Global outposts for the QS

From first impressions of expats working in the wildly differing markets of Dubai and Perth to the news of how a UK firms is coping with the war in Lebanon and our very own columnist Denis Lillie securing a prestigious role working on preparations for the World Cup in South Africa – we are covering the globe pretty comprehensively in this edition. It underlines the fact that there has probably never been a time in the history of the profession when practitioners have looked outside of the UK as much – either operating abroad or relocating wholesale.

This industry’s globalisation clearly offers much excitement, not least for those thinking of entering the profession. The offer of a variety of outposts and experience across different locations is a strong pull to new recruits. Bosses themselves can hardly be shying away from the odd trip away to the Caribbean or Far East as an alternative to the daily grind.

Globalisation can also offer major risks, however. These range from trading in areas affected by political instability or coping with less mature market places compared to the UK as far as legal matters, procurement or payment go. Capita Symonds’ recent exit from Dubai, which followed the firm signing up to a major infrastructure deal then subsequently walking away from it, shows how cultural differences can still hamper ambitious global empire building.

Quite how this trend fits into continuing global insecurity, felt currently in the Middle East, and the issue that is rapidly emerging as the dominant one of our age, sustainability, is beyond assessing in detail in this column. My guess is that such trends will alter how firms operate globally but will not stop them from doing so. The genie appears to be already out of the bottle.