TO FACE THE BRUTALIZATION OF THE WORLD, APPOINT A CHIEF GEOPOLITICS OFFICER

Globalization as we knew it is over. Sanctions, trade wars, extraterritoriality, technological restrictions... Geopolitics had already become an ominous background noise. But the brutalization of the world has shattered that background: it has brought business as usual to a halt. We have entered an era where the unpredictability and aggressiveness of certain powers are threatening numerous economic models.

The warning signs are clear. Surveyed by the World Economic Forum, companies ranked geopolitical risk as their top concern for 2025. It now exceeds cyber and climate risks in 90 countries, according to a report by Allianz. And 87% of business leaders interviewed by McKinsey report that they are revising their global footprint in response to rising international tensions.

With such a widespread assessment, one conclusion becomes self-evident: when geopolitics takes a prominent seat at the boardroom table, a Chief Geopolitics Officer (CGO) is needed on the executive committee.

All corporate functions are affected. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) can no longer steer without reassessing exposure to unstable regions. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) must navigate sanctions, market volatility, and financing constraints. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is rebuilding supply chains hardened against borders. The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) must recalibrate campaigns for increasingly polarized political and cultural landscapes. The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) must reconcile innovation, security, and sovereignty in a fragmented tech world.

The Chief Geopolitics Officer will be an indispensable ally to each of them. Able to anticipate future shocks, the CGO reads tectonic shifts to guide corporate strategy. Fluent in the language of power and the grammar of economics, they combine both to reduce critical dependencies. They can detect weak signals that point to inflection points, seeing in each convulsion of the world a chance for better strategic positioning. They understand that, in this new era, a company’s loyalty to its home country is an intangible asset with growing off-balance-sheet value. And they are trained for all this—at the crossroads of political science and management.

This role already exists in embryonic form—within strategy departments, risk offices, public affairs teams, or alongside chief economists. But the time has come to give it full authority. Just as the Anthropocene called for Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) to join the CEO’s inner circle, today’s “age of predators” demands a new kind of governance. This role must be more forward-looking than reactive, more prescriptive than consultative. It must sit at the heart of the organization and no longer be outsourced.

At the Geopolitics & Business Institute of ESSEC Business School, we have decided to take up this challenge. To study what will make a Chief Geopolitics Officer successful. To train a new generation of executives and leaders to integrate these shifting variables into their strategy and operations. In short, to help companies become more vigilant, more resilient, and thus more competitive in a world that is more brutal, uncertain, and complex.