Helping business leaders and organisations navigate complexity and prepare for opportunity
Trusted geopolitical counsel
GeoPol Asia is a boutique advisory firm operating at the intersection of geopolitics and business strategy in Asia.
In today’s increasingly contested and multipolar world, geopolitics—the interplay of geography, politics, economics, security and the pursuit of power—has emerged as a critical concern for boards and business leaders. Surveys reveal that geopolitical risks including trade disputes, ‘new’ industrial policy and regional conflicts now rank among the top challenges facing CEOs.
Nowhere are these issues more pressing than in Asia. Home to some of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies, biggest populations and most dynamic markets Asia has been at the heart of globalisation strategies for decades. Yet the region also contains major geopolitical fault lines and is increasingly shaped by tensions between the US and China over trade, technology and security. Many of the assumptions that underpinned the region’s role in global supply chains or as an investment destination are now questioned, challenged or outright rejected.
Understanding and addressing geopolitics isn’t, however, just about managing challenges—it’s also about seizing new growth opportunities and safeguarding long-term value in a new era of globalisation. Trade wars and security issues, for example, may upend existing supply chains but also create opportunities to reduce dependencies and expand into new growth markets.
In this complex and fast moving environment boards and executive officers are well advised to build geopolitical awareness and integrate it into their decision-making processes. This can include monitoring geopolitical trends and building plausible yet competing scenarios to anticipate risks and opportunities, for instance. Doing so builds geopolitical muscle, fosters an agile mindset and strengthens resilience. Simply put, leaders who recognise the importance of geopolitics position their organisations to thrive amid complexity and change.
This is what we do – think of us as your trusted and impartial geopolitical counsel.
Geopolitical advisory in Asia
What we do
With a focus on Asia, we provide trusted geopolitical advisory to help business leaders navigate complexity, manage risk and identify opportunity in a changing global landscape.
Drawing on deep regional and thematic expertise, networks, established frameworks and relevant data sources our geopolitical advisory services are designed to:
- Build awareness and understanding of the geopolitical environment in Asia
- Inform strategy and integrate geopolitical analysis into decision making processes
- Help regional business leaders in Asia craft effective messages back to European or US headquarters
From insight to action
Our Services
We deliver our service through retained advisory and stand alone engagements.
Retained advisory
We help you integrate cogent geopolitical analysis into your strategic decision making processes and channel intelligence to European or North American head offices. Designed around your specific needs, we offer continuous support to keep you and your team up to date on the developments that matter most. We work with you to define the appropriate cadence and depth of engagement.
Custom briefing
Our briefings provide an independent and objective view of the geopolitical context within which your business operates today and how this might change over the near and medium term. They are designed to get you and your team up to speed on the key geopolitical issues weighing on the businesses. Our briefings are particularly valuable in the run up to strategy sessions, to provoke debate at offsites and to educate visiting board members.
Strategic Foresight workshop
Our capstone offering for organisations seeking to construct and explore a range of plausible future scenarios and the implications of these scenarios for strategy, planning and business model development. Drawing on extensive strategic advisory and facilitation experience, our workshops are delivered over a business day and work best with 15+ participants. They are often deployed for leadership development and strategic planning sessions.
Retained advisory
We help you integrate cogent geopolitical analysis into your strategic decision making processes and channel intelligence to European or North American head offices. Designed around your specific needs, we offer continuous support to keep you and your team up to date on the developments that matter most. We work with you to define the appropriate cadence and depth of engagement.
Custom briefing
Our briefings provide an independent and objective view of the geopolitical context within which your business operates today and how this might change over the near and medium term. They are designed to get you and your team up to speed on the key geopolitical issues weighing on the businesses. Our briefings are particularly valuable in the run up to strategy sessions, to provoke debate at offsites and to educate visiting board members.
Strategic Foresight workshop
Our capstone offering for organisations seeking to construct and explore a range of plausible future scenarios and the implications of these scenarios for strategy, planning and business model development. Drawing on extensive strategic advisory and facilitation experience, our workshops are delivered over a business day and work best with 15+ participants. They are often deployed for leadership development and strategic planning sessions.
