How Talent Strategy Can Help Mitigate Geopolitical Risks

Recent Geopolitical events have starkly highlighted the significant threat these types of risk pose to global businesses. Our white paper explores how to prepare and develop a strong talent strategy to combat the effects of future Geopolitical shocks.

From the war in Ukraine to rising US-China tensions to Brexit, Geopolitical events can profoundly impact global businesses and increase the risk of potentially costly issues like cyberattacks or talent shocks. As a result, organisations must develop an effective talent strategy to combat future events that risk derailing their business. 

“CEOs have to have a point of view on these very significant moral and often political questions. And if you don’t, it will pose a great reputational risk to you and your company because your shareholders care, the market cares, and often your customers care.” - Michèle Flournoy, Co-founder of WestExec Advisors

We’ve delved deeper into the subject in this whitepaper, discussing:   

• A Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
• Acquiring Talent with Geopolitical Knowledge
• Diversifying the leadership team to cover blind spots
• Contingency plans for talent shocks and talent preference changes

Employers who are better at responding adeptly to Geopolitical events will have the upper hand in attracting and retaining talent. In fact, a survey across 14 countries with 14,000 respondents revealed that 79% would be more loyal to their employer if they felt that their employer had responded appropriately to the Ukraine invasion. 

But where can Geopolitical talent be found, and what sort of profile do such people have? Our Insight & Talent Analytics team analysed over 7,000 senior profiles with notable Geopolitical experience. They found that experienced geopolitical talent is predominantly in Financial Services and Tech/IT, followed by Management Consulting and Oil & Gas, and across a variety of roles. This report also highlights the top locations and academic backgrounds to consider when searching for talent.

Geopolitical conflict has already entered the globalised economy in full force. Geopolitics will never be a simple issue, but with foresight, planning, and the right talent strategy, even the most complex problems caused by unexpected events can become more manageable.

If you are interested in learning more about how Armstrong Craven’s bespoke talent-insight and acquisition solutions can help your organisation better deal with current and future risks, speak to the team today.

To discover more about incorporating geopolitics into talent strategy, complete the form above to download the whitepaper.

Authors

Andy Ryan
Senior Client Partner

Andy specializes in the Financial Services industry and in cross-sector digital transformation. After reading Geography at Cambridge University, his career initially took him into international banking, where he held client-facing roles in Switzerland and New York. He then left Finance to work for an Australian startup before founding and leading his own VC-backed technology startup. Andy brings a keen business eye to his role with Armstrong Craven, where he works closely with HR, TA and business leaders to design and implement bespoke talent acquisition and insight solutions.