International Business Consulting in the Post-COVID Era: Challenges and Opportunities

Originally published: Early 2023

As the world emerged from the shadow of COVID-19, international business consulting entered a period of rapid redefinition. Borders reopened, but global business didn’t simply “go back to normal.” Instead, it revealed a complex new landscape—rife with both risks and possibilities—for consultants advising companies across regions, sectors, and cultures.

The Challenges

1. Fragmented Recovery:Different countries and industries recovered at vastly different paces. While some regions surged ahead with digital transformation and economic stimulus, others faced ongoing disruptions in supply chains, labor markets, or political stability. This uneven terrain created difficulty for consultants offering unified strategies across borders.

2. Remote Fatigue Meets Cultural Nuance:Zoom made consulting scalable—but it also masked important context. Subtle cues in client behavior, in-market signals, and local stakeholder dynamics are often lost in translation when consulting virtually. Rebuilding in-person relationships while balancing remote efficiency became a delicate but necessary dance.

3. Supply Chain Volatility and De-Globalization Pressures:Global supply chains remained under strain, with companies reconsidering offshoring, exploring nearshoring, or localizing key operations. Consultants needed to navigate complex regulatory and geopolitical considerations while helping clients redesign operational footprints in real time.

4. Shifting Talent Dynamics:Post-COVID labor markets were transformed by hybrid work models and global talent mobility. For consultants, this meant not only adapting to new ways of delivering services but also helping clients restructure teams and leadership across geographies and time zones.

The Opportunities

1. Digital Acceleration Across Borders:COVID pushed lagging sectors and regions into the digital age. Emerging markets opened up to SaaS, e-commerce, and fintech models at unprecedented rates. Consultants with cross-border digital strategy expertise suddenly found themselves in high demand, especially in guiding product-market fit in new regions.

2. Resilient Business Models as a Priority:Clients no longer sought growth at any cost—they prioritized flexibility, risk mitigation, and resilience. This gave consultants an opening to deliver deeper strategic value around operating model design, scenario planning, and sustainable growth practices.

3. ESG and Impact-Driven Strategy:The pandemic amplified calls for ethical, sustainable, and socially conscious business. Global consulting firms that could embed ESG into cross-border strategy and help clients meet shifting investor, consumer, and regulatory expectations found themselves at a competitive advantage.

4. Rebuilding Trust and Leadership:Post-crisis, many leadership teams were in transition. Consultants played an important role not just in strategy execution, but in helping founders, boards, and executives regain clarity, cohesion, and confidence in their long-term vision.

How Rivana Global Consulting is Responding

At Rivana Global Consulting, we recognized early that the post-COVID world wasn’t simply a rebound—it was a reinvention. Our work with early-stage and scaling software companies now emphasizes global adaptability, digital-first go-to-market strategies, and organizational resilience. Whether helping a startup expand into Southern Europe or advising a founder on pivoting their product roadmap in response to shifting post-pandemic demand, we bring a blend of local insight, international perspective, and executional focus.

COVID changed the game. But for consultants ready to adapt, it didn’t close doors—it opened a new frontier.

Author’s Note: This post reflects observations from the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that reshaped how international consulting is practiced—and redefined what clients truly value in a partner.