We had a tremendous opportunity to hold our first Virtual Hot Topics event hosted by Vivienne Artz, WIBF President, with our keynote speaker Tina Fordham, Partner & Head of Global Political Risk at Avonhurst.
We learnt how the Covid-19 pandemic has been seen through the eyes of those who have spent most of their careers planning and analysing geopolitical and macro global risks.
Tina explained that whilst much of what has come out of this crisis is ‘unprecedented’, terrorism and pandemics are the kind of macro, asymmetric risks that researchers and analysts have always been warned about, so to some this isn’t unexpected at all. She pointed out that leaders do not like building resources for something that could or could not happen on their watch.
The consequences of this have been highlighted through the underinvestment in both public services and government capacity, highlighted by the delays in testing for Covid-19 in the UK.
We learnt that globalisation has transitioned into ‘slowbalisation’. Tina has also highlighted that regardless of many risks brought by the current situation, the ‘new normal’ should generate new opportunities. These could include focus on public and private partnerships as well as renewed efforts to fight climate change, the reliance on experts and potentially positive outcomes for the gender agenda.
Tina discussed populism in politics and the impacts, musing that we might be at ‘peak populism’. However, public trust, not just in government, but in business and the media is the main driver to political change, citing the expenses scandal as causing in the drop in public trust which led, in part to the Brexit outcome. Tina also discussed what the future for Brexit and whether the UK will negotiate a trade deal by the July deadline.
At the start of the session Vivienne asked the attendees a series of questions relating to the topics covered in Tina’s keynote. She discussed the poll results at the end of the session and they can be seen in the slide pack available.
Please find the event slides and poll results from this event below.
To find out more about Avonhurst’s Global Political Strategy Services, please contact Tina on [email protected]
Hot Topics