Strategic and political consultancy Stonehaven has appointed Paul Madden, former British Ambassador to Japan, and High Commissioner to Australia and Singapore as a Senior Adviser.
Madden will lead a new offering that supports companies to understand and navigate key trends in global trade.
Stonehaven’s trade offering will consist of a range of advisory services, including trade policy & advocacy, policy design & campaigning, ESG/sustainability analysis and political risk forecasting. The offering is part of Stonehaven’s existing policy and advocacy services.
Madden left the Foreign Office in 2021, after a distinguished diplomatic career specialising in the Indo Pacific region, where he served for over 20 years. During this period, he worked closely with business, both as an ambassador, as well as during spells as managing director at UK Trade & Investment and as a trade policy specialist at the British Embassy in Washington DC.
His appointment will strengthen Stonehaven’s work advising businesses on some of the key global trends impacting their domestic and international activities.
In a world facing growing deglobalisation pressures, Stonehaven’s in-house research shows that liberal trading countries such as the UK (where 40% of the population favour free trade globalism) are leading the way in opening market opportunities through new trade deals. This includes the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan negotiated during Madden’s time in Tokyo.
Madden said, “The push and pull of globalisation and deglobalisation is here to stay. Companies are seeking to understand how to strengthen the resilience of their global supply chains, adapt to international rules on the digital economy, analyse the impact of climate change commitments on trade and address the growing focus on security concerns about sensitive technologies.”
“Smart trade advocacy is becoming part of the CEO toolkit. This is not something businesses can ignore, and I am delighted to be joining the growing Stonehaven team, whose specialist consultants advise clients on addressing these issues.”
Stonehaven Chief Executive Peter Lyburn said, “Our approach helps businesses to understand new global challenges and to take advantage of developments. Paul’s hiring will enhance our capacity to leverage expert regional knowledge to help businesses adopt strategies that effectively tackle issues head-on, be it the international expansion of British businesses or international companies considering a strategic investment in the UK.”
Headquartered in London, Stonehaven also has an office in Australia and affiliates in Dubai. The consulting firm has been in business since 2015 and has a team of around 40 consultants and staff.
