A key player in the European financial exchange market needed to redefine its strategy in order to remain relevant in the future. Faced with unparalleled change in the industry, increasing innovation and investment managers creating new techniques in search of returns, the organisation needed to select the best of its nascent strategies for action. 

Putting Strategy to the Test 

Having already identified a set of potential strategies, the organisation needed to develop an actionable shortlist. Outsights Scenario process surfaced the key issues facing the organisation through interviews with the senior team and experts across Europe and research to fill knowledge gaps. 

After identifying the most important and uncertain drivers for the organisation, the senior team worked with Outsights to develop three Scenarios for the 10-year timeframe: a hi-tech world with tension within Europe; a hi-tech world where technology delivers solutions to resource challenges; and a low-tech world with tension within Europe about how to deal with uncertainty. The nascent strategies were then tested against the Scenarios to create the shortlist.

From Scenarios to a Roadmap for the Future

Six shortlisted strategies and the longer term challenges emerging from the Scenario work were taken to the Executive Committee to identify priorities for the commercial action plan, priorities which were written into the three year roadmap incorporated into the commercial action plan.