, especially in Africa and the Far East.
One of the first things I found when I took over the role as President of TGS was that we needed a new strategy. TGS was born around 2012, and was originally developed as a collaboration between a UK firm, which is no longer part of the network, and a French firm, Soregor (now TGS France). It was led by Marc Desjardins, who was charged by Soregor to set up an international desk, but who quickly developed a network of European firms under the branding TGS, with the assistance of a small team including our Andrew Menzies (a Scottish born expat who now lives full time in France). Using their connection and sheer hard endeavour, they brought together some 60 firms around the world. TGS ranks in the top 25 global networks, and Andrew has now taken on the demanding role of CEO of TGS.
The founding UK firm had different objectives and ceased to be involved, leaving a gaping hole in the network, which Hillier Hopkins filled in 2020, to become the sole UK member.
At school, I was taught when writing essays that it was quality, not quantity, that counts. But I feel in TGS we need both, and the phrase “quality and quantity” is central to the future of TGS. We will continue to maintain and improve the quality standards of every member firm, but in order to serve our network’s clients fully we also need quantity, and we aspire to be in 100 countries. At present, if we need advice in a country where we do not have a presence, we need to seek recommendations from friends and contacts. We can do this, but it would be better to have a true member we know we can trust.
So the future will involve seeking members who fit our profile in more countries, especially in Africa and the Far East. The future will also see our members meeting ever higher quality standards in line with International Standards on quality. Over time, my vision includes more shared technical knowledge – we can all learn from our peers in other countries.
Part of the shared technical knowledge will be staff exchanges, which is rather Visa dependent, and has several complications, but it is an area we are keen to develop so that our team develop an understanding of the differences and similarities of working in different jurisdictions.
I see businesses needing to look to external markets for supplies, technical expertise and customers. They will need to market in global situations. It is essential, therefore, that we, at Hillier Hopkins can provide the necessary advice and guidance. Despite the recent events coming out of a large country to the West – where we are actively developing powerful network allies – the days of countries thinking parochially and locally are no longer feasible.
If we want the world to be peaceful and prosperous, we need to do business together. If we want the world to survive, we need to Think Global Sustainability. No-one can recall where the acronym, “TGS” came from, but our new CEO, Andrew Menzies can be credited for this idea!
Read more about TGS and our membership.
