Description

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From leading geostrategy experts comes an indispensable guide for executives seeking to thrive and create long-term value in the next era of global competition.

How do executives position a company for growth when the geopolitical future is uncertain? Recent events in Ukraine and the Middle East and tightening restrictions on international trade and investment are reshaping the global business environment. History shows that any such era of change presents both challenges and opportunities. The C-suite’s ability to implement a geostrategy will determine which executives lead their companies into successful futures—and which get left behind.

Learn from the ultimate authorities on geostrategic management.

The authors behind Geostrategy by Design represent the best of real-world experience and respected academic research. From professional services firm EY, Oliver Jones and Courtney Rickert McCaffrey provide insight and analysis on how geopolitics is affecting companies around the world and how they are managing it. From the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Witold J. Henisz’s research examines the impact of political hazards as well as environmental, social, and governance factors more broadly on the strategy and valuation of global corporations. Together, the authors use examples, from historical global turning points to recent political disruptions, to illustrate how geostrategy is essential to surviving and succeeding in the next era of globalization.

A proven framework to embed geopolitical strategy into a company’s DNA.

Learn how to implement four distinct activities required for a proactive geostrategy—and how to create a governance structure that weaves them together for long-term effectiveness.

• Scan: identify and dynamically monitor geopolitical, country, regulatory, and societal risks
• Focus: assess how these risks could affect the company
• Manage: integrate the political risks that are most material to the company into connected risk approaches
• Strategize: incorporate geopolitical considerations and other political risks into strategic decisions
• Govern: execute via a cross-functional geostrategic team and create a culture that embraces geostrategy

Tomorrow’s companies need a geostrategy today.

With the right geostrategy in place, executives will be better equipped to navigate geopolitical volatility and uncertainty—no matter what lies ahead.

About the Author

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Courtney Rickert McCaffrey is the EY Global Insights Leader for the EY Geostrategic Business Group and the Lead Analyst at Ernst & Young LLP for geopolitics in EY Knowledge. She is a recognized thought leader in political risk, global macro trends, and methodologies such as risk indices, scenario analysis, and horizon scanning. She has previously worked at Kearney, Eurasia Group, and the US International Development Finance Corporation. Courtney earned her B.A. from Drake University and her M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
 
Witold J. Henisz is the Vice Dean and Faculty Director of the ESG Initiative and Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management at the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania. His research examines the impact of political hazards as well as environmental, social, and governance factors more broadly on the strategy and valuation of global corporations. He received his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, and previously received an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
 
Oliver Jones is the EY Global Markets and Sustainability Leader for Strategy and Transactions (SaT) services. He also leads the experienced global geopolitical advisory team, the EY Geostrategic Business Group which assists clients in understanding the business implications of the ongoing geopolitical disruption in the world today. Prior to starting his career in consulting, he was a senior civil servant in the UK Government. He earned an M.A. in Geography from the University of Cambridge.

Praise For…

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"The definitive corporate geostrategy how-to guide. Timely, compelling, and a must-read for business leaders braving the uncharted geopolitical waters of the next decade."
—Cameron Mitchell
Head of Geopolitical Risk, ANZ Banking Group

"Today is a time of many simultaneous crises, all of which have potential repercussions on business. How do executives cope with the many challenges? Ignoring them is no option. Neither is following one’s gut feeling. A systematic approach is needed. This is exactly what this book is about. Executives don’t need to be scared, they just have to follow a guideline: scan, focus, manage, strategize, govern! In a very convincing way, employing practical examples, the authors design a comprehensive strategy which will allow executives to successfully navigate through these challenging times. A must read!"
—Ambassador Christoph Heusgen
Chairman of the Munich Security Conference

"Books on political risk tend to be either academic and impractical or shallow and lacking informed context on organizational dynamics. This book brilliantly charts a path forward with rigor and clarity and explains how executives today can consider and integrate an increasingly chaotic and dynamic external risk landscape. The book benefits greatly from the combination of deep practical experience with rigorous research and compelling case studies, and ought to be required reading for all executives running global businesses in the 2020s."
—Alison Taylor
Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Stern School of Business; author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World

"There has never been a more important time for enterprises to build a geostrategic capability, and this book explains how to do that. The authors draw upon their own cutting-edge research, which shows how this era of dramatic global change requires the rapid and purposeful development of a new organizational muscle—the ability to make decisions that align the organization with the changing global landscape. Those who follow the path laid out by this book, and specifically its geostrategy framework for strategic political risk management, will be the winners in the current and future world."
—Nick Lovegrove
Professor of the Practice, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University; Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey Company

"Geostrategy by Design comes at a critical time. The current geopolitical environment is forcing CEOs to adapt their operations, strategies, and governance structures. This book provides a long-overdue and indispensable guide for what executives can actually do to manage the geopolitical risks they face."
—Janet Truncale
EY Global Chair and CEO-elect

"Take advantage of today’s complex global environment. Geostrategy by Design is a must read for any executive seeking to not only survive but thrive in today’s complex world. The authors outline concepts and relationships which are applicable to any organization—without being overly prescriptive. Applied correctly, businesses will become more resilient and even better identify opportunities that otherwise would have been completely unknown."
—Jill Sanborn
FBI Senior Executive for National Security (Retired) and former Senior Director of Geopolitical Strategy, Roku

"In a world where political risk is omnipresent, business executives need to pay close attention to the wider world. Executives need to 'scan' the horizon and stay attuned not only to direct risks but also to second and third-order challenges. Geostrategy by Design offers a framework to enable businesses to tackle political risk. Clear examples combined with practical advice will allow C-suite executives to better navigate an increasingly complex business world."
—Steven Fox
Executive Chairman, Veracity Worldwide

"Rising volatility and more uncertainty has led to sleepless nights for business executives operating in the global business environment today. Geostrategy by Design is essential reading for those seeking to better anticipate, plan, and mitigate the geopolitical risks that threaten enterprises. The book offers a practical framework to aid companies in the essential analysis of geopolitical risks and mitigation strategies, illustrated with relevant real-world examples. Every company needs a geostrategy."
—Carolyn Brehm
retired Vice President for Global Government Relations and Public Policy, The Procter Gamble Company

"Geostrategy by Design makes a compelling case that C-suites and boards must now recognize the importance of geopolitical change, move away from the ad hoc and reactive responses, and bring greater structure to considering the consequences of geopolitical change for their companies. In setting out the steps that can help firms do this, the book provides business readers with a critical practical contribution to the emerging debate on how best this can be done."
—Derek Leatherdale
Managing Director, GRI Strategies Ltd

"Geostrategy by Design is the go-to strategy navigator through the geopolitical storms on the horizon. Much has been written on change management in business, but what will truly create top quintile performers is a proactive strategy to embrace the fundamental uncertainty on the horizon."
—Terence Lyons
CEO, The Stakeholder Company

“After a period of globalization, geopolitical risk and global conflict are top of the list for global companies. This thoughtful and well researched book will be an invaluable resource for senior leaders everywhere.”
—Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, author of Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset and Reputation Analytics: Public Opinion for Companies