HFS Research Hires Executive Advisory Leader

HFS Research has appointed Justin Southwell as Executive Advisory Leader, working alongside clients to help them rethink and transform their businesses. This includes helping to expand the firm's AI-First Deal Labs, which helps companies redesign commercial models for the AI era.

HFS says the sourcing advisory market 'has been operating from playbooks written for an era of labor arbitrage and long-term outsourcing contracts' and is fundamentally changing with the rise of AI. HFS is shifting emphasis to partner with enterprises in 'redesigning work, buying outcomes instead of effort, and building AI-first operating models that continuously evolve.'

Southwell (pictured) brings more than two decades of experience leading business and IT transformation, global business services, and complex services contract negotiations, with a particular focus on the evolving role of procurement and GBS in a digital, AI-driven world. Like another recent hire, Joe Montrosse, he has already been working for HFS on a contract basis as an advisor - and before this he worked as VP Global Business Services at GXO Logistics. Earlier he spent fourteen years at medical equipment manufacturing company Baxter International, latterly as Senior Director, ISC Transformation.

In his new role, he will lead the integration of HFS' research, advisory and diagnostics functions; and help drive Deal Labs' mission to transition clients 'from FTE-based sourcing to AI-first, outcome-centric relationships built around intelligent automation, smart tokenomics, sovereign data strategies, and measurable business value.'

Web site: www.hfsresearch.com .