- 90% of ASX 200 companies are not Asia ready, when assessed against 6 key Asia capabilities
- 82% of the top 30 private companies are not adequately equipped to do business in Asia
- Pockets of strength in key industries including mining and financial services, but other sectors lagging
- Strong correlation between Asia capable leadership and business performance in Asia
Corporate Australia urgently needs business leaders that understand and are experienced with Asia if the nation’s top companies are to thrive in the future, ground-breaking new research undertaken by Asialink Business, with the support of PwC and the Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML), released today reveals.
With only 10% of the ASX 200, and just 18% of the BRW top 30 private companies demonstrating a high level of Asia skills and knowledge, Match fit: Shaping Asia capable leaders is a critical call to action to captains of industry and business leaders.
Asialink Business CEO Mukund Narayanamurti says: “Having a long term growth strategy and the right capabilities is essential for succeeding in Asia, but many business leaders feel constrained by a lack of information, pressure to show short term results, negative public perceptions about Asian investment and analysts’ aversion to overseas investment.”
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“Asia is a competitive playing field. Just as we wouldn’t send our top athletes onto the field without ample training, we shouldn’t expect business leaders to kick winning goals in Asia until they are ‘match fit’.”
The research found that on the ASX 200, only 19% of board members are Asia ready, when assessed against 6 key Asia capabilities. Senior executives performed even more poorly – only 14% were Asia capable. The study also revealed trends based on market capitalisation and industry: large public companies out-performed smaller ones. Energy and resources and financial services sectors were the best performing industries, while manufacturing and healthcare and pharmaceuticals were the least match-fit for Asia.
Andrew Parker, PwC Asia Practice Leader says: “While there are some pockets of strength, the overall lack of Asia readiness revealed by this study is troubling although perhaps not unsurprising given the relatively limited investment of Australia’s largest businesses in Asia.”
“If the last 25 years have been about shipping our commodities to Asia, the coming decades will be a story of services and consumption fuelled by a rapidly expanding Asian middle-class. If we aspire to be more than casual observers, Australian businesses will need to be where the consumers are – and that is increasingly in Asia.”
“From the boardroom to the shop floor, our business leaders urgently need to invest in developing the capabilities and the talent that are essential for success in the region. Future generations will not mark us kindly if we do not get this right.”
While there is still significant room for improvement, non-listed companies proved more agile in Asia, often outperforming their ASX colleagues, especially at the senior executive level. Institute of Managers and Leaders Chief Executive, David Pich says: “A shift in industry mindset towards pursuing long-term growth instead of short-term returns is well overdue.
“Boards regularly face questions from investors about the relative priority of short and long term results, which is fair, however, business leaders, analysts and investors need to realise the value decision-making processes that consider longer-term outlooks bring to a business.”
“Asia offers businesses the chance to achieve double-digit growth but these returns are characteristically seen in the medium to long term, If you want results in Asia, it’s important to have the right frameworks in place to foster these capabilities.”
The research calls for a shift in corporate mindset, to acknowledge the centrality of Asia to Australia’s economic prosperity, and to bust the myths surrounding Asian investment. It urges companies to adopt more detailed reporting practices to recognise market-specific returns within Asia, consider establishing an Asia capable advisory board, better utilise Australian expatriate talent, and build awareness in the wider community.
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