Political consulting and international affairs

Introductions
What is consulting?
Political Consulting and Think Tanks
Demo – solution for MFA
Skills and development areas

Maksim Khaitovich
Analytics Manager Dubai, UAE
Areas of Expertise
Education
Industry
FinTech
Telecom
Retail
Utilities
Functional
Advanced Analytics
Software Engineering
Big Data
MBA, Carnegie Mellon University, (Info Systems, Quantitative Analysis, and Operations Management)
Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology, Peter The Great University
Languages
Russian (Native)
English (Fluent)
“I am passionate about applying bleeding-edge analytical approach to help our clients solve their business problems.”
Summary of Experience
With over 10 years of software engineering and data science experience, Maksim helps clients across industries to unlock value of AI, analytics and data for their businesses
Selected consulting engagement experience
For ME Utilities company led an implementation for project performance tracking solution. Gathered requirements from the client teams including both line management and C-suite users, developed architecture of the solution and performed actual development of solution. System consisted of input web portal to gather information on project performance, backend data storage and calculation layer as well as output dashboards presenting information to stakeholder up to Minister level. Solution is rolled out across all project portfolio with combined budget of >20Bn USD and serves ~150 users
For one of the largest EU Oil and Gas company implemented an advanced workforce planning system utilizing advanced analytics algorithms such as SARIMAX forecasting model and workforce segmentation through machine learning classification algorithms. Solution is rolled out across all departments delivering accurate forecasts for workforce of more than 20,000 delivering estimated benefit of ~€12Mn p.a.
Developed new approach for assortment deployment at UAE Grocery chain through application of clustering, optimization and demand forecasting. Lead pilot project for developed approach, demonstrating 11% growth in Gross Margin in pilot stores.
Developed new approach to Value Analysis/Value Engineering as part of product portfolio redesign effort, affecting two product categories with $200 million global sales for appliances manufacturing client. Applied advanced data science and artificial intelligence techniques to identify key drivers of consumer decision making and proposed changes in product portfolio to senior management.
Led the development of a Natural Language Processing (NLP) based solution to track localization trends in the GCC

Summary of Experience
Ilya has been engaged in research in the field of international space policy and Russian foreign policy for the last three years. He has published several scientific articles. Participated in many major events as a volunteer and participated in many forums and competitions.
Ilya Chikh
2nd year BA Student
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Industry
–International relations
–Middle East
–Space politics
Functional
–Preparation of analytical notes
–Organization of events
UNN, Lobachevsky University, Institute of International Relations and World History, (foreign regional studies)
Organization of the VI Eastern Economic Forum: as the head of a team of volunteers, he was engaged in the reception and accommodation of forum guests. He was responsible for the distribution of tasks, the development of solutions to the problems that arose
Organization of the party Congress: participated in the organization of the party congress, with the participation of the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region and deputies of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma, met delegates and participants, informed them about the course of the event.
Studied the issues of militarization of space, ways to establish relations between Russia and the EU, the UAE space program, and have a number of publications on these topics.

What do you expect from this presentation?
Source: Kearney

Key things to cover as I see it
Reality on the ground
Your way into consulting
Skills you need
Source: Kearney

As international relationship students we learn number of skills…
Methods of regional analysis
Country analysis
Communication skills
Foreign languages
International political processes
Public speech
Source: Kearney

But how do we apply them in the real world?
Potential work opportunities beyond MFA?
Source: Kearney

What is consulting?

My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions
Peter Drucker
Source: Kearney

We at Kearney have a rich and proud, nearly 100-year history
Predecessor firm established
1926
Tom Kearney becomes
managing partner
1935
1988
Firm surpasses $100 million
in revenue
2008
Kearney receives Excellence in Diversity award from Consulting magazine
Kearney celebrates its
90th anniversary
2016
Firm opens
first inter-national office in Düsseldorf
1964
First Asian
office opens
in Tokyo
1972
Firm recognized as one of Consulting magazine‘s Best Firms to Work For
2015
2018
Alex Liu is elected as Kearney’s ninth managing partner
2020
Kearney launches a bold new brand with clients and our people at the center
Kearney acquires Cervello,
a business analytics consultancy
2019
Firm marks
10th straight
year of double-
digit growth
1993

We are Kearney
Our Values
Generosity
Solidarity
Passion
Curiosity
Boldness
How we sound
Human
Jargon-free
To the point
We represent consulting that is personal and practical
We're big enough to have it covered, small enough to really care
We believe in the power of apprenticeship
We're individual and inclusive at our core
Great opportunities for you to make it happen and make your mark
Personality
Real
Refreshing
Relatable
Innovative

Kearney is the only global partnership that works with the world’s largest companies and is small enough to still feel like a family.
As a global consulting partnership, our people make us who we are. We’re individuals who take as much joy from those we work with as the work itself. Driven to be the difference between a big idea and making it happen, we focus on measurable results to help our clients break through.
More than 3,600 people strong in
40+ countries.
Serving more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500 with curiosity, boldness, generosity, solidarity, passion, and genuine commitment to client success.

