Imagine This... The Future of Trade: How Will Multinational CEOs Succeed?
Nov 12, 2025
Marc Gilbert, a senior partner at BCG and an expert in geopolitics and trade, provides valuable insights into how multinational CEOs can navigate a rapidly changing landscape. He discusses the emergence of regional trading blocs and the importance of command centers for managing geopolitical risks. Marc highlights which industries are most vulnerable to disruption while emphasizing the need for companies to adapt talent strategies to stay competitive. He also explores the future of corporate headquarters and the evolving landscape of AI talent and regulation.
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Multinational To Regional Aggregation
- The traditional multinational with free-flowing goods and a single central P&L is becoming obsolete by 2030.
- Companies will operate as aggregations of regional models tailored to large trading poles like the U.S., China, EU, and the Global South.
Build Cross-Functional Command Centers
- CEOs should stand up cross-functional command centers to sense, act, and coordinate across supply chain, commercial, compliance, finance, and policy.
- These teams enable both reactive crisis response and formulation of longer-term strategic plans tied to the P&L.
Five Components Of Effective Command Centers
- A command center combines scenario planning, policy sensing, trade compliance, commercial levers, and supply-chain moves into one coordinated capability.
- Trade compliance and data transparency have moved from low priority to core functions within these teams.