Geopolitics

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The provision of geopolitical advisory services is part of Herminius’s corporate DNA. While the content of our work and the fact of our involvements are generally client confidential, in some instances our engagement is a matter of public record.

One such instance is our provision of geopolitical advisory services to the London insurance market’s Joint War risks Committee (JWC) for the Lloyd’s Market Association. Our insights and advice underpin JWC decisions on which maritime areas to list as exclusion areas – affecting risk premiums around the world. Per the account of Neil Roberts, Secretary of the JWC, who agreed to provide a reference:

“Between December 2021 and February 2022 Herminius briefed the JWC on the increasing probability of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and by mid-February briefed that the probability of invasion had reached 80%. This was at a time when many market players and their advisers continued to believe that an invasion would not take place. This allowed the JWC to take informed pre-emptive action ahead of the invasion based on Herminius’s advice.”

News reporting of this decision predated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by a week and a half.

Case Study: Geopolitics

Since 2004, Herminius has been the principal advisors to the Lloyd’s Market Association’s Joint War risks Committee (JWC). We provide regular briefings to the Committee to inform their understanding of physical, war, political, and expropriation risk worldwide and help the JWC anticipate emerging political and physical threats.

“Herminius has become a mission-critical partner for us. Not many firms possess the kind of network access they do. Even fewer have the consistently good judgement to make sense of what they hear. They are flexible, responsive, and have shaped their product to our needs. Doing ‘a Herminius’ is now a standard part of our investment diligence. They are a provider we use heavily and trust.”

The Chief Operating Officer of a leading private equity firm

“Herminius has been an outstanding partner for us. The team invests the time necessary to understand our goals and expectations, develops a comprehensive plan, and executes quickly and effectively. We are very happy to have them as a resource.”

The General Counsel of a private investment firm

“This is awesome. Very well done to you and your team. Comprehensive and authoritative, really appreciate all the work that was done in such a timely way.”

A deal captain at a leading private equity firm

“Between December 2021 and February 2022 Herminius briefed the Joint War risks Committee on the increasing probability of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and by mid-February briefed that the probability of invasion had reached 80%. This was at a time when many market players and their advisers continued to believe that an invasion would not take place. This allowed the JWC to take informed pre-emptive action ahead of the invasion based on Herminius’s advice.”

Neil Roberts, Secretary of the London Market’s Joint War risks Committee

“We have partnered with Herminius in building a process that defines the standard of how we diligence and form a view of management teams. We have chosen Herminius because of their commitment to delivering a product that is both bespoke to our needs and actionable. They are ‘what good looks like.’”

Head of Talent at a major PE firm

“Herminius enables us to test the things we think we know, surface those we don’t, and shape our actions accordingly. The team is extremely responsive, has excellent access across the markets we work in, and is careful to understand our needs. We regard them highly.”

A senior Partner and member of the Executive Committee at a prominent investment firm

“Herminius is particularly good on due diligence needs before appointing external independent directors – and has supported us on a variety of other areas, as well. The team are all very responsive, have excellent in-market local advisers and are extremely good at collaborating to reach the right outcome.”

In-house counsel at a leading listed financial services company.

“Herminius provided detailed advice to a sophisticated international lender group on key issues over a period of two years. I was impressed by their in-depth regional knowledge and access, and their ability to tailor their advice to address the key concerns of their clients. I have subsequently benefited from a number of briefings from the Herminius team on key geopolitical and policy developments affecting my practice that have allowed me to add valuable context to my advice to my own clients.”

A senior partner and co-head of practice at a major law firm

“The geopolitical insights you provided helped us shape our investment strategies for next year – and resonated positively with our customers who were eager to better understand and seek positive returns in these tumultuous political times.”

The CIO of a Swiss private bank

“Herminius supported us on a number of senior hires and provided a level of insight that is difficult to find via a more standard referencing process. Their approach to every assignment is thoughtful and considered, and the end product high quality. Their work certainly contributed to us making the right hiring decisions when it mattered most.”

The CEO of a major insurer