Advanced Analytics is a global community of deep analytics practitioners …
… who collaborate with industry/service practices, other specialist teams (e.g., Cervello, PCE, etc.) and a 3rd party ecosystem …
… to develop innovative, high-performance solutions, domain specific offerings and other assets (as part of the Solutions Factory) …
… to solve problems and drive results for our clients
Industry &
Service Practices
Data
Scientists
Data
Engineers/
Cervello/
3rd Parties
Advanced
Analytics Consultants
High performance solutions
Domain specific offerings
A and C
Assets
Global community with opportunity to work across industries and solutions

Your career path
Analyst
Senior Analyst
Associate
Manager
Principal
Partner
Business development, client relationships, and thought leadership
Analytical skills,
problem solving, communication skills, creativity, and teamwork
Project management
and people management

Overview – about the GBPC/NTI

Our globally recognized internal think tank, the GBPC/NTI, specializes in strategic foresight and public policy
Global
economy
Demographics
Governance
Technological
innovation
Natural
resources
Source: Kearney | Global Business Policy Council | National Transformations Institute
GBPC/NTI monitors key forces of change through both analysis and collaborative foresight leveraging its global network
GBPC/NTI combines think tank research and consulting
Trends Monitoring and Scenario Analysis
Global Network of Thought Leaders and Exclusive Leadership Retreats
Strategic Advisory Services
Proprietary Intellectual Capital
GBPC/NTI’s core activity is to help business, government, and other leaders anticipate, plan for and capitalize on a chronically uncertain and volatile future.

Established in 1991 by Kearney Partner and Chairman Emeritus Paul Laudicina, the Council is a strategic service that helps business and government leaders worldwide to distill the key global forces driving change in the market and develop anticipatory insights to inform their strategies.
The Council achieves its mission through world-class thought leadership, global forums, and advisory services, including direct engagement with client work, from foresight and macro-trends analysis to assessments of competitiveness.
For more than a quarter century, the Council has been a leader in providing strategic insight on the changing marketplace, interaction with the world’s top CEOs and business-minded thought leaders, and various high-profile initiatives.
In 2014, the Council established the National Transformations Institute as its platform in the Middle East, dedicated to strategic foresight and policy design.
In 2020, for the ninth consecutive year, the Council was recognized as one of the “Best For-Profit Think Tanks” in the world by the University of Pennsylvania Lauder Institute’s “Global Go-To Think Tank Index Report.”
The Global Business Policy Council is a recognized global think tank, dedicated to helping leaders anticipate and plan for the future
Source: Kearney | Global Business Policy Council | National Transformations Institute

The National Transformations Institute is the Council’s Middle East Platform, based in Dubai and working across the region
Source: Kearney | Global Business Policy Council | National Transformations Institute
The National Transformations Institute is dedicated to helping senior business and government leaders in the Middle East and Africa anticipate and drive the diverse, accelerating transformations underway globally and across the region based on rigorous strategic foresight.
Specialized foresight services strategic planning and policy design
Insight-generating, leadership events
Regionally-focused Thought Leadership
Strategic Foresight
Application of the analytic disciplines of Strategic Foresight – e.g., scenario planning, horizon scanning, etc.
Design and orchestration of
content-centered events
Client-facing events, including Strategy Summits, Spotlight Dinners, CEO Breakfast Series
Representation at regional events
Creation of regionally focused macro-level thought leadership
Independent foresight-driven analysis (ME trends analysis, Economic Diversification and the Future of Work, digital Innovation in Government, etc.)

