By Alexandra Deluzurieux, consultant and speaker agent at Minds since its creation in 2015. Specialist in speaker advisory for companies.
It is a telling sign: for the first time, candidates for the French presidency debated in front of an audience of business leaders, at the Medef summer universities — three hours of exchanges on debt, pensions, taxation and competitiveness. The 2027 campaign will not play out only on television sets: it has already made its way into companies. And the pattern extends well beyond France — in an era of trade tensions, energy transitions and technological rivalry, every organisation feels the pull of the news cycle.
In our work as a speakers bureau, we measure it every week: requests for economists, geopolitical analysts and futurists have never been so numerous. This is not a quirk of the calendar; it is a deep need. Here is why these profiles will be the most sought-after speakers of the next eighteen months — and how to choose them well without turning your convention into a rally.
A campaign that begins inside companies
The consultation conducted by Medef among 65,872 business leaders gives the measure of expectation: 83% place lower taxation and charges at the top of their priorities, 81% the reindustrialisation of the country, 75% administrative simplification and reduced public spending. Heavy, technical subjects that call for decoding rather than slogans.
But the most telling figure lies elsewhere: 82% of the business leaders consulted say they are pessimistic about the effects of the next president’s economic policy on their company. That pessimism is not a political opinion; it is a symptom of uncertainty. And for an organisation, uncertainty wears people down more than difficulty itself.
What teams are asking for: decoding, not campaigning
Let us be clear on one point, because it is the first question our clients ask: bringing an economics or geopolitics specialist into a company is in no way a partisan statement. Quite the opposite. Employees are saturated with opinions — social media, news channels, coffee-machine conversations. What they lack are reading keys: understanding what is at stake, distinguishing scenarios, connecting global issues to the reality of their sector.
A good speaker on these subjects is recognisable by exactly that: they lay out facts and mechanisms, present the different hypotheses with their supporting arguments, and let everyone form their own conviction. The companies that get these moments right choose profiles known for rigour and independence, not for their camp.
Economist, geopolitical analyst, futurist: who brings what
The economist illuminates the mechanisms that directly affect the company: debt, inflation, taxation, competitiveness, the labour market. This is the ideal profile for a leadership convention or strategic offsite, where the stake is anticipating post-election scenarios. The geopolitical analyst places the company’s home market and Europe in the great global game — international trade, energy, technology, power rivalries — a framing that has become essential for any internationally exposed business.
The futurist, finally, projects beyond the electoral horizon: demographics, AI, ecological transition, the mutations of work. They are invaluable for keeping the conversation from shrinking to the next eighteen months. The formats that work best on these subjects are the most conversational ones: a fireside chat with an executive, a balanced panel, generous open Q&A — participants consistently rank interactive formats ahead of the top-down keynote.
The golden rules of a successful talk on a sensitive subject
First rule: the brief. Give the speaker the company context, internal sensitivities and the frame — decoding, never voting advice. Second rule: balance. On a divisive subject, a two-voice contradictory format, or a moderator carrying the room’s questions, protects better than a monologue. Third rule: business grounding. An hour of abstract macroeconomics tires a room; the same hour connected to the sector’s concrete stakes captivates it.
Finally, timing: these profiles will saturate as the deadline approaches. The most in-demand speakers are booked six to twelve months in advance in normal times — in a pre-election year, the calendars of the best economists and geopolitical analysts fill even faster, driven by first-quarter conventions, new-year addresses and kickoffs.
Keeping the debate of ideas alive over time
The most advanced companies do not settle for a single talk: they install a regular decoding rendezvous — quarterly, for instance — that accompanies their teams up to the deadline and beyond. This is also the spirit of Minds Leaders days: eight executives in a small group around a top-level expert, digging into these issues in confidentiality and direct exchange, far from public posturing.
And because a living debate of ideas requires teams able to take part in it, Minds Eloquence trains employees in public speaking and argumentation in groups of eight. At Minds, we have been advising companies since 2015 on nourishing their teams’ thinking with rigour and neutrality — and it is precisely in turbulent times that this role matters most.
FAQ
Why invite an economist into your company before an election year?
Because teams need reading keys on subjects that affect them directly — debt, taxation, pensions, competitiveness — and because 82% of business leaders say they are uncertain about the effects of the next economic policy. Decoding reduces uncertainty, which wears people down more than difficulty.
Is a speaker on political topics risky for a company?
No, if the frame is clear: decoding and pedagogy, never voting advice. Choose profiles known for rigour and independence, favour balanced or conversational formats, and ground the talk in the sector’s concrete stakes.
Economist or geopolitical analyst: which should you choose?
The economist for the mechanisms that affect the company day to day (taxation, debt, employment), the geopolitical analyst for the international framing (trade, energy, power rivalries), the futurist to project beyond the electoral horizon. The three combine very well over an annual cycle.
Which format works for an economic or geopolitical decoding session?
Conversational formats dominate: a fireside chat with an executive, a balanced panel, generous room for audience questions. A short talk followed by genuine exchange engages more than a 90-minute top-down keynote.
When should you book an economist or geopolitical analyst for 2027?
Now. These profiles are booked six to twelve months in advance in normal times, and demand intensifies sharply in a pre-election year, driven by first-quarter conventions, new-year addresses and kickoffs.
What do French business leaders say ahead of 2027?
The Medef consultation of 65,872 business leaders puts lower taxation first (83%), followed by reindustrialisation (81%) and administrative simplification (75%). 82% say they are pessimistic about the effects of the next economic policy.
How do you guarantee the neutrality of such an event?
Through independent speakers known for rigour, an explicit brief on the frame, balanced multi-voice formats, and a moderator carrying the room’s questions. The goal is to equip reflection, not to steer it.
How do you extend the debate of ideas beyond one talk?
By installing a regular decoding rendezvous, gathering executives in small groups around experts as with Minds Leaders, and training teams in argumentation and public speaking, for instance with Minds Eloquence.
