INTEGRITY IMPACT QUALITY
FROM THE EDITOR Advice in the year of elections
IR Global is a multi-disciplinary professional services network that provides legal, accountancy and financial advice to both companies and individuals around the world. Our membership consists of the highest quality boutique and mid-sized firms who service the mid-market. Firms which are focused on partner led, personal service and have extensive cross border experience. Represented in 165+ jurisdictions, covering over 70 unique practice areas, we are perfectly placed to offer the highest quality bespoke advice that meets the needs of the most complex client requirements. Since 2010, our community has grown to 1,400+ members worldwide based on the principles of friendship, trust and a shared belief in going beyond the traditional role of the adviser. Today we exist as the ‘go to’ network for forward thinking clients looking for creative, pragmatic and cost effective solutions.
Highest quality bespoke advice, meeting the needs of the most complex client requirements
Charles Scherer
info@irglobal.com
Twenty-seven general elections have fallen in 2024. At the time of writing, twenty have taken place, but one of the most impactful and momentous polling days – the US Presidential Election – is still to come. No year has ever had such potential for peaceful and democratic regime change, and for those with an international outlook or a cross-border business, the 2020s may have continued as they began – full of stress, uncertainty, and economic strife. New leaders will all have their own remedies for inflation, employment crises, and economic stagnation, and their mandates and mechanisms to administer them will vary in strength. At the same time, change represents an opportunity for those prepared to take it. The initiatives of incoming governments mean new conditions to adapt to and to thrive in, while market stress factors can mean more businesses ready for
acquisition and more opportunities to let necessity drive innovation. AI remains an exciting, if mysterious, prospect for businesses. It is full of promise for efficiency, cost- savings, customer experience, and productivity, but often the specifics of how to apply it are difficult to pin down. It is also sometimes a source of anxiety in areas like compliance, security, data, privacy, and public
“No year has ever had such potential for peaceful and democratic regime change.”
Thomas Wheeler Founder of IR Global
“The group’s founding philosophy was based on cultivating a giving mentality and creating a system which is ethical, sustainable and always puts clients’ interests first.”
relations. Businesses may have to contend with regulations that industry bodies choose to impose, existing national and international laws that are relevant to AI’s operations, and the EU’s new AI act, which threatens those who contravene its rules with fines of € 35m or 7% of turnover (whichever is greater). For some, the cultural gap between generations in the workplace seems as pronounced as ever, if not more so. Social media-driven younger generations are increasingly drawing thicker boundaries between work and ‘life’, and to some, the professional is the political. In the wider employment market, some industries still find themselves with vacancies that they cannot fill, while others cannot handle the volume of applications they receive. Some things, as ever, remain the same. War continues on European soil as the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on – the same conflict that began in 2022 as a fresh crisis to replace the waning pandemic. In the Middle East, the sustained violence between Israel and Hamas shows no signs of abating, but returning to the topic of elections, the next US president will have the power to heavily influence the character and the outcome of the hostilities. We may wonder whether instability is the new standard, and businesses must be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Even if that is the case they can at least rely on highly qualified and experienced advisers to offer guidance and strategy in all conditions. In the following chapters, IR Global members offer their invaluable perspectives from this year of elections for the years ahead.
For further information, please contact: Rachel Finch Head of Digital & Sponsorships rachel@irglobal.com
IR Global is a multi-disciplinary professional services network that provides legal, accountancy and financial advice to companies and individuals around the world.
Annie Elsmore Social Media Executive annie@irglobal.com
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