Module 1 – Foundations Objective: To establish the conceptual and analytical foundations for understanding how geopolitical and regulatory dimensions influence business strategy and risk management. WEEK 1 Lecture 1 – Introduction to the Course Lecturers: Beniamino Irdi and Andrea Pane Objective: Presentation of the course structure and strategic relevance of geopolitical and regulatory affairs in global business. Summary: This joint lecture will introduce the goals, methods, and structure of the course. It will set the stage for understanding why businesses must integrate geopolitical risk and regulatory intelligence into their decision-making processes. Lecture 2 – Strategic Risk in the Age of Geopolitical Complexity Lecturer: Beniamino Irdi Objective: This lecture will provide students with the essential analytical tools to interpret global geopolitical dynamics and understand how they translate into strategic risks for businesses. Summary: This session will outline the key shifts in international relations— with a focus on hybrid threats —and will explore how these impact business environments. Drawing on practical and institutional experience, the lecture will explain how companies can map geopolitical risks and build resilience in a turbulent world.

WEEK 2 Lecture 3 – Regulatory Intelligence and the Regulatory Ecosystem Lecturer: Andrea Pane Objective: Introduce the EU and national framework within which regulatory intelligence operates. Summary: The session will clarify what regulatory intelligence means in practice, explains how EU and national political discussions influence the regulatory environment providing also a basic analysis of the Draghi and Letta reports. Module 2 – Tools and Methods for Strategic Risk Assessment Objective: Provide students with practical tools to interpret, assess, and anticipate geopolitical and regulatory risks. This module introduces risk types, intelligence analysis, and the foundations of country risk and institutional exposure, offering a first operational framework. Lecture 4 – Strategic Intelligence and Risk Types Lecturer: Top expert in strategic intelligence, risk analysis, and security studies Objective: Introduce students to intelligence and its application to risk anticipation and corporate decision-making. Summary: Drawing from his experience in national security and intelligence services, the lecturer will outline how companies can integrate strategic intelligence into their risk management. The lecture will explore the difference between strategic and tactical risks, the role of public intelligence in shaping private foresight, and how different typologies of geopolitical risk (chronic instability, black swans, shifting alliances) may impact business operations and long-term planning.

WEEK 3 Lecture 5 – European Law Lecturer: Highly qualified expert in European law Objective: Understand how legal and regulatory developments in the EU context can be used strategically by businesses. Summary: The lecturer will provide the basic tools for understanding the legislative processes in Europe. The lecture will lay the groundwork for understanding how regulation becomes a key business variable in complex systems. Through concrete examples, it will be showed how anticipating legal shifts and leveraging regulatory intelligence can offer firms a competitive edge and reduce exposure to institutional volatility. Lecture 6 – Business and Political Risk in Emerging Markets Lecturer: Senior Italian Diplomat Objective: Understand how to navigate political and institutional risk abroad. Summary: The lecturer will focus on economic diplomacy as a strategic asset. Students will explore how embassies, trade attachés, and multilateral instruments support companies abroad, and how institutional environments influence due diligence, partnership selection, and long-term market presence.

Module 3 – Strategic Foresight and Crisis Scenarios Objective: To develop the analytical capacity to anticipate global disruptions and explore how companies can build forward-looking strategies. WEEK 4 Lecture 7 – Trade Policy, Tariffs and Global Value Chains Lecturer: A leading expert in international arbitration, cross-border litigation, and comparative private law. Objective: Understand how global trade dynamics and protectionist measures affect business strategy and supply chain resilience. Summary: This session will explore the intersection between trade policy and corporate exposure, with a focus on U.S. protectionism, tariffs, and global value chains. The lecturer will explain how firms can assess trade risks, respond to regulatory frictions, and navigate shifting geopolitical alignments across export and import routes. Lecture 8 – Supply Chain Security and Compliance Lecturer: A highly qualified expert in EU Sanctions and antitrust Objective: Understanding Understanding EU sanctions purpose, scope an impact how sanctions, compliance, and regulatory frameworks shape the security and adaptability of international supply chains. Summary: This lecture will provide the basic tools to understand how EU sanctions work and explore best practices in compliance for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions. During the session case studies involving international sanctions, enforcement risks, and legal design for robust supply chains will be discussed, especially in sectors exposed to high regulatory pressure.

