What We Do
Smart guidance in an Uncertain World
Everything we do is bespoke. We’ll sit down with you, listen to you and seek to understand your exact needs. Based on these conversations, we’ll tailor a strategic plan and deploy “the best team forward” that has the skills, experiences and capacities you need.
We give you a safe space where you can develop your thinking, ask questions and try out new ideas. Acting as your strategic sparring partner, we’ll help you challenge current thinking, develop new strategies and position yourself as a thought leader.
And of course, we’ll be at your side, on the ground where and when it matters. Our global team will help you implement and execute strategies, giving you access to governments, regulators, industry and investors in the world’s major markets and key capitals.
We live in digital times. A lot of our work takes place in the triangle of technology, society and politics. This is also very fitting to Berlin, as Europe’s tech hub
Denis Anwar
Consultant
BGA is a great place to work for young professionals. I really enjoy the team spirit and lack of hierarchy.
Albrecht Campenhausen
Junior Consultant
Our Services
Geopolitics & Global Dynamics
International companies, investors and organisations face a new world order shaped by unprecedented dynamics and risks that impact on business models, investment planning, the P&L, markets and operations. Today’s leaders must steer their organizations and keep control against the backdrop of this volatile environment.
We can support you in this task. Through our engagement with more than 50 experts and advisors around the globe, and our exchanges with leading think tanks and key opinion leaders, we anticipate, interpret and prioritize key geopolitical and macro dynamics.
We conduct foresight scenario planning exercises, carry out studies (such as the BGA-MAP-KPMG study, THE FUTURE OF THE EUROPEAN BANKING SECTOR: What comes after COVID-19?) and deliver tailor-made executive briefings.
Our Geopolitics as a Service model caters to sophisticated clients looking for a second opinion and organizations without the in-house capacities to cover the key macro issues of our time and their impact on companies with global footprint.
We explore:
- Geostrategic paradigm shifts
- Mega-drivers, trends and scenarios
- Geopolitics, sustainability and technology (GST)
Key issues for 2023 include:
- Outlook for major power relations
- Degobalisation and fragmentation
- U.S. - China rivalry and Taiwan scenarios
- Scenarios for the war in Ukraine
- Conflict with Iran over nuclear, tensions in the Middle East
- Outlook for global energy crisis, including scramble for rare earths and energy supplies
- Inflation, tightening monetary policy, rising debt, slowing economic growth globally
- Transatlantic relations amid industrial policy bid (IRA / EU response) and war in Ukraine
- Asian dynamics: RCEP, Digitial Silk Road, South China Sea
Government & Public Affairs
We help you promote your interests among political decision makers at the EU institutions in Brussels, in Berlin, Paris, London, Warsaw and all other European capitals, as well as in the U.S. from our New York office.
We cover the politics and regulations that impact on our clients, with particular expertise on energy and renewables, financial services, technology and defense. We typically help our clients with issues such as market entry, growth and exit; stakeholder engagement; partner identification and vetting; CEO positioning, reputation management and thought leadership.
Political due diligence
We:
- Examine what could impact on deals or business models for companies in market entry, growth and exit situations
- Analyze the political environment and potential political, regulatory, societal and reputational risks
Stakeholder and issue management
We:
- Identify relevant stakeholders, their positions and interests
- Provide an early warning system for public issues
- Monitor and analyze the implications of media, regulatory and political initiatives
- Identify relevant government procurement, state funding and state aid
Strategic positioning
We:
- Develop and communicate your position, arguments and narratives
- Foster alliances with like-minded stakeholders to add weight to your position
- Link with founding associations and networks
- Position your organization and C-suite team to best advantage
Advocacy
We:
- Organize conversations and outreach programs
- Prepare communications with decision makers about existing or potential legislation and urge a vote for or against
- Organize and curate events
- Place articles in key media
Corporate Diplomacy: Private Foreign Office
We support clients in major markets outside the EU and the United States, including China, Russia, India, Australia, Japan and the ASEAN countries. Our practice is led by Germany’s former ambassador to Russia and Poland, who brings decades of diplomatic experience and a clear understanding of business needs.
We:
- Help with problem solving and troubleshooting
- Make introductions and network in new markets
- Provide business development support
- Provide reputation management
- Negotiate with governments, public authorities and critical partners
- Offer support with trade negotiations
- Conduct mediations and help settle conflicts
Public Diplomacy
Governments, diplomats and political organizations around the world increasingly seek to enhance their visibility across the EU as its relevance as a global player grows. Germany has a key role to play here as Berlin’s importance in the EU has even increased since Brexit. Our experienced team of former senior diplomats advise clients in this field.
