GBS & Shared Services

Know
the game.
Play it well.
Move up.

GBS centres offer fast careers, real exposure, and genuine breadth. But nobody hands you a map when you arrive. This is where that changes.

36
Chapters live now
8
Content pillars
1
Practitioner voice
Modern GBS office environment
The Career Journey

∗  Hierarchy and titles vary by organisation. The sequence below reflects common GBS/SSC structures and is indicative, not universal.

OUR FOCUS — GBS INSIDER CLUB COVERS THIS RANGE BEYOND DIRECTOR — MATRIX TERRITORY ∗ ENTRY LEVEL Just arrived. No map. ASSOCIATE understand the model FINDING YOUR FEET Performing. Not moving up. SPECIALIST learn the levers FIRST LEADERSHIP Leading people. Managing up. TEAM LEAD speak the language MANAGER LEVEL Delivery pressure. Customer expectations. MANAGER · SR MANAGER build systems DIRECTOR LEVEL Strategy meets execution. DIRECTOR · HEAD OF it gets complex here VP / SVP Line management. P&L responsibility. GBS / SITE LEAD Solid line: centre. PROCESS OWNER Capability / global process. Dotted line. = matrix / dotted line = solid line reporting ∗ VP above or below Director varies by organisation GBS INSIDER CLUB — CONTENT COVERS ENTRY LEVEL THROUGH DIRECTOR
What's Inside

Both sides of
the equation

Corporations run GBS centres for cost, quality, scale — and the data and innovation advantages that centralisation makes possible.

Employees get breadth, international exposure, and fast growth — if they understand how to navigate the environment.

The content here covers both sides: what the organisation needs from you, and how you use it to build something real for yourself.

Team reviewing performance data
01
AI & the Future of GBS
How AI works, what it means for your function, and how to deploy it without burning budget. 36 chapters. Built for GBS leaders, not developers.
Live Now Read →
02
Career Progression
Where the real leverage points are. How to move faster than the typical corporate timeline inside a large multinational GBS environment.
Coming Soon
03
Process & Performance
Lean, automation, continuous improvement — as practised in real GBS environments. Not as sold in consulting proposals.
Coming Soon
04
Stakeholder & Executive Presence
Communicate up, across, and into the business. The skill gap most GBS professionals don't address until it's already cost them something.
Coming Soon
05
GBS & SSC Architecture
Service delivery model design, governance, and the decisions that separate mature GBS operations from perpetual cost centres.
Coming Soon
06
Promotion & Visibility
Why strong performers get passed over, and what the ones who moved up did differently. Building visibility where it counts.
Coming Soon
Young professional focused on laptop
Who It's For

For people who
build things
inside large orgs

GBS doesn't reward the loudest person in the room. It rewards the person who makes the system better — simplifies a process, removes friction, builds something that works without them.

And the ones who move fastest are those who learn to hold the tension between delivery pressure, customer expectations, and what leadership is actually measuring.

That's what the GBS Insider Club is built around.

GBS INSIDER Early-Career Professionals Just landed in GBS. The environment is more complex than expected. No one explained the model, the politics, or what good actually looks like here. ASSOCIATE · ANALYST · SPECIALIST Managers & Team Leads Performing well technically. Not moving up as fast as expected. Learning the corporate language — how to frame things, what leadership actually measures. TEAM LEAD · MANAGER · SR MANAGER Transformation Leads Driving standardisation, automation, or migration projects. Need the strategic and operational playbook — not a vendor's pitch for why their tool solves it all. FINANCE · HR · IT · PROCUREMENT Aspiring Directors Career progression in GBS moves fast — if you know the levers. Director-level thinking is about architecture, influence, and building systems that work without you. HEAD OF · VP · DIRECTOR · GBS LEAD
About the Host

Built from
inside the seat

I'm Julian — your host. I started in a project to set up Shared Services after an SAP deployment, and worked my way up to Director level on the process and systems side.

Not posting invoices — building and improving the environments where that work happens at scale. Leading teams, managing outsourcing providers, navigating corporate structures, and learning — over time — the language and unwritten code that determines who moves and who doesn't.

The GBS Insider Club exists to share what took years to accumulate, without the consultant markup.

SAP DEPLOY SSC SETUP TEAM LEADERSHIP OUTSOURCING MGMT TODAY DIRECTOR LEVEL
Professional GBS environment
Join the Club

Get notified when
new content drops

Leave your email. I'll reach out when a new pillar, guide, or resource is ready — one message, when it's worth your time.

You're in. I'll be in touch when the next pillar is ready.

Already a member? Sign in to access the guide →