Jim Yarbrough | Source | Global Intelligence Program Manager at BSI

COVID has pushed all of these concerns up to the front of everybody’s mind, and it’s very boardroom-relevant now,” said Jim Yarbrough, a global intelligence program manager at BSI Group, who consult with businesses on reducing supply-chain risks. “The supply chain must be secure and resilient, and we need alternate suppliers; we need alternate routes.

The value on the black market of commodities changes just like they do above board,” says Jim Yarbrough, who leads a team at the British Standards Institution that monitors supply chain risks, including terrorism. “That’s going to drive criminal activity just like all other forms of supply and demand.

We're seeing key shifts to global supply chains this year, driven by quite dramatic changes in the geopolitical landscape. The concern is that as supply chains change – with Chinese companies moving operations to Africa, for example, or the US sourcing goods from other Southeast Asian nations – major implications will also evolve.