Join our ESSEC & Mannheim EMBA - Asia Pacific Masterclass – When Titans Clash, Southeast Asia Business Geopolitics in the age of US-China Rivalry
Date: 11 February 2026, Wednesday
Venue: (In-person) ESSEC APAC campus, 5 Nepal Park, 3C10. See directions here
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00 PM
Registration will start from 6:30 PM
Southeast Asia is no longer a passive backdrop to great-power competition. It is the central arena where the defining strategic rivalry of the 21st century between the United States and China is playing out in real time. Yet behind the headlines and zero-sum narratives lies a deeper question for the region: does it see itself as a proactive architect of the emerging global order, setting the terms of innovation, trade, and security? Or will it settle for being the stage on which outside powers maneuver for influence, markets, and dominance?
Agenda
7:00 pm - Welcome remarks
7:05 - 8:00 - Masterclass on Southeast Asia Business Geopolitics in the Age of US-China Rivalry
Followed by Q&A and networking cocktails
Presented by:
Cédomir Nestorovic
Professor of Geopolitics, ESSEC APAC
Professor Cédomir Nestorovic is a leading geopolitics and Islamic business expert at ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific, renowned for helping executives decode how global power shifts directly impact business strategy across Asia and beyond. A frequent commentator in international media, he has been featured on Channel NewsAsia, Money FM 89.3, and other platforms discussing issues such as US–China rivalry, European politics, and the evolving role of ASEAN.
Professor Nestorovic will draw on decades of teaching and consulting experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to translate complex geopolitical tensions into concrete strategic choices for executives. Participants will gain practical frameworks to navigate risks, seize regional opportunities, and rethink their organisation's positioning as Southeast Asia becomes a critical arena in the ongoing great-power competition.
