Teneo Insights Podcast

Evolving great power politics; economic and humanitarian crisis caused by war in Europe; a scientifically and politically charged energy transition; and ongoing technological disruption are conspiring to make 2023 another fraught year. John Brennan, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Principal at Teneo’s partner firm WestExec Advisors, joins our host Kevin Kajiwara for an important discussion on the world’s most rampant threats and how corporations and the intelligence community must continuously adapt as crises and disruption arise over time.

Faced with rising greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, a growing energy crisis and extreme weather events worldwide, COP27 seeks international solidarity to accelerate global efforts to confront the climate crisis. Pia Heidenmark Cook, Teneo Senior Advisor and former Chief Sustainability Officer for IKEA and Phillip Cornell, Principal for Energy and Sustainability at Economist Impact and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center join our host Kevin Kajiwara for a discussion on the notable successes and shortcomings of COP27, policy and regulatory implications, stakeholder accountability and how global businesses can help lead the net-zero transition.

Xi Jinping has emerged from the Party Congress with a history-making third five-year term and more power than ever before. His challenge will now be to deftly manage the various headwinds facing China, including the economy, geopolitics, COVID-19 and many other issues. Yun Sun, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center; Paul Haenle, Teneo Chairman, Asia Pacific Region; and Gabriel Wildau, Teneo Managing Director, join our host Kevin Kajiwara for an important discussion on China’s Party Congress and what its outcomes mean for China and the rest of the world against the backdrop of a volatile geopolitical environment.

For the first time in history, the UK ushered in a new monarch and prime minister in the same week. Both Liz Truss and King Charles III take over at a turbulent time in Britain, and while Truss faces a brewing social, political and economic storm, Charles III grapples with the future of the commonwealth. Tina Brown CBE, award-winning journalist, editor, author and former Editor-in-Chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, joins our host Kevin Kajiwara, for a discussion on the future of the commonwealth under King Charles III, the queen’s legacy, Britain’s global reputation and what’s next for British politics as Truss faces mounting domestic pressure.

The upcoming midterm elections and recent legislative activity have brought policy and politics back to the fore. While historical trends, rising inflation rates, volatile markets and an impending recession favor Republicans taking control of the House, uncertainty remains, and no election outcome is guaranteed. Paul Ryan, Teneo Vice Chairman and 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives joins our host Kevin Kajiwara, for a conversation covering the 2022 midterm elections and how they will impact the congressional balance of power, government affairs, policy making and global markets as we approach the latter half of the Biden administration’s first term.

Europe has witnessed its most intense combat since World War II, but Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive has dramatically turned the tide of Russia’s invasion. As Europe faces a make-or-break winter, and Putin confronts domestic political risks with faltering international support, the war is on the verge of the next, potentially decisive phase – on the battlefield, geopolitically and economically. Kevin Kajiwara hosts defense policy and intelligence experts Michèle Flournoy and Andrea Kendall-Taylor for an in-depth analysis of the past seven months of conflict, how the war will continue to evolve as Putin faces mounting pressure at home and abroad, and the ever-widening geopolitical and economic impacts of Russia’s invasion.

As the world emerges from the summer season, our host Kevin Kajiwara moderates a “back to school” edition of the Teneo Insights Series with Teneo’s geopolitical experts from around the world covering major developments and issues ranging from a new monarch in the UK, upcoming U.S. mid-term elections, an impending energy crisis in the EU, the latest on the war with Ukraine, the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist party and more.

After a tumultuous three-year tenure, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he will step down following a wave of resignations by lawmakers and government officials. With the nation’s politics in turmoil, what comes next for Britain’s leadership? Lord Hague of Richmond, former British Foreign Secretary, former leader of the UK Conservative Party and Teneo Senior Advisor, and Carsten Nickel, Teneo Managing Director and expert on Europe, join our host Kevin Kajiwara for an important update on the future of British politics, the reaction of foreign leaders to the crisis in Westminster, what’s next for the United Kingdom on the world stage and the ramifications for global businesses.

The world is facing an unprecedented level of humanitarian emergencies. While the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has precipitated a humanitarian tragedy and threatens future global food security, the situation is increasingly worsened by natural disasters fueled by climate change and environmental degradation. At this pivotal time, global leaders are uniquely poised to bring their power to the aid of millions. Dr. Paul Spiegel, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, WHO Emergency Coordinator for the Ukrainian refugee response, and Professor of the Practice in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) joins our host Kevin Kajiwara for an important discussion on the current humanitarian and refugee crises, the state of food insecurity around the world, and how corporate leaders can catalyze action and seize this opportunity to make concrete and substantial commitments to address the needs of those affected.

The capitalist system continues to evolve and faces the question of the nature and degree of change necessary to deliver growth and prosperity for all. Growing public discontent over rising economic inequality, heightened competition and existential threats are driving this change and revolutionizing the way the corporate world is imagined and run. Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media and author of Tomorrow's Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business joins our host Kevin Kajiwara for an important discussion on the stakeholder capitalism movement in an era of political and cultural extremism and how America’s corporate leaders have emerged as drivers of social and economic change.