{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"S3E7 \u2013 Polycrisis and Boards: Merriden Varrall on the geopolitical risk directors can\u2019t ignore","description":"Geopolitics is no longer just background noise \u2014 it\u2019s now central to how organisations plan, invest and manage risk. In this episode, foreign affairs expert Merriden Varrall, joins Boardroom Confidential to unpack what today\u2019s \u201cpolycrisis\u201d world really means for directors. Drawing on her experience at KPMG, the Lowy Institute and the UN in China, Merriden explains why boards must look beyond daily headlines to the deeper megatrends: converging climate, energy and food risks; the erosion of trust in institutions and the rise of populism; and a fragmenting global economy shaped by national security and values-based blocs. She explores the practical implications for Australian boards \u2014 from managing exposure to the US\u2013China rivalry and rebuilding supply chain resilience, to understanding how these dynamics affect SMEs and NFPs. Merriden also outlines how boards can become more geopolitically literate: the questions to ask management, how to set up horizon scanning and scenario planning, and why a more nuanced understanding of other countries\u2019 perspectives is now essential to good governance. Key Themes: \u2022    From headlines to megatrends \u2014 directors need to look past daily news and focus on structural geopolitical scenarios and megatrends. \u2022    Polycrisis as the new normal \u2014 risks like climate, energy, food, tech and conflict are increasingly interconnected and compounding. \u2022    Trust gap and populism \u2014 erosion of trust in institutions and the rise of populism are reshaping regulation, policy and expectations of business. \u2022    Geo-economic fragmentation \u2014 values-based blocs, national security logic and \u201cde-risking\u201d are changing trade, investment and tech choices. \u2022    It\u2019s not just big corporates \u2014 SMEs and NFPs are exposed through supply chains, cyber risk, regulation, funding and talent. \u2022    Boards\u2019 core questions \u2014 are we thinking about geopolitics, how are we monitoring it, what scenarios have we planned for, and are our responses sufficient? \u2022    Supply chain resilience \u2014 having \u201cjust in case\u201d models ready, mapping choke points, and setting up data and signals to act early. ","author_name":"Boardroom Confidential","author_url":"https:\/\/www.aicd.com.au\/news-media\/podcast\/boardroom-conversations","html":"