The importance of geopolitics in the boardroom
The past couple of months have seen the Russian operations of two well-known global businesses seized by the Russian government, even though both companies were already trying to exit Russia. Such cases in Russia dramatically highlight the challenges corporate boards are facing. With regards to operations in China, a new survey of German companies operating in China found that 55% plan new investments there, that's down from 72% three years ago. 58% blame poor market conditions, 44% blame geopolitical tensions and 28% blame China's economic policies targeting self-reliance, for example Made in China 2025.[1] WTW's 2023 Political Risk survey showed that Russia and China now top the league of countries where companies suffer the most political risk losses. In this episode of Geopolcast, Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, explores the importance of geopolitics in the boardroom with Lord Jonathan Evans, Director-General of MI5 until 2013, and Stuart Ashworth, who leads WTW's political risk business from the headquarters in London.