IP technology leader CPA Global has issued a statement announcing its intention to move to an entirely remote working model post COVID-19.
The company, which has 3,300 staff across 29 offices worldwide, will set up hubs in key geographies and group chief executive officer Simon Webster said: “The implications of recent months have created a rapid and extremely important change for the IP industry. We believe the ‘new normal’ is not something we just arrive into; it isn’t predetermined or preordained. As restrictions fall away, the new normal has to be something we shape, we can control and which we will own in the future. Prior to the pandemic we were already 3 years into a 5-year investment programme into our operating technology, both collaboration infrastructure and business applications, and this meant that the transition of 3,300 colleagues out of our offices and to a remote model happened seamlessly and faultlessly in the last 2 weeks of March.
“Indeed, the shift to virtual, remote working in response to the Covid-19 lockdown has challenged assumptions and sped up the process of digital transformation in the wider IP industry, confirming just what can be achieved when you combine the best technology with the best people to drive productivity, efficiency and innovation as well as bolstering health and wellbeing.
“Today, therefore we are announcing our intention to become a digital-first organisation, to complete the journey that the pandemic has accelerated – and to capture the long term benefits for our people, customers and shareholders that we can see from fully embracing digital. We are setting out on our journey and taking ownership of our new normal – a digital CPA Global.”
He added: “Location should no longer be a restriction on talent. We want to maximise our collective talent, retaining the best and brightest and creating new opportunities for people around the world. Our teams will work remotely but will never be isolated – putting the wellbeing of our people first and helping them to thrive in the new world is essential to our success. To support our ambitions our offices will also transition from fixed workplaces into dynamic hubs based in our key geographies. We will invest in these hubs to increase our collaboration, culture and agility.”