The International Risk Podcast

Dominic Bowen
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Management
  • Updated Semiweekly

Welcome to The International Risk Podcast — the premier destination for high-level insights into global risk dynamics. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, an accomplished senior advisor, each episode delivers expert analysis and actionable intelligence on today’s most pressing international risks. From geopolitical tensions and economic upheavals to cybersecurity threats and environmental challenges, we bring clarity to the complex risks shaping our world. Tailored for CEOs, Board Members, senior managers, and risk professionals, our weekly episodes are essential listening for those making strategic decisions in volatile environments. With distinguished guests from diverse sectors and geographies — including renowned industry experts, policymakers, and thought leaders — we provide a multidimensional perspective, equipping you with insights to stay ahead of emerging threats and capitalize on new opportunities. Our host, Dominic Bowen, is a senior business leader, and Partner at 2Secure where he is Head of Strategic Advisory and leads a team of senior management consultants and advisors. Join us for engaging, thought-provoking conversations that go beyond the headlines. Stay informed, stay ahead, and transform the way you perceive and manage international risks. The International Risk Podcast is not just a podcast; it’s is crucial listening for today's leaders.

  1. 4h ago

    Episode 385: West Africa: What Does the Climate Crisis Look Like?

    In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ibrahim Aboubacar Hama about climate change and its impact on food security, livelihoods, and stability across West Africa. Ibrahim shares what climate change looks like on the ground, and why national strategies often don't match lived reality. The discussion examines whether government frameworks like Senegal's agenda can keep pace with a food security crisis that's projected to nearly double during the lean season, and why bridging the gap between science and affected communities is still one of the region's biggest challenges. We also explore the lingering fingerprints of colonial-era resource extraction and what the rest of the world consistently gets wrong about the crisis unfolding in West Africa. The conversation explores: -What climate change actually looks like for communities on the ground -Why strategy on paper often fails to reach the people who need it most -The lingering economic and institutional legacy of colonial-era extraction -Why bridging the gap between science and society is important Ibrahim Aboubacar Hama is an Environmentalist and Communication Specialist with extensive experience designing and managing climate change adaptation projects across West Africa, with expertise spanning social mobilization, gender equity, stakeholder engagement, and conservation education.  The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare.  Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world. Subscribe for new episodes every week Tell us what you liked in the comments below Share this episode with colleagues in risk, policy, and security #Geopolitics #ClimateChange #WestAfrica #FoodSecurity #Senegal #Niger #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateSecurity #Sahel #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy Tell us what you liked! Tell us what you liked!

  2. 1d ago

    Episode 384: AUKUS and the New Reality of Indo-Pacific Security with Jennifer Parker

    Jennifer Parker examines the rapidly changing security environment across the Indo-Pacific and explains why maritime competition, strategic deterrence, and AUKUS matter far beyond defence circles. Drawing on her experience as a former Royal Australian Navy warfare officer and defence strategist, she explores the growing risks posed by China's military expansion, the future of Australia's submarine capability, and why governments and businesses alike must rethink their assumptions about global security. We discuss: - Why the Indo-Pacific has become the world's most strategically contested region - What AUKUS is designed to achieve and the risks and opportunities it presents - How China's expanding military capabilities are reshaping regional security - Why businesses should understand their supply chain and maritime dependencies - What a Taiwan crisis could mean for Australia, global trade, and international stability - Whether Australia is becoming too dependent on the United States for its defence This is a timely conversation on deterrence, maritime security, and the new reality of strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage. Subscribe for all our updates! Tell us what you liked! Share your thoughts in the comments below. Tell us what you liked!

  3. 4d ago

    Episode 383: Is Andy Burnham Ready for a World at War?

    In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Lord Peter Ricketts, the UK's first National Security Advisor, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and former British Ambassador to France, to unpack what Andy Burnham's rise to Downing Street means for Britain's place in the world. Ricketts examines why Burnham, arriving as the UK's seventh Prime Minister in ten years with almost no track record on foreign policy, inherits a fragile but consequential legacy from Keir Starmer, from steadfast support for Ukraine to a more assertive European security posture. He explains why personal relationships between world leaders are not a soft add-on but a genuine strategic asset, why Burnham will have to build trust with Trump, Macron, and Merz essentially from scratch, and why a hard right shift in France under Marine Le Pen could complicate cooperation on defence and migration. The conversation also covers the Strategic Defence Review's warnings on warfighting readiness, the sobering "letters of last resort" every new Prime Minister must write for Britain's nuclear submarines, and why Britain's credibility in NATO depends on defence spending it may struggle to sustain. Key topics discussed: Why Burnham's political style raises real questions about his readiness for crisis decision makingWhy personal relationships between leaders matter as much as institutions and interestsThe risk that a Le Pen led France could complicate UK-EU defence and migration cooperationWhy continuity on Ukraine is critical, and the spending trade-offs Burnham will face at homeWhat Britain needs to do to keep pulling its weight in NATOThe reality of nuclear command responsibility that awaits every incoming Prime MinisterThe international risks Lord Ricketts is watching most closely today, from war in Europe to climate changeThis episode is relevant to anyone interested in international relations, defence policy, European security, diplomacy, or international risk. If you are interested in Lord Rickett's book: Peace Makers: Shaping the modern world: the men and women of the Foreign Office in WWII. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you're a board member, policymaker or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe's leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

