The last few years have brought historic challenges for multinational companies. Nationalism and protectionism were already on the rise when COVID-19 shut down global supply chains. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, and businesses around the world confronted a decision on whether to pull out of the Russian market. It raises a series of questions: In a fractured world, how do companies with large global footprints decide which side to pick? How does industry define it values? And what happens if the United States and China continue down a path of decoupling?
FP’s Ravi Agrawal sat down with industry leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss how businesses can build resilience amid a turbulent geopolitical era. The panelists included Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International; Carmine Di Sibio, CEO of Ernst & Young; Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore; and Lubna S. Olayan, chair of the executive committee of Olayan Financing Company.
Watch the full interview for insights on how industry thinks about deglobalization, the U.S.-China rivalry, the war in Ukraine, and much more. Or read a transcribed Q&A here.
Also this week in Davos, Ravi convened four business leaders from the energy sector to examine how digital technologies and data can help reduce the energy industry’s carbon emissions. Speakers included Boston Consulting Group CEO Christoph Schweizer, Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark, Schneider Electric CEO Jean-Pascal Tricoire, and SLB’s Dr. Katharina Beumelburg. Watch the full discussion here.
Ravi Agrawal
Editor in chief, Foreign Policy
Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. He also hosts FP’s Global Reboot podcast and is a frequent commentator on world affairs on TV and radio. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.
