Business Diplomacy Today

In episode 17 of Business Diplomacy Today, Matthias Catón is joined by Ludivine Wouters, Managing Partner of Latitude Five, an investment and advisory firm operating in emerging markets. Ludivine shares her expertise in the metals and mining industry, specifically concerning the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act).

Matthias and Ludivine explore the EU’s approach to critical materials and the attempt to stimulate private sector action through strategic partnerships and market-driven initiatives.

Their conversation contextualizes these theories globally, calling at the US approach of incentivizing electric vehicle and battery production, the Chinese transactional approach, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund, and Japan’s value chain investments. Ludivine and Matthias further navigate the complexities of the EU’s CRM Act in relation to the need to increase investment in critical materials, the importance of responsible sourcing, and the recognition that “minerals at any cost” is no longer an acceptable thought.

As we become more and more conscious of our supply chains and responsible sourcing, this episode is a must-listen to gain valuable insights into the critical raw materials landscape and its impact on businesses.

Ludivine Wouters is managing partner of Latitude Five, an investment and advisory firm operating in emerging markets.

Ludivine assists natural resources companies and investors in emerging markets as a strategy, governance, and policy adviser specializing in transaction management, regulatory affairs, government relations, and permitting. She also works on technical assistance programs for countries, focusing on mining and minerals policy, governance, and taxation. She also assists donor agencies in defining, assessing, and implementing critical minerals and responsible sourcing priorities, policies, and initiatives.

Ludivine has experience in political risk insurance within Lloyd’s Insurance syndicate and significant legal experience in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets with leading international firms in Paris; she also worked for an emerging markets investment bank in London, focusing on metals and mining clients, particularly African juniors.

Ludivine holds a Master in Business Law from Université Panthéon Assas (Paris II) and a JD in Law from Université Panthéon Sorbonne (Paris I) and is called to the bar in Paris. In 2013, she was nominated by her peers to be one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.

Ludivine is a Visiting Fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

In this episode, host Matthias Catón and Wilfried Aulbur, Senior Partner of Roland Berger, explore the navigation and development of business strategies in a volatile and ever-changing world.

Through topics of geopolitical relations, climate change, and technological innovation, Matthias and Wilfried discuss the importance of agility to transform business strategy and respond to uncertainties. Drawing on his in-country experience, Wilfried provides a detailed account of India’s potential and growth and how the country’s responsiveness can be a model to follow globally. As we reexamine the geopolitical order, Wilfried and Matthias discuss the trends in internal business relations and the importance of staying innovative to drive resilient growth.

Dr. Wilfried Aulbur is a Senior Partner of Roland Berger. He is responsible for the firm’s global Commercial Vehicle, Construction, and Agricultural business and leads the US Aerospace and Defense practice. Wilfried is based in Chicago and works across Automotive, Industrials, and Private Equity.

Previously, he was the Managing Partner of Roland Berger in India, the head of Roland Berger’s Asia Automotive practice, and the Chairman of Roland Berger Middle East and Africa and served on the firm’s global supervisory board.

Wilfried’s work includes growth strategies, M&A and due diligence, operational performance improvements, and technology strategies. Wilfried has served on numerous industry associations and panels, is a regular speaker at key industry events, and publishes extensively, including a recent book on doing business in India titled “Riding the Tiger”.

Before his work with Roland Berger, Aulbur was the Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India and was responsible for the passenger cars, trucks, and buses. He previously held various positions with Daimler in Europe, the US, and India. Wilfried holds a Ph.D. in Physics with a focus on Computational Material Science.

This episode of Business Diplomacy Today explores the topic of water security. Host Matthias Catón is joined by Susanne Schmeier, Head of the Water Governance Department and Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy at IHE Delft.

They discuss the global water crisis and its implications for meeting the 2030 Agenda, pollution issues, overuse, and potential conflicts. Susanne identifies the necessity to reduce our water footprint and highlights the relationship between businesses, foreign investors, and states in achieving this and holding each other accountable for water consumption. As our most valuable resource and global significance, Matthias and Susanne contextualize these arguments from Latin America to East Asia, exploring examples of collaboration and conflict within different regions.

Dr. Susanne Schmeier is an Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy and the Head of the Water Governance Department at IHE Delft in the Netherlands.

Her research focuses on conflict and cooperation over shared natural resources and the environment, particularly in water, and the legal and institutional mechanisms at local, national, and international levels to mitigate conflict and build long-term cooperation. She also applies this research to conflict resolution and mediation efforts in various regions worldwide.

Before joining IHE Delft, she worked for the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the World Bank, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and other international and regional organizations.

