GEOPOLITICS & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Berlin | Frankfurt | Hamburg | London | New York

Berlin Global Advisors

Berlin Global Advisors (BGA) is a business consultancy for Geopolitics and Government Affairs based in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London and New York. Partner-led and independent we offer clients two level of services:

International companies, banks, asset managers, trade associations and political institutions call on us for government and public affairs advise and support in Berlin as the EU’s key capital. We have built a senior team of professionals with decades of experience navigating policy and regulation, positioning of clients, managing of issues and promoting or defending businnes interests. BGA works across sectors with a specialization in financial services, energy, technology and consumer goods.  Most clients hire us to support market access and M&A transactions politically or help in other complex and situations.

To serve clients on a pan-European level BGA has founded the European Principal Group, a trusted network of like-minded independent policy and communication firms that provide  intellectual depth, judgement and access to clients in Brussels, London, Paris, Warsaw, Rome, Madrid, Athens and all other European Capitals.

These “inbound” services are complemented by BGAs Geostrategic Advisory Services tailored to German and European decision-makers in business and finance, i.e. DAX companies, globally operating “Mittelstand” companies, private equity firms, and family offices. For these clients we

  • analyze how the dynamics of geopolitics, global policy and regulation, trade, macroeconomics, technology and climate change / ESG impact individual business models and strategies;
  • support executives and boards to manage the related risks and opportunities through regular global dynamics reviews, board room briefings and project specific scenario exercises;
  • conduct macro due diligence and business intelligence ahead of large investments and transactions or in politically complex M&A situations;
  • provide corporate diplomacy, stakeholder communications and positioning services in new markets.

To execute these services BGA has grown a group of 50+ vetted and trusted Advisors who held leadership positions in politics and diplomacy, business and finance, science, security and the military around the world. This interdisciplinary “private foreign service” is managed centrally from Berlin by BGA partners who understand how our clients think and how their organizations work – because we have run businesses and built companies ourselves. The BGA mission: Help clients to grow and protect their business in an uncertain world.

Services

GLOBAL STRATEGY & RISKS ADVISORY

  • GET Risk Management: In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world it is paramount for leaders to take a step back and look at macro issues defining their businesses on a 3-5 year perspective. BGA‘s proprietary C-Suite consulting model GET it! evaluates the three major drivers of change that will impact the medium to long term performance of global companies and assets: Geopolitics / Geo-economics, ESG / Sustainability and Technology / Digitization. Applying a rigorous scenario planning, we help CEOs and boards to forecast and quantify risks and opportunities to be included in corporate strategies and investment planning, the equity story or transactions.
  • Commercial Diplomacy: Leveraging BGA’s extensive global network, we help clients with access to government and business leaders in new markets. Understanding the peculiarities of new markets, the right introductions to elites, a deep understanding of decision makers’ agenda, an in-depth assessment of potential new business partners, a political preparation for M&A or JVs and the right positioning towards governments while adhering to high ethical standards are critical for business success in foreign countries.
  • Crisis Management: Particularly in markets, where the rule of law is weak, many clients dealing with issues with governments, authorities and business partners are lacking effective legal mechanisms. BGA works with dozens of former ambassadors and diplomats to help managing such situations through dialogue, negotiations, mediation and trouble shooting. Clients appreciate our “private foreign office” approach as it adheres strictly to compliance rules while complementing litigation efforts.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Our governments and public affairs team has an established track record in helping clients to defend and promote business interests in Germany and the European Union. We provide national and international corporations with corporate affairs services including strategic positioning, policy analysis, alliance building, influencer management, advocacy campaigns, market access, support in winning government contracts, curation of bespoke events or advise on communications and media work.

M&A AND CAPITAL MARKETS

  • Corporations and Private Equity firms work with BGA on M&A transactions and Foreign Direct Investments. We provide political risks assessments in established and new markets, intelligence on ownership structures, reputation and background checks, compliance assessments on possible corruption or money laundering issues, identification of allies and opponents of deals, transaction-specific public affairs and lobbying support and help in winning competition & anti-trust approval, licenses or subsidies.
  • Hedge Funds and other Asset Managers hire us with a particular focus on Germany and Europe for in-depth policy and regulatory due diligence and intelligence on specific equity or debt positions, political assessments in merger arbitration, support in special situations and tailored government affairs work including meeting programs with policy makers, regulators, trade associations or economists.
  • Global Families and Family Offices work with BGA to identify investment opportunities generated by policy and societal dynamics in security, energy, healthcare, consumer goods or real estate. To this end, BGA has teamed up with The Principal Alliance (TPA) an independent advisory group dedicated to working with family-controlled enterprises identifying and structuring sustainable opportunities and gaining intelligence in growth markets.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Our public diplomacy team specializes in designing and executing political communication strategies for international governments, political institutions and their leaders. Working closely with our clients, we develop strategies that enable them to position themselves in key capitals of the world, communicate to top-level decision-makers effectively, mitigate the impact of crises and articulate their message across a crowded and occasionally hostile media, business and political landscape. Services include audits of media, political, and public perceptions of the client in key markets, communication strategies, media placements, content management and creation, messaging, think-tank partnerships and diplomatic advice.

Reasons to hire BGA

  • Understand geopolitical risks to businesses and investments in an increasingly uncertain and multi-polar world
  • Reduce external risks in M&A, Foreign Direct Investments, international joint ventures or IPOs
  • Navigate political and regulatory risks impacting equity, credit, currency and commodities markets
  • Integrate international political risk management into business operations to protect value chains
  • Defend business interests in Berlin, Brussels, Washington, France, Beijing and other G20 capitals
  • Comply with increasing demand from financial markets and authorities to manage political risks proactively
  • Stay on top of Environmental, Social & Governance policies as ESG will become a driving force for institutional investment strategies
  • Gain access to Germany as the largest EU economy and Berlin as the continents’ key capital – particular after Brexit 

References are available upon request

Geopolitical Issues We Cover

BGA provides analysis and foresight on the most critical geopolitical risks to investors & business summarized below

  • Trade Wars
  • FDI Restrictions
  • Cyber Attacks
  • Terrorism
  • Energy Security
  • Protectionism
  • Major Power Conflict
  • „America First“
  • Protectionism
  • Tariffs on imports
  • “National Interests” in FDI and merger approval
  • Sanction policies
  • U.S.-China relations
  • Brexit
  • Stricter FDI rules
  • Turkey
  • Italian banks
  • Rising populism
  • Conflict between Saudi-Arabia and Iran
  • War Syria and Iraq
  • Instability in Egypt, Algeria, North Africa
  • Islamic State
  • Conflict with Ukraine
  • NATO tensions
  • Energy security
  • Caucasus
  • Cyber / hybrid warfare
  • Internal stability
  • One Belt, One Road power projection
  • South China Sea
  • National champion policy
  • Hunt for resources
  • Digital surveillance
  • Nuclear threat to South Korea
  • Global value chain implications