The GBPC/NTI is ranked in the Top 5 private sector think tanks in the world
2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index
Global Go To Think Tank Ranking
Background
In January 2021, for the twelfth consecutive year, the University of Pennsylvania has published the prestigious ranking of global think tanks.
Examining over 8,000 think tanks worldwide, the study provides rankings based on regional specialization, sector, and area of focus.
Key findings
Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council has consistently ranked in the Top 10 for best private sector think tank in the world.
In 2020, the GBPC was ranked #4 in the world, ranking higher than Deutsche Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and Eurasia Group
“To preserve their future, think tanks will need to adopt entrepreneurial and tech-savvy communication strategies while continuing to produce rigorous, policy relevant analysis”
Professor Jim McGann, lead author of the University of Pennsylvania
“Global Go To Think Tank Index Report”
Source: Kearney | Global Business Policy Council | National Transformations Institute

CEO retreat—two-day,
Chatham-House Rule event limited to ~70 CEOs and chairmen to provide a highly exclusive and content-rich setting
Regional roundtables—interactive forums to evaluate trends and prospects for each region, assessing over-the-horizon forces of change
Foresight series—annual forums to help organizations incorporate scenario planning and strategic foresight methodologies into planning processes
University of Oxford Scenarios Programme—two-day program that enables partners and their clients to “co-learn” the Oxford scenario approach
Spotlight events—issue-specific forums held in various cities globally with intimate discussions among global thought leaders and senior business executives
Thought leadership
Flagship publications:
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index
Global Trends
Views from the C-Suite
Year-Ahead Predictions
GBPC perspectives
Special white papers
Short-form analyses
Coronavirus podcast
Advisory services
Boardroom briefings—timely briefings on key global issues to boards of directors and other leadership groups
Competitive assessments—strategic review for governments at the national, regional, and local levels to improve competitive positioning, attract investment, and increase exports
Global radar—horizon scanning to assess unforeseen significant risks and opportunities of disruptive change with long-term impact on the global business operating environment
Scenario planning—structured strategic planning methodology
to identify future issues that organizations and businesses are likely to face in a complex and turbulent world
Global forums
The GBPC/NTI informs global leaders through forums, thought-leadership, and customized advisory services
Kearney’s internal think
tank that helps CEOs
and government leaders anticipate and plan for
the future.

CEO retreat—two-day,
Chatham-House Rule event limited to ~70 CEOs and chairmen to provide a highly exclusive and content-rich setting
Regional roundtables—interactive forums to evaluate trends and prospects for each region, assessing over-the-horizon forces of change
Foresight series—annual forums to help organizations incorporate scenario planning and strategic foresight methodologies into planning processes
University of Oxford Scenarios Programme—two-day program that enables partners and their clients to “co-learn” the Oxford scenario approach
Spotlight events—issue-specific forums held in various cities globally with intimate discussions among global thought leaders and senior business executives
Thought leadership
Flagship publications:
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index
Global Trends
Views from the C-Suite
Year-Ahead Predictions
GBPC perspectives
Special white papers
Short-form analyses
Coronavirus podcast
Advisory services
Boardroom briefings—timely briefings on key global issues to boards of directors and other leadership groups
Competitive assessments—strategic review for governments at the national, regional, and local levels to improve competitive positioning, attract investment, and increase exports
Global radar—horizon scanning to assess unforeseen significant risks and opportunities of disruptive change with long-term impact on the global business operating environment
Scenario planning—structured strategic planning methodology
to identify future issues that organizations and businesses are likely to face in a complex and turbulent world
Global forums
The GBPC/NTI informs global leaders through forums, thought-leadership, and customized advisory services
Kearney’s internal think
tank that helps CEOs
and government leaders anticipate and plan for
the future.

GBPC/NTI gatherings create exclusive environments for business leaders to engage global peers and SMEs on strategic issues
Source: Kearney Global Business Policy Council
CEO Retreat
The Council’s flagship two-day forum that brings together select CEOs, world-class thought leaders, and influential government officials to decipher the complex global environment and seize competitive advantage.
Foresight Series
Annual forums held across the globe to help organizations anticipate changes by incorporating scenario planning and other strategic foresight methodologies into their strategic planning processes, including our signature Kearney-Oxford University Scenarios Programme.
Spotlight Events
Issue-specific forums held in various cities throughout the world that enable intimate discussions among global thought leaders and senior business executives.
Regional Roundtables
Interactive forums held throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas that evaluate trends and prospects for each region by assessing over-the-horizon forces of change.

