On this episode of Private Market Talks, we welcome back Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight. We last spoke with Tina about a year ago in Season 1 Episode 5, in which she discussed how investors are faced with a very different geopolitical landscape today than has existed over the past 30 years, and how investors have had to raise their political quotient and learn to “firewalk” geopolitical crises.

In this episode, Tina takes us on a deeper dive, into what she describes a Geopolitical Supercycle. Our conversation is wide-ranging and includes the recent developments in the war in Ukraine, Putin’s ambitions, challenges presented by China and the potential impact of the US election. Tina also shares practical advice that she is giving to CEOs, boards and investors as to how to account for geopolitical risks in connection with their investment strategy. Our conversation is a fascinating exploration of the complexities of the intersection of geopolitics and investing. 

Peter Antoszyk: Hello, welcome to Private Market Talks. I’m your host, Peter Antoszyk. For the past 50 years, investors have enjoyed a Goldilocks moment in modern human history: relative peace and high growth. Now, they face a myriad of geopolitical worries — war, or the risk of war, political uncertainties, tectonic shifts in global alliances, immigration, climate change — the list goes on. In season one, episode five, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tina Fordham about the implications of these trends for investors. Tina is a geopolitical strategist and advisor to C‑Suite executives, investors and board members working at the intersection of geopolitics, business and the drivers of social change. She is the founder of Fordham Global Foresight, an independent geopolitical advisory firm based in London.

In our prior episode, Tina spoke to us about her backgroundand how investors might elevate their “PQ, or political quotient. She described how investors can learn to, in her words, “firewalk geopolitical risks.” I encourage you to give that episode another listen as we build on those topics during this conversation.

Today, Tina discusses the questions that she is currently fielding from investors. She describes what she terms the “geopolitical supercycle.” She provides practical tips for how investors can be in a better position to factor in the potential impact of these geopolitical risks into investment strategies. Finally, we finish with a rapid‑fire Q&A, so we cover a lot of ground. As always, you can get a full transcript of this episode and other helpful information at privatemarkettalks.com. And now, my conversation with Tina Fordham. Tina, welcome back to Private Market Talks.

Tina Fordham: Great to be back talking to you again, Peter. Has it been almost a year?

Peter Antoszyk: Yes. I can’t believe it. Time goes so quickly, and I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation because the worldseemed so simple in some ways. It’s only gotten more complex. You know, last time we spoke, of course, the Russian‑Ukrainian War was raging; China and U.S. tensions were at an all‑time low. I think that was at the time of the so‑called “balloon incident,” and we just had come off the U.S. midterm elections. And so, from a geopolitical perspective today — fast forward — there seems to be increased risk and volatility. So, I’d love to hear your perspective as to what you see as the major geopolitical trends or developments that exist today.