Today’s necessity is not only the mother of invention, but of digital transformation, innovation, and the adoption of new habits. Fighting COVID-19 is now the world’s top necessity, and therefore, its number one accelerator of digital transformation.
In the upcoming years, development will be driven and led by the current transformation in lifestyles, consumption behaviour, and evolving market demands. The ongoing shifts will bring about new opportunities and modalities for startups, SMEs, freelancers, and microbusinesses. Today, the world realises more than ever that digitisation is imperative, and that enterprises with the digital capacity to run the economy safely, are the ones who will foremost expand and scale into new markets.
Leaders International seeks to grasp development opportunities by studying the new trends and development needs that shape the forthcoming innovation scene, and supporting industries with the biggest potential to grow during and after the pandemic. Digital products that prove to be useful during the crisis will highly likely be adopted by people after the pandemic. Consumers will learn how to use it, realise its efficiency, and compare it to less-convenient products that were once available before COVID-19. The longer the pandemic lasts, the more people are likely to adopt and stick to new habits, activities, technologies, and products.
The interventions of Leaders International currently focus on generating further support and resources for enterprises as well as support-organisations (e.g. business incubators, associations, and chambers of commerce) to advance through the so-called “social-distancing economy”, and strengthen their digital capabilities accordingly. Enterprises with zero digital services will hardly compete in the near future, and economies with weak digital-infrastructures will not easily reach sustainable development goals in the next decade.
Our approach to digital transformation is an ongoing commitment to digitally enable and empower private, public, and civil society organisations who support different sectors, especially in tourism, creative services, and manufacturing. By leveraging digital technologies and adapting the service delivery mechanisms of these organsiations, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will bring out the most in their inherent capacities, resources, and talent. Specifically, we aspire to support and transform more MSMEs and startups in the region to support sustainability and social objectives, enhance revenues, and create new job opportunities.