Day 1 began with Ajay Khanna, Co-Founder of PAFI and Co-Editor of The Policy Pivot, and Luis Miranda, Chairperson and Co-founder of ISPP, who framed why geopolitical shifts now sit at the heart of both policy design and corporate strategy.

Amb. Sunjay Sudhir, Former Ambassador to UAE, opened with a deep dive on the opportunities and challenges emerging from the Middle East and the strategic route that India should follow in the region. 

Session 1: Geopolitics and Strategic Risk – Foresight and Global Crises Management, delivered by Amb Ajay Bisaria, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan and Canada. He offered a compelling lens on strategic risk, major power contestation, and the business implications of conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and the U.S.–China rivalry. 

Session 2: Geo-Economics in a Multi-polar World was led by Anil Padmanabhan, Senior Journalist, who unpacked the geo-economics of a multipolar landscape, examining trade, technology, and India’s evolving role in global policy architectures.

Session 3: Geo-Trade – The New Frontline of Global Power and Policy led by Vishwanath TS, Founding Member, Past President and Director General of PAFI, and Founder and Executive Chairman of VeK, examined how trade has become a central geopolitical instrument. The discussion traced the evolution from the WTO framework to targeted FTAs, India’s trade policy priorities, and the future of geo-trade amid protectionism, technology controls and sustainability pressures.

Session 4: Sanctions, Trade Policy, and Regulatory Compliance – Impact on Supply Chain was delivered by Dr Bhashyam Kasturi, Economist and Trade Policy Advisor. He unpacked the expanding global sanctions landscape, the need to balance bilateral agreements with strategic autonomy, and real-world cases of tariff threats, regulatory retaliation, and compliance challenges in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.

A rigorous and insightful close to Day 1 of the programme, reinforcing why public policy capability is essential for corporate boardrooms navigating today’s global environment.

Day 2 of the PAFI–ISPP Executive Education Programme on Public Policy and Geopolitics: Why It Matters for Corporate Boardrooms opened with a deeper exploration of India’s strategic position in global diplomacy, security, and economic realignments.

Session 5: India and North America – Diplomacy, Security, and Soft Power was led by Amb Arun K Singh, Former Ambassador to the U.S. and Israel. He traced the evolution of India’s engagement with the U.S., Russia, and China across trade, technology, and security, highlighted the growing influence of the Indian diaspora, and examined defence collaborations and emerging joint technology partnerships. The session also reflected on how India’s soft power in education, innovation, and global engagement continues to strengthen India’s credibility.

Session 6: India’s Strategic Role in the New Geopolitical Order, delivered by Ravi Dammu, Former Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted how India is positioning itself as a global manufacturing hub amid shifting supply chains. The discussion underscored the importance of policy agility, infrastructure readiness, and corporate diplomacy in enhancing India’s strategic leverage.

Session 7: The Future of Corporate Geopolitics and Global Partnerships, led by Probal DasGupta, Founder of Birdstone. He reflected on how corporations can navigate geopolitical flux through strategic foresight, partnerships and purpose-led leadership, with key takeaways on embedding global awareness and agility into corporate DNA.

Session 8: Reimagining the Public Affairs Function – What, How and When to Adapt. Led by Imran Amin, Associate Professor, Research and Case Study Centre at ISPP, the session explored scenario logics, strategic thinking, and contingency planning through a series of geopolitics-linked case studies. Participants reflected on how the public affairs function must continuously adapt to uncertainty, complexity, and rapid global change.

Ajay Khanna, Co-Founder of PAFI and Co-Editor of The Policy Pivot, delivered the closing remarks, distilling the key learnings from the two days and inviting participants to pause and reflect on what they are taking back, and what they would like to see more of in future editions of the series.

The evening concluded with a brief ceremony thanking attendees for their active participation and reiterating our commitment to hosting more engaging and insightful sessions in the future. 

PAFI and Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) look forward to building on this momentum with more programmes under the Executive Education Series, continuing to deepen strategic public policy and geopolitical understanding among practitioners and leaders.