In this episode, Matthias Catón speaks with Famke Krumbmüller, Executive Director of the Geostrategic Business Group at EY, on building a robust corporate strategy in a volatile world. Famke introduces us to definitions and sub-categories of political and geopolitical risk and how companies can enhance their risk management protocols to be more prepared and expectant as the density and intenseness of global levels of volatility rise.

With global examples, from France to China, Famke highlights the importance of businesses implementing and updating their geo-strategy; that is a holistic approach to managing political risk. Famke and Matthias apply this timely topic to various countries, including the rise of middle powers, and remind businesses of the importance of scenario planning to protect their models from anticipated events.

As an Executive Director in the Geostrategic Business Group, Famke Krumbmüller provides EY’s clients and teams with actionable political insights to help them understand how politics impacts their business and think about strategies to anticipate and manage political risk.

Before joining EY, Famke headed a Paris-based, innovative strategy consultancy in political risk, public affairs, and public policy, which she co-founded. Previously, she was based in London and was responsible for covering Western European countries at a renowned political risk firm.

As a Forbes Europe “Policy & Law” list-maker and regular contributor to the media, she is an experienced and recognized commentator of European politics and a public speaker.

Famke’s academic background is in European Affairs and Political Economy, which she studied at Maastricht University, the London School of Economics, and Sciences Po Paris.

In this episode, Matthias Catón and Crystal Ennis discuss the migration governance complex, defined as how migration governance happens in practice and the various actors involved. Their discussion focuses on labor migration and examines its definitions, the fragmentation of migration governance, changing trends and geographical destinations of labor migration, and how we (individuals, organizations, and governments) can improve the socioeconomic conditions for labor migrants.

Matthias and Crystal apply these theories globally and discuss practices in Germany, Canada, South Asia, and the Gulf countries. From a business perspective, and with businesses playing a significant role as employers, Crystal provides her expertise on what businesses can do to improve conditions for labor migrants and how a lack of regulatory incentives hinders this.

Dr. Crystal A. Ennis is a scholar of global political economy and a university lecturer in Political Economy of the Middle East at Leiden University, The Netherlands. She is also the International Studies Review (ISR) ‘s Associate Editor and Vice President of the Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies.

Her research examines labor and migration governance, job seeking and economic belonging, and the political economy of dependency on hydrocarbon revenue and foreign labor in Gulf economies. Her publications have appeared in New Political Economy, Global Social Policy, Third World Quarterly, International Journal of Middle East Studies, and Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

In this episode, Matthias Catón speaks with Sophie Eisentraut about the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the world’s leading forum for debating international security policy. The episode investigates the effectiveness and relevance of multilateral dialogues from a broader perspective and the trends we can see in the future of international cooperation.

Matthias and Sophie compare their experiences with Matthias’ attendance at the Raisina Dialogue in March 2023 and Sophie’s involvement in the MSC. Sophie shares her insights on changing moods at the MSC, in comparison to previous years, and highlights the importance of dialogue in response to a changing international order. Naturally, Matthias and Sophie apply these thoughts to various countries and geographical regions, including Russia and China; and further discuss the rising voices of non-aligned countries, swing states, and middle powers. The episode overarchingly brings in the mindset of ‘revision versus re-envisioning’; the Munich Security Report 2023 title.

Dr. Sophie Eisentraut is Head of Research & Publications at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the world’s leading forum for debating international security policy. In this capacity, she authors and edits MSC publications on a wide range of security challenges – conventional and emerging concerns.

Before joining the MSC in 2018, Sophie was a transatlantic post-doctoral fellow at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Washington, DC, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, researching the legitimacy and reform of international organizations, challenges to effective multilateral cooperation that arise from the (re)emergence of non-Western powers, and strategies applied by authoritarian regimes that contest liberal-democratic norms within global institutions. Sophie holds a Ph.D. in political science and a master’s in international relations from Freie Universität Berlin.

In this episode, Marjolaine Chaintreau, Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation at the Better than Cash Alliance, and Matthias Catón discuss the evolution, importance, and impact of digital payments and, more broadly, access to financial services.

The discussion examines how digital payments promote social inclusion and empowerment among individuals and the innovation and regulation driven by the private sector, financial institutions, and governments in finding solutions to increase access to digital payments. Marjolaine explains how traditional methods of digital finance (such as credit cards and ATMs) are incredibly costly to implement, hence why many parts of the world have been unable to adopt them properly. Their conversation also focuses on how businesses can benefit from increased digital payments and through increased revenues and security. Matthias and Marjolaine put these ideas into geographical context, drawing examples from Bangladesh, Germany, India, Kenya, and Ghana.