WEEK 5 Lecture 9 – Strategic Resilience and Global Security: A NATO Perspective Lecturer: A highly qualified NATO official Objective: Understand the role and methods of policy planning within international organizations and its relevance for business and institutional decision-making. Summary: This lecture will explore the practice of policy planning in multilateral security institutions, with a focus on NATO. The speaker will guide students through the tools and processes used to anticipate long-term trends, align policy priorities, and build resilient strategies under uncertainty. Special attention will be given to the interplay between strategic foresight, political context, and alliance dynamics. Lecture 10 – Hybrid Threats, Information Warfare and Strategic Screening Lecturer: A leading expert in national security and disinformation Objective: Explore how disinformation, media interference, and foreign acquisitions impact corporate security, public perception, and national interest. Summary: This lecture will investigate hybrid threats and their implications for the private sector, including disinformation campaigns, perception manipulation, and the use of media ecosystems for strategic influence. The lecturer will delve into foreign investments in sensitive sectors, the EU and Italian screening mechanisms, and the application of Golden Power as a tool of economic security. The session will also highlight the intersection between national sovereignty, technological dependence, and regulatory defense frameworks.

WEEK 6 Lecture 11-Anticipating Regulation: How to Align Business Strategy with Political Cycles Lecturer: Andrea Pane Objective: Teach students how to anticipate regulatory trends and synchronize corporate positioning with political and legislative cycles. Summary: This lecture will focus on the art of timing in public affairs: when and how businesses should act to influence or adapt to forthcoming regulations. During the session, the lecturer will explain how political mandates, electoral calendars, and institutional rhythms impact regulatory momentum. The session will introduce practical tools for regulatory mapping, legislative tracking, and strategic engagement planning, showing how firms can align their strategy with policy windows and institutional shifts. Module 4 – Strategic Areas and Regional Focus Objective: Analyze key geopolitical quadrants and their implications for business, combining regional expertise with regulatory and political risk perspectives. This module helps students understand how regional dynamics—whether in China, the Middle East, or the EU—shape strategic exposure and business adaptation. Lecture 12 – EU–China Relations and Economic Security Lecturer: A leading expert in economic security, EU-China relations, and geoeconomics Objective: Examine the strategic implications of the EU–China relationship and its impact on supply chains, investment, and regulation. Summary: This lecture will explore the logic of European de-risking, the tools of economic security (screening mechanisms, anti-coercion measures), and the strategic consequences of China's rise. The lecturer will discuss how firms can adapt to increasing scrutiny over Chinese investments, navigate restrictions like the EU Chips Act, and understand broader decoupling dynamics.

WEEK 7 Lecture 13 – Strategic Priorities in the Middle East: a Geopolitical Focus Lecturer: A senior expert in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dynamics Objective: Understand the Middle East as a strategic quadrant for businesses, balancing political instability with regional opportunity. Summary: The lecturer will analyze how the business environment in the Middle East is shaped by geopolitical rivalries, security challenges, and diplomatic shifts. Topics include Gulf economic diversification, regional tensions (e.g. Iran-Saudi, Israel-Gaza, Israel-Iran), and the role of global actors. A focus will be placed on how companies can engage with this high-risk, high-reward region. Lecture 14 – Europe’s Strategic Autonomy and Internal Fragmentation Lecturer: A distinguished expert in EU and strategic autonomy Objective: Analyze the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy and the internal challenges that limit its global effectiveness. Summary: This lecture will investigate the evolution of the EU’s strategic autonomy agenda in fields such as defense, industrial policy, and technological sovereignty. It will explore how divergent national interests, institutional complexity, and external dependencies constrain the EU’s (geo)political agency. The session will connect these dynamics to concrete business implications, including fragmented regulatory environments, policy unpredictability, and differentiated exposure across member states.

