Be It Resolved: Competition built today, but collaboration is the way forward.

In a more fragmented and unpredictable global environment, boards are increasingly being challenged to rethink how they balance competition, resilience, and long-term strategy. Longstanding assumptions around trade, market access, and growth are shifting, requiring organizations to adapt to a more complex geopolitical and economic landscape.

In the latest episode of Be It Resolved, Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, speaks with Stephen de Boer, Member of the Strategic Advisory Board of Wellington Partners and former Canadian Ambassador to the World Trade Organization and Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister.

The discussion explores how boards can move beyond traditional approaches to competition and consider collaboration as a strategic capability. Drawing on examples from ASEAN economies and global trade negotiations, Stephen de Boer reflects on the importance of diversification, long-term thinking, and relationship-building in an increasingly interconnected world.

The conversation also examines the implications for boards and governance. From navigating geopolitical disruption to evaluating new markets and balancing short-term performance pressures with long-term resilience, directors are being asked to broaden the perspectives and expertise represented around the board table.

A key theme throughout the episode is that collaboration is not passive or simplistic. It requires sustained dialogue, adaptability, compromise, and strategic discipline. In this context, effective governance increasingly depends not only on oversight but on the ability to anticipate change and respond with agility.

Listen to the episode: Be It Resolved: Competition built today, but collaboration is the way forward.