Geopolitical change, characterised by an economic bloc having been established between the USA and China, has put free world trade to the test. It also shows, by looking at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, just how quickly a system conflict, which we thought had been settled between the democratic and autocratic world, can be reignited. All that, exacerbated by global events, like the Covid-19 pandemic, puts pressure on the availability of energy resources, disrupts supply chains and leads to a global wave of price hikes that challenge governments, businesses, and the civilian population alike.
As a result of the geopolitical change, companies had to explore new markets and new sources for raw materials and find new ways of attracting both customers and suppliers, while keeping a watchful eye on possible dangers. Although the currently rising energy prices still paint a different picture, supply chains can be shortened through nearshoring. This could very well result in a wave of reindustrialisation in Europe.
We are undergoing times of permanent change, which many refer to as systemic transformation or multiple crises strung together. This change takes place in different fields and segments. They, in turn, are interlinked at various levels. HORIZON’s risk-oriented approach aims to define and outline the key areas of change affecting your company. In doing so, we take a close look at the systemic influences of ecological, geopolitical, technological and social transformation on your company’s risk landscape.
Read what our risk expert had to share regarding the future of geopolitical risks in front of us.

Start of Our New HORIZON Series “Environment in Danger”
Under the title “Environment in danger”, our upcoming HORIZON series concentrates on the ecological transformation and therefore looks at all its challenges from various angles.

“To Be or Not to Be”?
Other crises, the climate crisis being a prominent example, are more likely to emerge as developments that gradually manifest themselves.

Be more agile! How to anticipate a transforming risk landscape
An effective risk management process is a basic requirement for tackling transformation risks.

Investing in Backup Systems to boost resilience: Interview with Mariana Kühnel
Mariana Kühnel, Deputy General Secretary of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce spoke about staying calm in these unpredictable times and how Europe can gain comparative advantages.

The Impact of Sanctions on Aviation and Safety in the Air
Economic sanctions used for foreign policy purposes are economic penalties – such as prohibiting trade, stopping financial transactions or barring economic and military assistance – used to influence a nation and provide incentives for obedience with the rule of law or other governing rules and regulations.

The New Silk Roads
This article will provoke thoughts and create awareness about the new political world order, the changing influence of Western and Eastern powers as well as the emergence and formation of a new centre of gravity in the global economy. It takes a close look at an emerging geopolitical dominance and focuses on the new crossroads between the West…

“Energy Autonomy Frastanz” is Taking Shape
Plans are underway to construct a new power plant fuelled by waste material on the premises of Rondo Ganahl AG as part of the Initiative “Energy Autonomy Frastanz”. The new plant in Austria’s most western province will cover the future thermal energy demand of the Rondo paper mill and corrugated board plant and will also supply other businesses…

Managing the risks of Black Swan events
Emerging risks and new threats that are hard to grasp and estimate are a much-discussed topic. Add to that today’s increasing number of Black Swan events. These are unprecedented and unexpected events which nobody could have imagined, making them almost impossible to predict.

Food Price Inflation in CEE and SEE Countries – Its Impact on Insurance and the Future
According to the International Monetary Fund food and energy are the main drivers of today’s inflation. That is obvious to each of us as we pay more for both food and energy these days.

The Dynamics of Multiple Crises Drive Our Group’s Risk Management Forward
Max Pernsteiner, Vice President Global Purchasing & Supply Chain at ENGEL Austria GmbH, spoke with Johannes Vogl, General Manager at GrECo Risk Engineering GmbH, about supply chains and their risks.

Supply Chain Managers as Crisis Managers
In the last two years, supply chains were exposed to unforeseen risks. The impact of the pandemic, Evergiven’s blockade of the Suez Canal, or the recent disruptions as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, to name a few. What else must we prepare for?

More Procurement & Logistics Resilience for Donau Chemie
Krystle Lippert, Strategic Sales Manager at GrECo in Austria, has spoken with Dr. Gerald Dums, Head of Purchase of Technical Equipment & Logistics at Donau Chemie AG about supply chain problems and procurement and logistics resilience.

