Each year, Business Talent Group releases the High-End Independent Talent Report, looking across industries and business functions to analyze how business leaders deploy top independent talent to fill critical skill, expertise, and leadership gaps. Here are the key trends in how on-demand talent are helping companies drive significant business change in 2024.

In today's rapidly evolving economic and technological landscape, business leaders must refocus efforts on growth, competitive advantage, and efficiency. Across industries, companies are undergoing major change initiatives—notably integrations, carve-outs, spin-outs, and transformations of all kinds—with those goals in mind.

Independent talent are stepping in with the operational experience needed to fill gaps, de-risk initiatives, and fully execute workstreams to achieve desired results. More than one quarter (27%) of all talent requests were for individuals or teams to execute and support major change initiatives, and demand for talent to assist with change management and post-merger integration projects each increased by 26% year over year. It also increased significantly for experts skilled in divestitures (+300% YOY), Agile transformation (+150%), strategic partnerships (+117%), and turnaround/restructuring (+100%). With 83% percent of corporate and private equity executives saying they anticipate deal volume to increase over the next 12 months,¹ we expect the need for on-demand talent to seamlessly execute in these significant moments to accelerate in 2024 and beyond.

ACQUISITIONS AND INTEGRATIONS

IN-DEMAND SKILLS

1. Post-Merger Integration
2. Financial Controls, Accounting, and Audit
3. Financial Planning, Analysis, and Modeling
4. Mergers and Acquisitions
5. Due Diligence
6. Process Optimization and Transformation
7. Organizational Design and Workforce Planning
8. Technology and Systems Implementation
9. Program Management Office (PMO)
10. Change Management

CASE STUDY

Integration Execution to Bridge Gap from Consulting Firm to Internal Team Ownership

An F100 company was using a strategy consulting firm for the initial stages of an integration of another large company, with 50+ people managing the Integration Management Office (IMO) and regulatory aspects of the commercial integration. Seven months post-close, the board and executive team were pressing for greater internal ownership of the integration. BTG delivered seven talent with perfect-fit expertise to support the internal integration team and help the company realize integration savings and growth opportunities. 

CARVE-OUTS, SPIN-OUTS, AND DIVESTITURES

IN-DEMAND SKILLS

1. Divestitures
2. Financial Controls, Accounting, and Audit
3. Program Management Office (PMO)
4. Organizational Transformation
5. Operational Excellence
6. Organizational Design and Workforce Planning
7. Technology and Systems Implementation
8. Financial Planning, Analysis, and Modeling
9. Communications
10. New Business Development and Strategic Partnerships

CASE STUDY

Interim Leadership and Project Management Support During a Spin-Out

To help a large healthcare company set up the IT function in a recently spun out subsidiary, BTG delivered experienced talent at multiple levels: an interim CIO with a robust skill set in IT systems development and corporate strategy, an interim CISO with experience building enterprise cloud security systems, and several supporting consultants, including a senior IT architect, an IT design consultant, and a technical PM. 

TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVES

IN-DEMAND SKILLS

1. Change Management
2. Technology and Systems Implementation
3. Process Optimization and Transformation
4. Post-Merger Integration
5. Program Management Office (PMO)
6. Organizational Design and Workforce Planning
7. Organizational Transformation
8. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
9. Agile Transformation
10. Financial Planning, Analysis, and Modeling

CASE STUDY

Interim Resources to Power a Turnaround Transformation

A consumer company was set to embark on a transformational agenda to turn around performance, restructure the organization, and regain lost market share. To support the company’s initial brand transformation, BTG delivered an interim CMO and supporting resources to cover short-term gaps in the marketing organization. Then, BTG delivered an additional five talent to support an interim transformation office and drive workstreams critical to the implementation of the organization’s 18-month turnaround plan. 

1 “2024 M&A Trends Survey: Mind the Gap.” Deloitte, January 2024.