O&M APAC, IDC and DHR join hands to establish S_HIFT

Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, IDC Asia Pacific, and DHR International Asia Pacific have announced a new partnership called S_HIFT to help the C-suite "clarify and simplify their challenges around digital transformation".The collaboration works to unify the C-suite in the areas of branding and customer experience (Ogilvy), technology advisory (IDC), and talent leadership (DHR), to deliver a holistic approach to digital transformation.Jerry Smith, COO of Ogilvy said: “At the end of 2016 we conducted research across the region to better understand how prepared organisations are when it comes to the digital transformation of their business. Over 90% responded describing themselves as ‘somewhere on the journey’, however one of the biggest challenges identified was the ownership of the agenda in the boardroom.”The newly formed organisation will hold an event called "Omni-Experience" from 9 May in Shanghai, followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. Each briefing will include new customer experience trends, best practice insights, and pathways to success across various organisation functions.“There is complexity when it comes to the digital transformation of a business, it’s not just the role of IT - technology should enable marketing, sales, customer service, R&D, and supply chain management as they all stand to benefit from it,” added Jason Gorud, group vice-president of IDC Asia Pacific.S_HIFT will also be providing consultative services to clients. “Many organisations are struggling to find clear and manageable structures and solutions to bring together various parts of the business that need to work together. The bespoke consultative approach of S_HIFT helps unify the boardroom through structured assessments and tools we’ve jointly created,” added Smith.