Living the Headlines: the New Intersection of Business and Geopolitics in China

Geopolitics has always had an impact on companies’ grand strategies – what countries are open for foreign investment, how “friendly” are they, etc. But increasingly geopolitical clashes are impacting companies’ business operations as, for example, both the U.S. and Australia State Departments issued warnings to business people in China on the risk of arbitrary detentions and travel bans. What is driving these differences? How should companies operating in China monitor geopolitical trends? Most importantly, how can they manage the impact (actual or potential) on their business operations in China?

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Speaker

Kent Kedl is a Partner in Control Risks Asia Pacific and heads up Control Risks’ Greater China and North Asia region. He has lived and worked in China since the mid-1980s. Kent has consulted with multi-national and local Asian corporations across all industries on a diverse range of complex risk and strategy issues; from M&A and organic growth strategy, to crisis management and operational business controls, to strategic and organizational development programs. Kent has particular experience and expertise in the healthcare, food and beverage, manufacturing and consumer products sectors in China and across Asia.

Prior to joining Control Risks, Kent was general manager and co-owner of Technomic Asia, a market strategy consulting firm providing mergers and acquisitions advice, deal structuring and negotiations, market research and strategy planning. His work included target selection, investigations of companies prior to a deal (acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing, franchising, etc.) and deal negotiations.

Kent has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in East Asian studies from the University of Minnesota. He also completed graduate studies in journalism and mass communication as a scholar at the China Times Centre for Mass Media and Social Studies.