For the past two decades, leaders from around the world have been participating in Kearney’s GBPC CEO Retreat

CEO retreat—two-day,
Chatham-House Rule event limited to ~70 CEOs and chairmen to provide a highly exclusive and content-rich setting
Regional roundtables—interactive forums to evaluate trends and prospects for each region, assessing over-the-horizon forces of change
Foresight series—annual forums to help organizations incorporate scenario planning and strategic foresight methodologies into planning processes
University of Oxford Scenarios Programme—two-day program that enables partners and their clients to “co-learn” the Oxford scenario approach
Spotlight events—issue-specific forums held in various cities globally with intimate discussions among global thought leaders and senior business executives
Thought leadership
Flagship publications:
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index
Global Trends
Views from the C-Suite
Year-Ahead Predictions
GBPC perspectives
Special white papers
Short-form analyses
Coronavirus podcast
Advisory services
Boardroom briefings—timely briefings on key global issues to boards of directors and other leadership groups
Competitive assessments—strategic review for governments at the national, regional, and local levels to improve competitive positioning, attract investment, and increase exports
Global radar—horizon scanning to assess unforeseen significant risks and opportunities of disruptive change with long-term impact on the global business operating environment
Scenario planning—structured strategic planning methodology
to identify future issues that organizations and businesses are likely to face in a complex and turbulent world
Global forums
The GBPC/NTI informs global leaders through forums, thought-leadership, and customized advisory services
Kearney’s internal think
tank that helps CEOs
and government leaders anticipate and plan for
the future.

Council
Perspective
Specialized studies on a diverse array of timely issues of particular relevance to global business.
Year-Ahead Predictions
Key predictions for the global operating environment in the year ahead.
Global Trends
Exploration of key trends shaping the global outlook and operating environment over the next five years.
FDI Confidence Index
Survey of business leaders that ranks which markets are likely to attract the most investment in the next three years.
Global Economic Outlook
Assessment of the key characteristics of the global economy and the medium-term outlook (five years) in key markets.
GBPC/NTI research and analysis offers global business leaders unique, forward-looking perspectives on key issues
Source: Kearney Global Business Policy Council

The GBPC/NTI publishes annual outlooks presenting its forecasts on the global economy and trends
Year-ahead predictions 2022
COVID crises will continue to affect government and business in 2022. With global supply shortages set to persist, youth mental health reaching new lows, and climate change only becoming a more urgent imperative, the year ahead will be anything but smooth sailing
Global trends 2021 - 2026
Promise and peril
Five significant trends will dramatically shape the global outlook and business operating environment
The race for quantum primacy
A sharp rise in water dislocations
Escalation of ungovernability
Central bank digital currencies going mainstream
The new age of genetic manipulations
Sample
Source: Kearney Global Business Policy Council
Year-ahead predictions
Global Trends

Repairing the Social Fabric
Reimagining and Reinforcing Policy Institutions
Navigating a Transformed Geo-technological Order
Competing in a Transformed Economy
Securing the Future
Priority Themes
Our most recent report in collaboration with the World Government Summit identifies key strategic priorities for government leaders as we emerge from the pandemic crisis
Sample

Our recent publication, ‘Intentional Transformation’, defines policy instruments that can be used to drive intentional change
The Emerging Logic of Accelerated Progress: Toolset Overview
Source: A.T. Kearney | National Transformations Institute
DOMAINS
OF CAUSAL LOGICS
Strategic
Connective
Cognitive
Strategic logics derive their transformative power from external factors.
Connective logics derive their transformative power from bridging informational gaps and removing obstacles to productive collaboration.
Cognitive logics derive their transformative power from human agency. They leverage advances in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to strengthen the capacity of citizens to take action and to minimize the costs of cognitive biases.
Sample

CEO retreat—two-day,
Chatham-House Rule event limited to ~70 CEOs and chairmen to provide a highly exclusive and content-rich setting
Regional roundtables—interactive forums to evaluate trends and prospects for each region, assessing over-the-horizon forces of change
Foresight series—annual forums to help organizations incorporate scenario planning and strategic foresight methodologies into planning processes
University of Oxford Scenarios Programme—two-day program that enables partners and their clients to “co-learn” the Oxford scenario approach
Spotlight events—issue-specific forums held in various cities globally with intimate discussions among global thought leaders and senior business executives
Thought leadership
Flagship publications:
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index
Global Trends
Views from the C-Suite
Year-Ahead Predictions
GBPC perspectives
Special white papers
Short-form analyses
Coronavirus podcast
Advisory services
Boardroom briefings—timely briefings on key global issues to boards of directors and other leadership groups
Competitive assessments—strategic review for governments at the national, regional, and local levels to improve competitive positioning, attract investment, and increase exports
Global radar—horizon scanning to assess unforeseen significant risks and opportunities of disruptive change with long-term impact on the global business operating environment
Scenario planning—structured strategic planning methodology
to identify future issues that organizations and businesses are likely to face in a complex and turbulent world
Global forums
The GBPC/NTI informs global leaders through forums, thought-leadership, and customized advisory services
Kearney’s internal think
tank that helps CEOs
and government leaders anticipate and plan for
the future.

