Andrew Staples, PhD

Dr Staples is the Founder and Principal of GeoPol Asia, a boutique advisory service operating at the intersection of geopolitics, business and strategy.

Andrew established GeoPol Asia in 2024 following a career spanning three decades in Asia with The Economist Group and as a business school professor. He has run regional businesses and published widely as an Asia specialist. Andrew excels in connecting the dots between geopolitics and economics, identifying how global shifts shape local realities, and clearly communicating what this means for businesses. He has extensive experience advising leaders of multinational firms and maintains a deep network of business leaders, investors, policy makers and academics.

Andrew was previously the Editorial Director and Head of Policy & Insights (APAC) at Economist Impact, the custom research and engagement division of The Economist Group. In this role he represented the business on the global stage and led a team of researchers, analysts and editors across Asia. He was formerly the Global Editorial Director of The Economist Corporate Network (ECN)—the Economist Intelligence Unit’s briefing and advisory service designed to help senior business leaders understand and navigate complex business environments. Prior to his move to Singapore in 2016 Andrew was the ECN director, North Asia, covering Japan and South Korea from Tokyo.

Dr Staples is a seasoned public speaker who brings clarity on complex issues in today’s rapidly changing world. He is highly experienced in briefing senior executives, delivering keynote presentations and chairing closed-door roundtables. Combining subject matter expertise with world-class professionalism, he is also much in demand as a moderator appearing at major business conferences and corporate events around the world. He also regularly appears in the international business media (BBC, CNN, CNBC, and Channel News Asia).

Andrew has a PhD in International Political Economy and an MSc in East Asian Business, both from the University of Sheffield, U.K. Before joining The Economist Group, Andrew pursued an academic career holding both tenured and adjunct posts at leading universities and business schools in Japan and the UK. He has published widely and major publications include Responses to Regionalism in East Asia: Japanese Production Networks in the Automotive Sector published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan Asian Business Series and popular textbooks including Asian Business and Management. Andrew was also previously a Senior Editor for the internationally peer reviewed journal Asian Business and Management.

Dividing his time between Singapore and Japan, he is the Singapore CEO Forum chair for IMA Asia, an Associate Fellow (Geo-economics and strategy) at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and a Senior Advisor at Vriens & Partners. He also serves on the advisory board of the Hinrich Foundation.