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Dear Hunter,

As we approach the end of this tumultuous, unprecedented year, I want to reflect on what lies ahead as the world continues to face rapid political, economic, and technological disruptions.

I’m just back from the G50 meeting [ https://info.atkearney.com/email_handler.aspx?sid=b3fcc919-e63f-4a37-9fe7-f84859a6e424&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fg50.org%2f ] in Berlin, where I discussed what corporate leaders should make of the deeply altered business environment. Though I would love to believe that history repeats itself, and that we are simply undergoing a recurrence of patterns that have previously disrupted the global order, I confess to never having witnessed a more chronically turbulent and unsettling moment in time. One thing is clear…. turbulent, convulsive, continuous disruptive change will define the steady state character of the global business environment as far as the eye can see, and then some. And there’s little we as business leaders can do to “alter” this. In a time of tremendous uncertainty, we must be more prepared than ever to admit that we don’t know what the future brings and to prepare accordingly.

Over the last few weeks, I have written several columns which I would like to bring to your attention in case you missed them. The first column [ https://info.atkearney.com/email_handler.aspx?sid=b3fcc919-e63f-4a37-9fe7-f84859a6e424&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.forbes.com%2fsites%2fpaullaudicina%2f2017%2f10%2f19%2fcan-we-stop-a-global-pandemic%2f%235c54f027b68a ] in Forbes offers my reflections on the plague currently ravaging Madagascar and how this outbreak is a warning sign about a more widespread problem — the world is fast running out of critical antibiotics needed to prevent and treat a global pandemic. To stave off even more damaging outbreaks in the future, additional funding and international support is needed for groups like the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, which is leading the charge against AMR. In an increasingly disjointed world, global policymakers will need to coordinate initiatives to effectively address this growing threat.

My second column returns to a topic that the Global Business Policy Council has been writing about for years, the increasing “islandization” of the global economy. In an article [ https://info.atkearney.com/email_handler.aspx?sid=b3fcc919-e63f-4a37-9fe7-f84859a6e424&redirect=http%3a%2f%2fthehill.com%2fopinion%2ffinance%2f354443-lonely-islands-businesses-trying-to-cope-with-splintered-world ] for The Hill, I reflect on the increasing signs of this trend popping up around the globe, from data localization requirements to declines in cross-border trade and FDI flows. In my view, as important as a return to globalizing policies are to reigniting sustainable, robust growth, the current policy environment promises more fragmented and restrictive policies globally. For the foreseeable future, businesses will succeed by developing and implementing creative approaches to adapt to islandization of supply chains, consumer demands and government regulations.

My third recent column [ https://info.atkearney.com/email_handler.aspx?sid=b3fcc919-e63f-4a37-9fe7-f84859a6e424&redirect=http%3a%2f%2fthecityfix.com%2fblog%2famazons-challenge-shows-importance-of-good-transit-for-cities-paul-laudicina%2f ] which appeared in the World Resource Institute’s TheCityFix blog, takes a look at promising urban innovations emerging from the increased clout and power of cities and localities. The mad scramble to secure Amazon’s HQ2 highlights how important technology firms have become to global economic competitiveness, and Amazon’s stated preferences (including accessible public transit and a central location) reflect the assets cities need to develop if they wish to remain competitive.

Finally I want to highlight a recent report I published along with colleagues from the Council, The Centrality of Governance: Global Trends 2017–2022. [ https://info.atkearney.com/email_handler.aspx?sid=b3fcc919-e63f-4a37-9fe7-f84859a6e424&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.atkearney.com%2fweb%2fglobal-business-policy-council%2farticle%3f%252Fa%252Fthe-centrality-of-governan-4 ] We discuss the promise and peril ahead, which is increasingly rooted in the ability of government at the national and sub-national levels to cope with compounding challenges and seize emerging opportunities principally driven by technology.

I am pretty much on the road through the end of this year...Europe a few times and South America….and I look forward to continuing to learn from all the experienced and talented people I have the good fortune to encounter. Thank you, as always, for allowing me to share my views with you, and for reciprocating with your insights, which always enrich my thinking.

Best.

Paul

Paul A. Laudicina

Chairman, Global Business Policy Council

Partner and Chairman Emeritus, A.T. Kearney

A.T. Kearney, Inc.

1300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1550

Arlington, Virginia 22209

United States

+1 703 562 4100 Direct

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