We:
- Conduct perception and reputation analyses
- Create positioning strategies for governments and organizations
- Carry out communications and advocacy in key capitals, with a focus on Germany and the EU
- Support government-to-government negotiations
- Support investment promotion agencies
- Advise EU on membership and accession issues
CEO- & Boardroom Advisory: Get Ready for 2030
Building on our work on geopolitics, global dynamics and macro trends, we apply a five-step approach to help clients adjust and transform their business model to this new global environment over the running decade and beyond.
1. Geopolitics and global dynamics: mapping the world in 2025 and 2030
We explore:
- Geostrategic paradigm shifts
- Mega-drivers, trends and scenarios
- Geopolitics, sustainability and technology (GST)
Key issues for 2023 include:
- Outlook for major power relations
- Degobalisation and fragmentation
- U.S. - China rivalry and Taiwan scenarios
- Scenarios for the war in Ukraine
- Conflict with Iran over nuclear, tensions in the Middle East
- Outlook for global energy crisis, including scramble for rare earths and energy supplies
- Inflation, tightening monetary policy, rising debt, slowing economic growth globally
- Transatlantic relations amid industrial policy bid (IRA / EU response) and war in Ukraine
- Asian dynamics: RCEP, Digitial Silk Road, South China Sea
2. Analyzing business implications: deep dives
We carry out an industry- and company-specific impact analysis and then ask:
- What are the opportunities arising?
- What are the risks to manage?
- How could markets, production and value chains be impacted?
- How could the balance sheet and company value be impacted?
3. Strategic response, transformation and change advisory
In an interactive approach we:
- Explore how your company should react and adapt
- Take deep dives into individual questions, both macro and micro
- Act as your strategic sparring partner to help your CEO and senior management team master the transformation
- Help you get your business ready for 2025
4. Co-financing the transformation with public funding
To help co-finance the transformation process, we identify and help you to potentially benefit from public funding.
- Huge public funding programs are available in the European Union and Germany for investments in innovation, new technologies, green processes, digital transformation and others
- We work with you to potentially benefit from these programs in the short, medium and long term
5. Telling the change story: communications
We develop and write:
- Internal communications that give management and staff a new vision
- Corporate communication strategies that reposition the company vis- à-vis its relevant stakeholders
- CEO communications that position the CEO as strategic mastermind and thought leader
- Investor communications that tailor the right storyline for the capital markets
M&A, IPO & FDI Advisory
In the 2020s, (geo-)political, geostrategic and regulatory changes will play a significant role in global investments and transactions. Working closely with investment banks and law firms we leverage our global network and offer a set of five modular value-add services.
Geopolitical risk and macro due diligence:
We look at:
- Geopolitical and geostrategic paradigm shifts
- Mega-drivers, trends and scenarios
- Economics
- Sustainability and ESG
- Technology
- The changes and challenges you need to prepare for
Country risks assessment and due diligence:
We look at:
- Political and regulatory risks
- Economics
- Sustainability and ESG
- Business culture and structural compliance issues
- Socio-economic issues
- Key stakeholders and influencers
- Elections
- Sanctions
Target-specific intelligence and due diligence:
We:
- Provide intelligence on industries, M&A targets, business partners, shareholders and key stakeholders
- Look at the strategic approaches of target companies in relation to corporate governance, risk management and compliance (GRC)
- Carry out perception analyses on transactions and investors
- Identify potential allies and opponents
Transaction diplomacy:
We:
- Analyze the political environment and examine what political, regulatory, societal and reputational issues could affect a deal
- Execute transaction and deal-specific advocacy and communication
- Help with troubleshooting and crisis situations
- Conduct negotiations with governments and authorities
- Give strategic advice on competition issues, merger control, licenses and subsidies
- Support with trade negotiations and inter party mediations
- Provide support with post-merger government affairs
Communications and equity story
We develop and write:
- Internal communications that give management and staff a new vision
- Corporate communication strategies that make sure the logic of the deal is understood by relevant stakeholders and the public
- CEO communications that position the CEO as strategic mastermind and thought leader
- Investor communications that tailor the right storyline for the capital markets
Public Funding & Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
Governments worldwide are allocating billions in funding to mitigate the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and prepare for the future. The EU’s recovery fund, Next Generation EU, will alone invest EUR 750 billion in programs covering infrastructure, digitalization, new technologies, renewable energies, climate protection and more.
