The recent conflict in Ukraine, the isolation of the Russian economy from Western economies, the new escalation of violence in the Middle East, and the attacks on ships on the Suez Canal, have not only contributed to redefining the map of international trade, but are changing the face of the internationalisation process of companies. It is easy to ask, therefore, what room for manoeuvre is there today for companies that want to operate across borders? We asked this question to Roberto Corciulo, CEO of IC&Partners, a multinational company that has been present for 30 years in 20 countries with no less than 35 direct operating foreign offices; an all-Italian excellence that has succeeded in asserting its leadership in the market of internationalisation process consultancy to SMEs in the fields of tax, legal, accounting, administrative, financial and human resources management abroad as well as entry strategy and export management services.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr Corciulo, a year has passed since our last interview. What’s new from a corporate point of view?
Thanks to strategic and future-oriented choices, IC&Partners has managed to grow significantly this past year, both in terms of organisation and geographical expansion, with the opening of new offices in Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan, and currently opening in Spain. Above all, European markets today represent an opportunity for companies wishing to grow and expand their business beyond national borders, not only because Europe has always been interested in the great capacity for innovation of Italian companies, but also and above all because today’s geopolitical framework has inevitably changed the choice of strategic markets in which to operate and invest. In this phase of uncertainty and instability, in fact, entrepreneurs are increasingly choosing safe countries that offer concrete prospects for growth and expansion, such as Poland, Spain and the countries of Northern Europe. Outside Europe, the most sought-after markets are India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mexico and the USA. Today, internationalisation poses multiple and exciting challenges and requires increasingly careful and rigorous planning as well as effective execution capacity, so that companies are increasingly strong in international markets. The mission of IC&Partners is therefore to consciously and responsibly indicate to Italian companies of all sizes, willing to internationalise their business (both commercial and productive), the right course in the light of the new geopolitical international scenarios that are redrawing the international maps.
How has the context in which society is operating changed?
The war in Ukraine, the isolation of the Russian economy from western economies, the escalation of violence in the Middle East, the recent attacks on the Suez Canal, and the tensions on the Pacific between the US and China are some of the shocks that have recently hit the international scenario, which are redrawing the maps of internationalisation for companies in a very short time. In this context of strong tensions that we can now define as ‘Permacrisis’, Italian SMEs need to be more responsive in order to survive and grow in foreign markets; and to do so, they must necessarily rely on highly qualified figures capable of offering all-round, highly qualified and reliable consultancy, because the internationalisation process requires, today more than ever, specific managerial skills in terms of knowledge of the new global competitive context, the search for markets with the highest potential, and the innovative technologies needed to overcome the new challenges imposed by digitalisation.
Today, digital innovation, artificial intelligence and ESG are of fundamental importance; aware of this, IC&Partners – thanks to the valuable partnership with Webidoo Spa, a company highly specialised in Digital Transformation and Digital Marketing – has launched Digital +Export, the largest digital entry strategy platform that helps companies find all the solutions for growth in foreign markets.
Thanks to this valuable partnership and others of the highest level in the various segments of the internationalisation process, and nonetheless thanks to the expertise gained by a highly qualified and motivated multidisciplinary team, IC&Partners is now able to offer increasingly innovative tools for SMEs to be active players in international markets, especially in a very difficult and unreadable historical moment such as the current one of permacrisis.
