Geopolitical climate briefing Q1: Trade, tariffs and market access

Overview

Recording date - 18 March 2026

Global disruption is no longer a background risk for boards. Trade rules are fragmenting, strategic competition is reshaping supply chains, and climate-linked standards are increasingly influencing market access, disclosure expectations and organisational resilience.

The IoD’s Geopolitical climate: Boardroom briefings is a four-part webinar series designed to help directors govern with confidence in this changing environment. Each quarterly session in 2026 brings a different expert perspective on the geopolitical forces shaping New Zealand organisations, translating global developments into the strategic questions boards should be asking.

In this first briefing, Charles Finny CFInstD, Chair of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and a former senior trade negotiator and diplomat, provided a clear, director-focused overview of global trade and policy shifts. Drawing on deep experience across government relations, trade strategy and geopolitical risk, Charles will explore developments in key markets including the United States, China, Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Directors gained practical insights into how tariff volatility, regulatory divergence and emerging trade standards translate into real strategic, risk and reputation implications — and what this means for board-level decision-making now.

Speakers

• • Charles Finny CFInstD
  • Kirsten (KP) Patterson MNZM, CMInstD | Facilitator

CPD

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