  4. Jul 22

    Episode 382: Re-release – Inside the War in Ukraine: Strategy, Technology and the Future of Security with Elizabeth Bullock

    This re-released and condensed episode with Elizabeth Bullock examines the lived reality of modern conflict in Ukraine, drawing on her three years providing frontline humanitarian aid. From evacuating civilians under fire to navigating the evolving threats of drones, hypersonic missiles, and weaponised infrastructure, Elizabeth provides an unflinching look at how war shapes both society and strategy and what it reveals about the future of global security. We discuss: How technology from drones to hypersonic missiles is redefining the battlefieldHow civilians survive and adapt under sustained attackWhat Russia’s tactics reveal about modern conflictHow Ukraine has developed its defence under extreme pressureWhat this war means for the future of global securityThis is an unfiltered look at contemporary warfare and the lessons it holds for the world ahead. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you're a board member, policymaker or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe's leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

  5. Jul 20

    Episode 381: Abortion, Power, Democracy: Who Controls a Woman's Body?

    In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Michele Goodwin, a leading bioethicist and constitutional law scholar at Georgetown Law, to unpack the history, law, and power structures shaping reproductive rights in America. Goodwin challenges the assumption that abortion criminalization has always been the norm, tracing its roots to the U.S. Civil War and the political battle over slavery. She explains why the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade wasn't simply a return to democratic decision-making, why abortion is medically far safer than pregnancy itself, and why today's map of abortion bans mirrors the map of the former Confederacy. The conversation also covers the criminalization of pregnancy and motherhood, the disproportionate targeting of Black women by law enforcement, the shifting legal question of fetal personhood, and the Supreme Court's inconsistent treatment of bodily autonomy depending on race and gender. Key topics discussed: Why abortion criminalization has political, not purely moral or medical, originsWhy Dobbs wasn't simply "returning the issue to democracy"The medical reality of pregnancy, viability, and abortion safetyThe criminalization and policing of pregnant women, particularly Black womenWhen and how personhood and citizenship are legally definedThe Supreme Court's inconsistent treatment of bodily autonomy across race and genderThis episode is relevant to anyone interested in law, human rights, public health, race, democracy, or international risk. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you're a board member, policymaker or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe's leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

  6. Jul 9

    Episode 380: The Future of Global Services: Risk, Resilience and AI

    In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Peter Bendor-Samuel, founder and executive chairman of Everest Group and one of the world's leading experts on IT services and enterprise transformation, to unpack the forces reshaping global outsourcing, offshoring and near-shoring. Bendor-Samuel challenges the assumption that AI is set to end labor arbitrage, arguing that companies willing to change how they operate are already seeing major productivity gains without moving work back onshore. He explains why India's dominance in tech services delivery isn't going anywhere, why the falling cost of cyberattacks is forcing security budgets up rather than down, and what enterprises are actually getting from building their own Global Capability Centres instead of relying on third-party providers. The conversation also covers data sovereignty, tightening immigration rules, and whether multi-vendor strategies genuinely reduce concentration risk under regulations like DORA. Key topics discussed: Why AI is delivering major productivity gains in software development, and why "labor arbitrage is alive and well"The limits of on-shoring and the enduring case for offshore talentWhat enterprises actually gain from building their own Global Capability Centres in IndiaHow falling attack costs and expanding cyber risk are driving up security spendData sovereignty, security clearances and immigration's impact on delivery locationConcentration risk, DORA, and whether multi-vendor strategies really reduce exposureThis episode is relevant to anyone interested in technology, global business, cyber risk, regulation or international risk. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders.  Tell us what you liked!