Bespoke Engagements
Identification of current trends in politics, economics, business, technology, and other relevant areas, and deciphering what they mean for a business.
Competitiv-eness Assessments
Strategic review for governments at the national, state, and local levels to improve competitive positioning, attract investment, and increase exports.
Scenario
Planning
Structured strategic planning methodology to identify future issues that organizations and businesses are likely to face in a complex and turbulent world.
Global Radar
Horizon scanning to assess unforeseen significant risks and opportunities of disruptive change with long-term impact on the global business operating environment.
Boardroom
Briefings
Thought-provoking and timely briefings on key global issues to boards of directors and other leadership groups.
Our advisory services translate macro insights into their strategic and policy implications
Source: Kearney Global Business Policy Council

Selected client examples
We have a strong track record of successfully enabling clients in global foresight, visioning, and strategic planning
For fours years conducted the Scenario Thinking module of the prestigious National Security Executive Leadership Seminar for the Foreign Service Institute at the U.S. State Department
Developed risk and reward model for global service delivery for a major global bank
Provided thorough analysis of long-range macro trends affecting the chemical industry for a major European chemical company
Identified global locations for R&D talent for a major oilfield services company
Scenario planning project in the wake of the financial crisis for a major transportation company
Global foresight
Global trends
Visioning
Strategic planning
Development of potential opportunities and risks
Training & capacity building in foresight & scenario planning
Cataloging of discontinuous contingencies
Defining ranges of plausible outcomes
Identifying current trends in politics, economics,
business, technology, and other relevant areas
Assigning priorities to drivers of change
Providing third-party perspective
Aligning leadership structures on strategic goals
Wind-tunnel prevailing assumptions
Wide-spectrum strategic assessments
Extending planning horizons
Pre-positioning for an external environment marked
by disruptive change and higher complexities
Source: Kearney Global Business Policy Council

Our global network of thought leaders and practitioners provides access to world-class, differentiating expertise
Selection
Experts
Dr. Ricardo Hausmann
Director at Harvard's Center for International Development and Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School
Dr. Stewart M. Patrick
Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program at CfR
Dr. Eswar Prasad
Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy and professor of economics at Cornell University
Dr. Francis Fukuyama
Senior Fellow at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), & Director of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law
Dr. Matthew Spence
Affiliate at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), and Managing Director at Guggenheim Partners
Dr. Daron Acemoglu
Author and MIT Economics Professor
Amb. Tom Pickering
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the Russian Federation, India, Israel, and Jordan
David M. Walker
Former Comptroller General of the United States
Dr. Angela Wilkinson
Secretary General & CEO of the World Energy Council
Amb. Eric Edelman
Former U.S. ambassador to Finland and Turkey
Richard Maude
Executive Director, Policy, and Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute
Dr. Anders Aslund
Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council
Dr. Raghu Rajan
Former Chief Economist at the IMF
Dr. Peter Feaver
Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University
Michèle Flournoy
American defense policy advisor and former government official

Our relationships with leading global think-tanks and academic institutions provides opportunities for differentiated delivery partnership
Selection
Institutions

Solution for MFA

DEMO: As international relations specialists you shouldn’t hesitate to use bleeding edge solutions
Source: Kearney
MFA political analysis solution

Skills and development areas

Skills of interpersonal cooperation
Successful negotiation
Sociability
Conflict resolution
Coaching
Empathy
Self-management
Responsibility and decisiveness
Self-development
Self-control
Result orientation
Stimulating change and innovation
Digital skills
Data analysis and statistics
Digital literacy and cybersecurity
Ability to apply technology at work
Communication
Storytelling and public speaking
Ability to ask the right questions
Ability to summarize and extract new meanings form the received information
Active listening
Cognitive
Time management
Structural approach to problem solving
Finding relevant information
Flexibility of thinking
Adaptability
To be able to apply skills in the real world setting, one needs to concentrate on the following development areas
Source: Kearney