Harry Broadman

Where Is the Growth in the World Economy?

The recent global financial crisis and the ongoing softness in much of the advanced countries—the EU, Japan and the U.S.—have shaken businesses’, investors’ and policymakers’ perceptions and confidence of a return to historic levels of stable growth. The fact that many emerging markets have been growing at annual rates two to three times those of the industrialized economies over the past two decades appears to confirm that the world marketplace is actually undergoing a structural transformation. What are the fundamental sources of these phenomena? Is this a one-time change, owning to a longer than normal business cycle that has yet to run its full course, or is it part of a long-term secular change? What new risks and opportunities are presented? Harry Broadman’s on-the-ground insights about the genesis and implications of these shifts—and his surprising bullish view—will alter how audiences think about the future of the U.S. and the world economies and will shape the decisions they make.

Why the Sudden Interest in Doing Business in Africa?

Over the past several years, interest in Africa as a destination for investment has been growing at a startling clip. A few niche private equity firms were the first to make serious inroads into the continent more than a decade ago. Now, a growing number of multinational corporations and the largest private equity firms, as well as a variety of other institutional investors, have “discovered” Africa. Still, too few business leaders and policymakers in the U.S., the EU and other advanced countries are aware that for the past two decades, much of sub-Saharan Africa has been enjoying a relatively uninterrupted period of robust growth, where, on average, there’s been an annual increase in gross domestic product (GDP) of more than five percent over those 20 years. Moreover, while most investors, economists and policymakers forecast that Africa would suffer the greatest economic damage from the recent global financial crisis, the exact opposite was the case: pound for pound, the continent proved to be the most resilient region of the world economy. What’s behind the excitement over Africa? Is it a real opportunity or just the investment du jour? How are investors coping with the risks? And how do those risks compare with other regions of the world? Given the vast size, the large number and the heterogeneity of the countries on the continent, how do businesses and investors determine which ones are the standouts and which ones to avoid? Having spent time in more than half of the number of African states, Harry Broadman speaks authoritatively about the prospects for Africa’s long-term growth, the use of innovative approaches for mitigating risks, and how to assess and capitalize on new market opportunities on the continent. Broadman reveals pivotal developments and trends taking place in a number of African countries that disrupt long-held views about doing business in the region.

Is China Really Destined To Be an Economic Powerhouse?

The conventional wisdom on Wall Street, inside the Capital Beltway, in the union hall and throughout the shopping mall is that it is inevitable that China will soon dominate the global economy. While at present, doubts are voiced due to the current slowdown in China’s output and the bubble in its real-estate sector, at the fundamental level those concerns are widely seen as temporary speed bumps in China’s inexorable march to be the world’s economic captain. A deeper understanding of the underlying structure and functioning of Chinese banks and enterprises, the framework governing policymaking in Beijing, the arc of the Communist Party’s stronghold over the economy, and the nexus of environmental, health and social challenges affords a different perspective. What are China’s real economic and policy risks? What role does the absence of democracy in the country play in China’s economic fortunes? How much has the Chinese economy in fact changed since the advent of reform in 1978? Where are there opportunities for China’s long-term growth? Harry Broadman, who has worked throughout China at the field level since 1993, will excite audiences with this fresh perspective on the trajectory of China’s economic destiny.

Managing Overseas Corruption Risks

Corruption is one of the most pervasive and pernicious risks facing corporations, banks, private equity funds and other investors in the international marketplace. Not only can corruption add sizeable costs to the bottom line and damage reputations and brand images for many years, it can also result in very serious criminal penalties, including imprisonment and very large fines. Despite the fact that an increasing number of governments have been either strengthening existing sanctions against corruption or establishing wholly new anti-corruption regimes, rarely, it seems, does a month go by without the appearance of a news headline about a firm being charged with involvement in corrupt activities. At the same time, businesses often complain about the fact that because their rivals are not being held to the same corruption standards, unfair competitive advantages are being created, or that anti-corruption authorities don’t understand that for some cultures, certain business practices are not deemed as corruption but as traditional ways to carry out commerce. Drawing on his considerable experience counseling businesses on structuring corruption de-risking strategies as well as advising governments on the design and execution of anti-corruption reform programs, Harry Broadman shares his insights on the “dos and don’ts” and best practice approaches to mitigating the risk of corruption in foreign markets. What are the various laws, regulations and enforcement institutions both at home and in key markets abroad most pertinent to corruption issues? What are the most effective strategies for combatting incipient corruption? What options are available to deal with competitors who are seemingly immune to corruption sanctions? How should a business’s compliance practices be designed and implemented? How can individuals or entities who are likely to present corruption vulnerabilities be systematically identified through due diligence at the very outset? What are the most effective responses to the discovery of corrupt activities? Which remedial steps are likely to have the largest payoffs? Broadman offers a window on the trends in the incidence of and responses to corruption in key foreign markets, e.g., China and Russia, and giving audiences the means to operate safely and successfully in the international arena.

Understanding U.S. Trade Policy: Past, Present and Future

To most Americans, negotiating and implementing international trade policy agreements is an enigma, which often breeds suspicion if not contempt for the process. Much is at stake for millions of U.S. businesses, workers and consumers. Demystifying the policymaking process, the institutions, the politics and the interrelationships among the stakeholders, both within the U.S. and our trading partners abroad, is essential to gain a better understanding of what are the benefits as well as the costs of various trade initiatives—past, present and prospective. With the overwhelming majority of the world’s customers located outside the U.S.—if not outside most advanced countries—trade is hardly only important to large businesses: small and medium-sized companies need to develop a strong understanding of international trade rules and opportunities in order to succeed in a global marketplace. How is trade policy actually developed in the U.S.? Who are the key parties that influence how those decisions are crafted? How likely will a change in presidential administration engender a shift in the stance of U.S. trade policy in such a way that there could be profound impacts on companies, workers and consumers—not just in the U.S. but also throughout the world? What are the indicators to look for when trying to determine which direction trade policy is headed—particularly with a change of administrations in 2017? A former senior-level trade negotiator in both the Bush (41) and Clinton White Houses, as well as a drafter of key trade legislation while a senior staff member in the Senate, Harry Broadman shares a ringside seat overview of the decision-making process in Washington behind recent trade policy initiatives, including the negotiation of NAFTA and the WTO. He also highlights the trade challenges of the future, with respect to China and other major trading powers, and offers his insights on effective ways to take advantage (and avoid the pitfalls) of trade agreements as businesses operate abroad.

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Harry Broadman spoke at our bi-annual US Cotton Summit to a very diverse global audience of over 400 people from 30 countries and wowed them with his impressive knowledge of the world and his insights about how history is shaping so many of the current issues we face. We had very positive reviews in our follow up survey and I would heartily recommend Harry as a speaker.

- | Bruce Atherley, Executive Director, Cotton Council International

Harry Broadman was asked to speak spontaneously and interactively with another expert on the “Challenges of China Today and Tomorrow”. Harry’s expertise, sense of the audience and demeanor allowed for a level of enhanced enlightenment beyond our expectations.

- | Earl Wright, Chairman, AMG Bank

Dr. Broadman's trenchant, actionable and compelling insights were most beneficial to our organization. The feedback from our guests was overwhelmingly positive

- | Lee Roberts, Managing Partner, Sentinel Risk Advisors and Share-Vu Capital

Harry's keynote speech at the Institute for Private Investors' Spring Forum in New York was confident-inspiring, insightful, and extremely well-received by our members.

- | Mindy Rosenthal, President, Institute for Private Investors