Geopolitical climate reader

Geopolitical change can reach an organisation through prices, contracts, supply chains, market access, standards and financial conditions. The effects may be immediate, such as a tariff changing the economics of a market, or less direct, flowing through suppliers, customers, investment decisions and business confidence. 

This exclusive IoD member reader explores how boards can identify the geopolitical developments that matter to their organisations and decide when those developments require action. Developed by IoD’s Governance Leadership Centre, it brings together IoD and Chapter Zero New Zealand articles with commentary from ASB, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and other organisations to examine:  

• • How shifts in global power, trade and economic conditions can challenge the assumptions underpinning strategy  
  • How tariffs, non-tariff barriers and changing market conditions can affect where organisations buy, sell and invest  
    How boards can look beyond direct suppliers to understand concentration, critical inputs and vulnerabilities across supply chains  
  • How climate, nature, carbon and traceability requirements can influence market access, investment and competitiveness  
  • Practical actions and discussion points to help boards identify relevant signals, test alternatives and decide what should trigger action  

The reader is relevant beyond exporters and organisations with an international footprint. Domestic organisations can also be exposed through the markets, suppliers and financial conditions they depend on. The task for boards is not to follow every political development, but to understand where their organisation is exposed, which changes could alter its choices and what information they need to respond.