Marjo is an inclusive digital finance specialist with more than 14 years of experience in banking, fintech, and impact investment. She is the Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation for the Better Than Cash Alliance at the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Marjo leads the Alliance’s global partnerships and in-country strategy with local and multinational corporations to develop inclusive supply chain structures reaching smallholder farmers, low-income workers, and small retailers in the Agribusiness, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, and Garment sectors.

Marjo was previously Vice President of the Citi Social Finance team, Citibank’s global business unit for inclusive and social investment finance, where she originated and executed $80 million investments in Latin America and Africa. She holds a Master of Corporate Finance and Strategy from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (SciencesPo Paris). Marjo is one of the first ten female Certified Digital Finance Practitioners by The Fletcher School – Tufts University Digital Frontiers Institute and was recognized in 2021 as a woman in Fintech Global Power List. She sits on the Board of the European Microfinance Platform.

This episode of Business Diplomacy Today explores the importance of measuring external impacts in society and how companies can incorporate sustainability practices. Our guest expert, Matthias Mahlendorf, discusses the performance measurement for managing sustainability, performance, and digital transformation of management control.

Topics include measuring social value, the benefits of sustainability for companies, normative aspects of measurement, and the cost of carbon emissions. We also learn about sustainability-linked bonds for financing large companies and whether small and medium-sized companies can also benefit. Please tune in to learn about various models companies can coexist with regarding ESG and switch from maximizing shareholder value to maximizing value to society.

Matthias D. Mahlendorf is a Professor of Managerial Accounting. He is interested in performance measurement – especially for managing sustainability performance – and the digital transformation of management control. He regularly publishes in academic journals and journals aimed at executives in corporate practice.

Matthias ranks among the top twenty researchers worldwide in the category “managerial accounting publications in the last six years” of the BYU Ranking. A ranking on the relevance of accounting research placed him first in managerial accounting. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School, a visiting professor at the University of Chicago (Booth School of Business), and an adjunct professor at INSEAD.

In this episode, Matthias Catón speaks with Talal Rafi, Senior Global Management Consultant at Deloitte and a Deloitte Global Economist Network member. The discussion investigates how markets, notably emerging markets, can navigate the current economic climate when developing corporate strategies. Talal highlights the importance of supply-chain diversification through different lenses, how democracy can influence investment choices, and the transformation of economies during sustainability. Matthias and Talal map these theoretical concepts to the infamous India-China choice. Talal shares his expertise on Sri Lanka, the strategically-located country, the reasons for its recent distress, and its untapped potential.

Talal Rafi is a Management Consultant and an Economist. He is a Senior Global Management Consultant at Deloitte and a Deloitte Global Economist Network member. He was also a member of the Global ESG Operations Team at Deloitte. He Co-Chairs the Global Plastic Innovation Network action group of the World Economic Forum. He is a regular columnist for the International Monetary Fund, writing on Public Financial Management topics.

He has given talks globally, including at the NASDAQ Center, S&P Global, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the World Economic Forum, UNFCCC, the London School of Economics, and Forbes have published his work.

Hosted by Matthias Catón, today’s episode is in discussion with Joachim Klement, Head of Strategy, Accounting, and Sustainability at Liberum. We often hear about geopolitics, economics, and our globalized world. In this episode, Joachim introduces us further to geoeconomics. The discussion analyses changes in business models (notably since the pandemic) and the relationship between geopolitical risks and decision-making processes for companies of various sizes and natures.

Matthias and Joachim empirically take this discussion on a national and individual level and further discuss country examples when looking into paths to diversification. In the context of geopolitical risk, Joachim and Matthias discuss the differences between “preparation” and “forecasting” and the qualitative side of forecasting, a concept primarily seen as a quantitative measure.

Joachim interestingly provides his future predictions through three lenses: his “base-case”, pessimistic, and optimistic scenarios.

Joachim Klement is the Head of Strategy, Accounting, and Sustainability at Liberum. Joachim has worked in the investment industry for over 20 years, mainly on the buy side.

Before joining Liberum, Joachim worked as Head of Equity Strategy and Head of Asset Allocation for a major Swiss private bank, as Chief Investment Officer for family offices and institutional investors, and as Head of Research for a boutique investment firm.

Joachim holds a Master in Mathematics from ETH Zurich and a Master in Economics from the University of Hagen. Joachim is also a CFA charterholder. He is the author of 7 Mistakes Every Investor Makes and Geoeconomics: The Interplay between Geopolitics, Economics, and Investments. He also publishes the free substack Klement on Investing.

Joachim Klement recommends the following reading from his blog (which also includes further reading suggestions): 7 decision errors in business (published 4 January 2023)