In today’s increasingly complex global landscape, the role of business executives is rapidly evolving. No longer confined to managing internal operations or reacting to market trends, leaders must now navigate shifting geopolitical dynamics, economic uncertainty, and a fragmented world order.
From trade policies and regulatory shifts to executive orders and diplomatic tensions, external forces are directly shaping corporate strategy and performance. Companies such as Meta and Amazon, once focused solely on innovation and scale, now maintain a strong presence in Washington, D.C., underscoring the rising importance of political engagement.
To succeed, executives must blend traditional business acumen with a deep understanding of international policy, diplomacy, and regional nuance. It’s not just about reacting to policy — it’s about helping to shape it.
This new reality calls for a more agile, globally-focused, and policy-literate generation of leaders. Recognizing this shift, Georgetown University has launched its Master’s in International Business and Policy program in Dubai — a growing global hub.
Developed by faculty from the McDonough School of Business and the School of Foreign Service, the program equips leaders with the tools to strategically engage in both public and private sectors. In today’s world, global leadership demands more than an MBA — it demands mastery of complexity.
Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, shares his insights on how business leaders can navigate these challenges.
Read: What makes Dubai an ideal hub for international business schools
How can business leaders navigate the new global order and adapt to geopolitical shifts and economic uncertainty?
It has become a much more complex world, and multilateral organizations play a greater role than ever before from a geopolitical perspective.
Companies can no longer just focus on their industry and react to changing policies — they have to be active players in shaping political decisions that impact their organizations. For example, 20 or 30 years ago, major tech firms such as Meta and Amazon didn’t even have a presence in Washington, D.C.
Now, they are moving their headquarters to the nation’s capital. Zuckerberg and Bezos have houses here, which underscores the increasingly important role of executives and their ability to navigate the changing political landscape.
The government, to some extent, has changed the playing field for major corporations — we are seeing executive orders, legislative agendas, and Supreme Court decisions that all have a direct impact on business operations both domestically and internationally.
What do you think will be the future of global trade? What are the trends CEOs need to know about policy-driven market dynamics?
Business executives have to be experts in their own company operations, but then they also have to learn how to navigate new geopolitical realities that often differ in each region of the world. This nuance requires a skillful understanding of diplomacy, relationship-building, and the ability to adapt to different cultures, governments, and other regulatory constraints simultaneously.
Google and Apple are examples of how companies have to adapt their strategy based on geopolitical decisions in the U.S. vs. the EU vs. China, etc.
It’s not just the ability to react appropriately to governmental situations but the ability to shape the playing field through rich interactions, by building new points of view, and engaging individuals and organizations throughout the decision-making process.
Recently, we’ve seen a fragmentation of the world order, but this doesn’t make smart global action less important. In fact, it makes it more important than ever before. Even if a company is largely domestic, it still has to operate globally (either through its supply chains, through customers, etc.).
It’s essential that companies understand how to traverse the changing, complex, and dynamic political landscapes in order to maximize shareholder value.
Previously, we understood the rules of the game and the expectations of the WTO, but things keep changing (i.e., Trump tariffs and various countries’ responses), and these changes create a lot of uncertainty.
Companies need to make smart policies that are targeted toward not just the global landscape but at a much more granular, country-specific level – and manage it daily. This isn’t a world they have operated in previously.
Executives have to layer their day-to-day skills with international relations and policymaking and present their firm in unique ways to different governments (who are sometimes misaligned with each other). Being a relationship builder and solutions-oriented professional has never been more important.
What is Dubai’s role in shaping global business leadership?
Looking at Dubai, the emirate is rapidly growing as a prominent economic hub. It is positioned well with the U.S. and Europe and also with the East, making them a key player in evolving geopolitical dynamics.
How can business leaders turn geopolitical risk into a competitive advantage? How is the skillset of global executives evolving beyond MBAs to include mastery of international policy and strategy?
Georgetown’s expertise lies at the intersection of policy, international relations, and other disciplines such as medicine, technology, sustainability, entrepreneurship. We don’t say one is more important than another — we believe they interact fluidly and in complex ways.
That’s why we launched our Master’s in International Business and Policy program in Dubai — to help executives understand nonmarket strategy in a new and emerging landscape with an understanding of the geopolitical strains in a way that mirrors the complexity of the real world.
We are shaping a new and essential generation of global executives equipped to navigate the ambiguity of international business and policy.
Developed by our leading faculty from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and School of Foreign Service, the Dubai program is adapted from our university’s signature International Business and Policy program that has been operating for nearly a decade.
The Master’s in International Business and Policy bridges the realms of business and international affairs, emphasizing sustainable growth, innovation, and social impact. It teaches participants how business influences policy, how policy shapes business, and how to strategically engage the global economy, catering to both public and private sector professionals.
The Master’s in International Business and Policy program in Dubai will become Georgetown’s second program in the region, building on the success of the Executive MBA currently offered at the DIFC Academy. This launch underscores our growing presence in MENASA, a region pivotal to global trade, energy, and international diplomacy.
For more interviews, click here