  7. Jul 8

    Episode 379: Outsourcing to India: Managing Cyber, Legal, and Data Risks

    As India cements its position as one of the world's leading technology and outsourcing hubs, international organisations face an increasingly complex cyber, legal, and regulatory environment. In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with N.S. Nappinai, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and one of the country's leading experts on cyber law, data protection, and digital governance. The conversation explores how businesses can navigate India's rapidly evolving cyber and data protection landscape while balancing innovation, compliance, and operational resilience. From outsourcing technology services and cross-border data transfers to AI-enabled cyber threats and emerging regulation, this episode examines the risks and opportunities facing organisations operating in one of the world's fastest-growing digital economies. Nappinai explains how India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) compares with the EU's GDPR, why legal compliance alone is not enough to manage cyber risk, and what multinational organisations should consider when building resilient governance frameworks in India. The discussion explores:  How India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) compares with the EU's GDPR  The legal, cyber, and operational risks organisations should consider when outsourcing technology services to India  Cross-border data transfers, regulatory uncertainty, and compliance challenges for multinational organisations  The growing threat posed by AI-enabled cybercrime, fraud, deepfakes, and business email compromise  Why vendor due diligence, contractual protections, cybersecurity audits, and implementation are critical for managing digital risk  What the future holds for India's cyber governance, AI regulation, and digital risk landscape N.S. Nappinai is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, Founder of CyberSaathi, and one of India's leading experts on cyber law, cybersecurity, digital rights, intellectual property, and data protection. She advises governments, businesses, and institutions on emerging technology law and has played a prominent role in shaping conversations around cyber governance and digital policy.  Our host, Dominic Bowen, is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis, geopolitical risk, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience in conflict zones and corporate leadership. #CyberSecurity #India #DataProtection #DPDPA #GDPR #Outsourcing #CyberRisk #RiskManagement #InternationalRiskPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #Compliance #CyberLaw Tell us what you liked!  Tell us what you liked!

  8. Jul 3

    Episode 378: Climate Change and the Future of War: Energy, the Arctic, and Military Readiness

    In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Dr Duncan Depledge about climate change and its growing impact on the world's militaries. This conversation looks at the geopolitics of the Arctic, the role of energy and logistics in warfare, and the growing competition across the High North, exploring how environmental change has become a central concern in defence planning.  Duncan explains why it is a problem for militaries today rather than in the future, and why armed forces now treat a warming world as a practical operational challenge instead of a distant environmental one.  The discussion examines whether militaries can decarbonise without compromising readiness and combat effectiveness, and why energy is both a necessity and a vulnerability in war. We also explore NATO's growing engagement with climate security, the rising competition for the critical minerals that green technologies depend on, and why the Arctic, the Baltic, and Northern Europe are now closely connected.  The conversation explores: Whether the Arctic is the new central theatre of military strategyHow energy transitions create both resilience and vulnerabilityThe role of critical minerals and resource competition in future conflictWhy climate change is a present-day defence issue, not a future one Dr Duncan Depledge is Senior Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security at Loughborough University, specialising in climate security, defence policy, and Arctic geopolitics. He has advised the Ministry of Defence, NATO, and the European Commission, and previously served as Special Adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee for its inquiry into UK defence policy in the Arctic.   The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare.   Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world.  #Geopolitics #ClimateChange #Arctic #NATO #Defence #Military #HighNorth #Baltic #CriticalMinerals#EnergySecurity #China #ClimateSecurity #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy Tell us what you liked!

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About

Welcome to The International Risk Podcast — the premier destination for high-level insights into global risk dynamics. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, an accomplished senior advisor, each episode delivers expert analysis and actionable intelligence on today’s most pressing international risks. From geopolitical tensions and economic upheavals to cybersecurity threats and environmental challenges, we bring clarity to the complex risks shaping our world. Tailored for CEOs, Board Members, senior managers, and risk professionals, our weekly episodes are essential listening for those making strategic decisions in volatile environments. With distinguished guests from diverse sectors and geographies — including renowned industry experts, policymakers, and thought leaders — we provide a multidimensional perspective, equipping you with insights to stay ahead of emerging threats and capitalize on new opportunities. Our host, Dominic Bowen, is a senior business leader, and Partner at 2Secure where he is Head of Strategic Advisory and leads a team of senior management consultants and advisors. Join us for engaging, thought-provoking conversations that go beyond the headlines. Stay informed, stay ahead, and transform the way you perceive and manage international risks. The International Risk Podcast is not just a podcast; it’s is crucial listening for today's leaders.

Information

  • Creator
    Dominic Bowen
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    386
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The International Risk Podcast
  • Show Website
    The International Risk Podcast