Future Leaders in GBS: Identified, Nurtured, Empowered 🌱

At the recent AGOS GBS Summit 2025, I had the privilege of facilitating two roundtable sessions on one of the most important topics for our industry: Strategies in Identifying & Nurturing Future Leaders in GBS succession planning.

We explored what succession planning really looks like inside GBS organizations, from the typical cycles of talent identification to the very real challenges of ensuring plans are:
 ✅ Robust and diverse
 ✅ Validated and future-ready
 ✅ Aligned with individuals who actually want the roles

An important part of the discussion focused on the attributes of talent we need to prioritize when building succession pipelines:
 ✨ Cultural Agility – the ability to lead across geographies, organizational matrices and diverse teams
 ✨ Digital Fluency – readiness to harness technology and data for impact
 ✨ Communication Skills & Influence – connecting, inspiring, and driving alignment at all levels

The groups also wrestled with tough questions:
– Should talents be told they are on a succession plan?
– How do we keep them motivated to take on bigger responsibilities?
– What role do sponsors, not just mentors, play in accelerating readiness?
– How do we gain sponsorship for our talents?

What stood out most was the candor and openness from leaders across industries. People shared real challenges, honest experiences, and meaningful practices. It was not theory; it was lived reality.

I am grateful to everyone who joined the roundtable sessions, contributed, and asked the hard questions. 🙏 And a special thank you to AGOS Asia for creating this space for the GBS community to come together, learn, and grow stronger. Kudos too to all the other roundtable facilitators for driving meaningful conversations across a variety of important topics.

Succession planning is not just about filling up seats on a template. It is about building confidence in the future of GBS leadership.