Geopolitics Shapes the World to Come
Our multipolar world and its myriad of geopolitical forces presents us and our clients with a vast, multidimensional array of risks. As bleak as this may sound, geopolitics and its impact on energy also offers a number of opportunities.

The Perfect Storm – Managing the Geopolitical Shift in Construction
With the aftershocks of the pandemic, the ripple effects of the Ukraine war, and more frequent and severe natural catastrophes that affect our climate and today’s population, we are at a crossroads, and the construction sector is no exception.

Geopolitics and Energy are Closely Intertwined
For the past years and certainly since 24 February 2022, we have had many opportunities to witness the power of geopolitics, its decisive impact on domestic and international politics and the supply of energy throughout the world.

More Creative Thinking to Solve Complex Problems
All over the world, uncertainty prevails. Action must be taken in the face of these turbulences while exploiting every possibility provided by available instruments.

Change Is the Only Constant for Worldwide Shipping
Huge change is happening in all sectors of the marine insurance sector and cargo risks and associated insurances.

State-sponsored Cyber-Attacks: A Tool of Modern Warfare
State-sponsored cyber-attacks usually exploit infrastructure weaknesses, gather information or skim off money to recover losses from sanctions.

Risk Management 4.0 Shields Against Volatile Risks
Nowadays, risk management is more in demand than ever. By working in tandem with clients the insurance partner can help to shape the future.

”The World Is in Big Trouble.“
Companies are exposed to various kinds of risks. At the same time, systemic transformation exacerbates existing risks and causes new risks to emerge.

Natural Gas Seems to Be the New Gold: Interview With Michael Kolb
Michael Kolb, Board Member at Acredia, talks about the political effects of the energy crisis and situation of the former Yugoslavian countries.

Erne Fittings Relies on ‘The Safe Connection’
For Erne Fittings, the world’s leading supplier of butt-weld fittings, every safe connection is a strong pillar of success in risk and supply chain management

Supply Chain Risk Management in the Food and Agriculture Sector – Keeping Flexibility and Financial Resilience
How can we increase flexibility and financial resilience in an ever-changing economical and geopolitical environment

End of International Coverage for Russia / Belarus / Ukraine?
The international insurance industry is no longer willing to agree on coverage for Russia and Belarus. The options for coverage in Ukraine are very limited.

‘Putting all your eggs in one basket is just not good enough’
Jürgen Spari spoke to Georg Knill about the challenges of the energy transition for the industrial sector and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on domestic companies.

The Winter is coming: Can renewables break dependence on Russian gas?
Europe needs to cover gas demand with alternative sources. The EU energy security is compromised if there is no diversification to cover Russian gas imports.

Disrupted supply chains and their consequences
Since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic two years ago, disrupted supply chains have threatened the existence of many companies.

How to Manage a Transforming Risk Landscape
The value of intangible relative to tangible corporate assets has steadily increased. Emerging risks threaten the value of both tangible and intangible assets.

Investing in the Future
With new insurers having entered the market in the past few months, we should see a dampening of the price increases we experienced in the previous two years.

Call to Action for the “New Normal”
On average, premium rates are expected to increase between 5% to 10%, even for policies with a no-claim history.

Reliable networks and good connections
An interview with Martin Cerny and Jörg Schönenborn, Telecommunication Executives, and Andreas Schmitt, Insurance Professional.

Changing Insurability: Can Insurance Keep Up With the Rapidly Transforming Risk Landscape?
In the last two years, supply chains were exposed to unforeseen risks. The impact of the pandemic, Evergiven’s blockade of the Suez Canal, or the recent disruptions as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, to name a few. What else must we prepare for?
Horizon
The complexity of today´s risk environment is changing at an accelerating pace, making risk management even more challenging. We have created HORIZON, firstly as a print publication and now as a platform for sharing the latest insights about ongoing transformations. Our risk specialists will continue to provide their expertise and knowledge to shine a light on the challenges of the future.

Georg Winter
CEO
T +43 664 962 39 06