Custom briefing
Our custom briefings provide an independent and objective view on the geopolitical context within which your business operates today and how this might change over the near and medium term. Typically one hour in duration custom briefings are designed to inform, provoke and empower decision making. Whether delivered in the boardroom, online or over an intimate lunch - the format and degree of formality is up to you.
Briefing Plus
For clients looking to go beyond an input presentation, Briefing Plus moves the agenda from insights to action. This hands-on session explores the ‘so what’ questions most pertinent to your circumstances and requirements. It is designed for boards and senior leadership teams.
Strategic Foresight workshop
Our capstone offering for organisations seeking to construct and explore a range of plausible future scenarios, and the implications of these scenarios for strategy, planning and business model development. Delivered over a business day, these sessions work best with 15+ participants. They are often deployed for leadership develop and strategic planning sessions.
Elevate your events with our world-class editorial support, moderation and speaker services
Events
GeoPol Asia is pleased to offer professional support of your corporate event programme
Done well, events build brand advocacy, showcase internal expertise and deepen engagement with clients. Yet, despite significant investment (in time, money and brand value) and the overriding need to get things right in front of clients, corporate events all too often fail to live up to expectations. They may suffer from a lack of editorial expertise at the conceptualisation and planning stage, insufficient attention to the flow and cohesiveness of the programme, or are let down through the absence of a professional moderator. This is also true for internal events where the clients are senior internal stakeholders.
Custom event support
Our expertise across the event value chain—from planning to panel moderation, speaker engagements to post-event collaterals—can help you deliver a truly impactful gathering. Our services include:
Drawing on extensive experience in designing, delivering and participating in corporate events globally, we help you to deliver outstanding events by:
- Bringing editorial expertise and direction to the conceptualisation and planning stages. We help you shape an engaging agenda and ensure that the event has an appropriate narrative and flow.
- Preparing the speakers including, if required, the identification, selection and briefing of external participants. We can also ensure that panels are well-balanced editorially and with reference to other metrics.
- Delivering professional moderation honed on the global stage, at closed-door roundtables and custom events for panels, fireside chats and other formats. See also our Speaker services.
- Developing post-event collaterals including summaries and social media ready posts.
Editorial
Direction
Shape an engaging agenda based around broader business goals with a clear narrative and flow for your event.
Speaker Preparation
Identify, brief and prepare speakers for impactful panels and discussions.
Professional Moderation
Global-stage expertise for panels, fireside chats, and more.
Post-Event Collaterals
Create summaries and social-ready content to extend your event's impact.
Editorial
Direction
Shape an engaging agenda based around broader business goals with a clear narrative and flow for your event.
Professional Moderation
Global-stage expertise for panels, fireside chats, and more.
Speaker Preparation
Identify, brief and prepare speakers for impactful panels and discussions.
Post-Event Collaterals
Create summaries and social-ready content to extend your event's impact.
We are highly consultative in nature and collaborate closely with our clients to understand their needs and objectives. We seek to seamlessly interact with your strategic communications and marketing teams to ensure success.
Please contact us for an initial conversation about your needs and requirements.
Speaker Engagements
Engage GeoPol Asia’s founder and principal as a keynote speaker or moderator.
Dr Staples is a seasoned public speaker who brings clarity on complex issues in today’s rapidly changing world. He is highly experienced in briefing senior executives, delivering keynote presentations and chairing closed-door roundtables. Combining subject matter expertise with world-class professionalism, he is also much in demand as a moderator appearing at major business conferences and corporate events around the world.
Contact us to explore how Dr Staples can enhance your next event.
Connecting the dots in Asia over three decades
Andrew Staples
Meet Andrew Staples, PhD
Andrew established GeoPol Asia in 2024 following a career spanning three decades in Asia with The Economist Group and as a business school professor. He has run regional businesses and published widely as an Asia specialist. Andrew excels in connecting the dots between geopolitics and economics, identifying how global shifts shape local realities and clearly communicating what this means for businesses. He has extensive experience advising leaders of multinational firms and maintains a deep network of business leaders, investors, policy makers and academics.
Dividing his time between Singapore and Japan, he is the Singapore CEO and Asia Management Forum chair for IMA Asia and serves on the advisory board of the Hinrich Foundation.