We:
- Help you identify and potentially benefit from public funding and investments
- Strategically position projects to gather public and political support
- Create a dialogue with governments and public entities
- Support with negotiations in winning grants
- Manage cross-border and multi-stakeholder PPP alliances
Strategic Positioning & Communications/PR
Along with our senior communications & PR specialists, we help you develop communication strategies that will position you and your company as a thought leader and a responsible global citizen, attractive to stakeholders and shareholders alike.
We:
- Position clients toward decision makers, key opinion leaders and elite communities
- Support CEOs with their thought leadership
- Advise on strategic issues and litigation communications
- Build relationships with the media and editorial boards
- Secure speaking opportunities for the CEO and board members
- Curate and moderate exclusive events (concept, creation, speaker, moderation, private location)
Corporate Governance & Shareholder Rights
We represent and advise institutional investors, asset managers and corporations. Our holistic approach adds value to shareholders through its combination of corporate governance, political and communications dimensions.
We:
- Advise on strategies to get the shareholders’ interests on the management agenda
- Develop investor protection and target company protection strategies
- Build alliances
- Develop advocacy programs and accompanying PR
Strategic GRC-Advisory: Governance, Risk Management & Compliance Advisory
Our partners have worked on the Executive Boards and in the C-suites of DAX-listed multinational corporations so have formidable experience in taking a strategic glance on governance, risk management and compliance matters. We also offer business intelligence services worldwide through our specialist business intelligence partners in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
We:
- Look at the strategic approaches of target companies in relation to corporate governance, risk management and compliance (GRC)
- Provide intelligence on industries, M&A targets, ownership structures, business partners, shareholders and key stakeholders
- Carry out perception analyses on transactions and investors
- Identify potential allies and opponents
- Trace and recover assets
Sustainability / ESG
- Strategic relevance: Understanding politics, societal dynamics, capital markets & regulatory framework
- Main drivers
- Main Political Initiatives:
- EU Green Deal
- EU Renewable Energy Directive
- REPowerEU
- US Green New Deal
- US Inflation Reduction Act
- Regulatory Framework:
- EU
- US
- Relevant stakeholders
- What does it mean for your Company?
- How core is ESG for your company & your business model?
- What should be and what is your company’s ESG ambition?
- How should a company-tailormade ESG approach and ESG strategy look like?
- Develop & implement a robust ESG program
- Selected Aspects:
- Climate Protection/Decarbonization:
- Circular Economy
- CSR and Ethical Supply Chain (incl. Human Rights)
- ESG Risk Management
- ESG Reporting Standards
- Sell your ESG story: Positioning & Communications in the ESG arena
- What does it mean for Investors?
- Sustainable Finance Focus
- EU Taxonomy
Innovation, High Tech & Digital Transformation
Innovation:
- What is your “best fit” productive Innovation Set-up & inspiring Innovation Ecosystem?
- Advisory on interlinking Strategy & Innovation & Business
- Positioning of Innovation within the company: How to best get appropriate attention & budgets for innovation?
- Public Funding Opportunities for innovations
High Tech:
- Strategic Positioning & Communications
- Public Funding Opportunities for High Tech
- Geostrategic & Industrial Policy Aspects of HighTech (e.g. AWG-control in D)
Digital Transformation:
- Co-shaping the evolving regulatory framework on Digital Business Models:
- Government & Public Affairs: Representing company & sector interests in the dynamic evolution of the regulatory framework
- Strategic Advice on Digital Business Models:
- Dynamic digital regulatory framework
- EU Commission:
- Digital Services Act
- Digital Markets Act
- Competition & Antitrust Aspects
- Data Protection Aspects
- Germany:
- Competition & Antitrust Aspects
- Data Protection Aspects
- EU Commission:
- Dynamic digital regulatory framework
- Strategic Advice in Competition investigation & Enforcement procedures
- e.g. Digital Platforms/Digital Gatekeepers
Start-up-Advisory:
- Strategic advice from foundation to IPO: Mentoring the evolution and growth path
- CEO-/Board-Mentoring
- Investor- & Alliance Partner-Access & Matchmaking
- Public Funding Opportunities Advisory for Start-up’s
Keynote Speakers
Do you need a keynote speaker for your client dinner, board retreat, strategy workshop, or professional training? BGA's partners and advisors can provide expert insights on the key issues you face. We'll help you understand yesterday's developments and make sense of tomorrow's headlines.
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