Module 5 – Corporate Strategies and Sectoral Case Studies Objective: To explore how companies from different sectors manage geopolitical and regulatory risks, using concrete case studies and direct testimonies. This module provides operational insights from key industries such as defense, finance, pharma, and tech. WEEK 8 Lecture 15 – Corporate Security and Threat Assessment in International Operations Lecturer: A highly qualified corporate security and threat assessment expert from a strategic multinational company Objective: Analyze how a company structures its security model to operate in geopolitically unstable or high-risk environments. Summary: This session will explore how multinational corporations conduct threat assessments to identify, evaluate, and mitigate security risks across physical, digital, and reputational dimensions. The lecturer will illustrate how companies organize their corporate security functions abroad, including interactions with local partners, diplomatic authorities, and logistics operators. Lecture 16 – Public Affairs and Banking Strategy Lecturer: A senior expert in institutional relations within the financial sectors Objective: Explore the interaction between institutional relations, regulatory frameworks, and strategic planning in the financial sector. Summary: The expert will explain the key regulatory files under discussions, how they can impact the financial sector and how financial institutions navigate regulatory fragmentation across jurisdictions.

WEEK 9 Lecture 17 – Industrial Strategy and Maritime Infrastructure Lecturer: A leading expert in Corporate Security, Risk Management, Integrity Due Diligence Objective: Examine the geopolitical exposure of the shipbuilding and maritime sectors. Summary: The expert will focus on how a leading industrial player approaches export controls, foreign competition, and critical maritime routes. Attention will be given to public-private cooperation in national industrial strategies, dual-use technologies, and the company’s response to international security tensions. Lecture 18 – How to track geopolitical exposure in an effective way with a focus on the Pharma sector Lecturer: A highly qualified expert in corporate finance, evaluation, and strategic advisory Objective: Analyze how the life sciences sector can assess the impact of regulatory, political, and logistical risks. Summary: This lecture will focus on how pharmaceutical multinationals could – through financial modeling – measure the challenges of geopolitical factors in order to address supply chain threats impacts to their global value chains, etc.

WEEK 10 Lecture 19 – ESG – challenges and opportunities Lecturer: A distinguished expert in ESG Objective: Understand the European Green Deal, how to balance the challenges for the companies with the benefits for the society. Summary: The lecture will explore the European Green Deal, the evolution of how it has been perceived as well as the challenges for the companies with more than 140 legislative acts to be implemented in the next few years as well as how companies anticipate and adapt to the normative surge. Lecture 20 – Intellectual Property and Cybersecurity Lecturer: A leading expert in cybersecurity and strategic risk management Objective: Explore how the protection of intangible assets intersects with national security, digital regulation, and strategic competition. Summary: The lecture will focus on the risks surrounding IP theft, tech transfer, and cyber threats, with a focus on sensitive sectors like biotech, AI, and critical infrastructure. Attention will be also given to the intersections between geopolitics and cybersecurity.

WEEK 11 Lecture 21 – Corporate and Financial Intelligence Lecturer: A leading expert in financial markets and investment fund management Objective: To equip students with the tools to conduct advanced financial investigations and critically evaluate corporate governance and financial integrity. Summary: This lecture will focus on corporate intelligence with a particular emphasis on advanced investigative due diligence techniques, including forensic analysis of corporate financial statements. The objective is to provide both practical and theoretical skills to critically assess corporate governance, identify early warning signs of accounting irregularities, and understand their implications. Lecture 22 – European Digital Strategy Lecturer: A senior expert in Digital Strategy Objective: Analyze the strategic, regulatory, implications of the EU’s Digital Market Strategy. Summary: The lecture will explore the Digital Market Strategy and its evolution with a particular focus on the AI Act and the challenges and opportunities it brings to European corporations .

WEEK 12 Lecture 23 – Brand Strategy and Political Identity Lecturer: A top expert in political communication and strategic advisory Objective: Explore how corporate identity intersects with national narratives, reputation risks, and political alignment. Summary: This lecture will illustrate how multinationals manage political exposure through branding and narrative construction. From ESG communication to crisis response, the session will highlight how reputation, soft power, and symbolic capital operate in geopolitical environments. Lecture 24 – The Geopolitics of Mergers and Acquisitions Lecturer: A senior expert in Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Cross-Border Transactions Objective: Explore the legal and financial dimensions and how companies can position themselves when considering Mergers and Acquisitions. Summary: This lecture will delve into the key legal challenges, international regulatory frameworks, and investment strategies that shape the industry. With a focus on strategic finance and cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions, the session will provide an applied understanding of how businesses can seize opportunities in this evolving domain while managing geopolitical and legal complexities.