Navigating Our World

As the global order is reshaped by conflict, AI and economic fragmentation, where should investors be looking?    In this episode, Sir Robin Niblett and Brown Advisory's Kif Hancock explore the forces redefining geopolitics and markets—from war in Ukraine and the Middle East to China's evolving role and the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence. They discuss why uncertainty has become the d...

The race for AI supremacy is dramatically increasing electricity consumption, as hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, invest heavily in expanding data center capacity—straining an already outdated U.S. energy grid. In this episode, recorded live at our NOW conference in Austin, Brown Advisory's Katherine Kroll sat down with three experts—Dr. Brian Spears, Dr. Michael Webber and Alex...

In a world fraught with geopolitical risks, the U.S. military is in a race to adapt its technology to the speed of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and increasing autonomy. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in Austin, Brown Advisory's Brett Gibson sat down with The Honorable Christine Fox and Dr. Casey Perley—ideal guides to explore defense tech innovation and the...

In the wake of the U.S. election, Emily Harding, Robin Niblett and James Harding kicked off the NOW conference in Austin by examining the geopolitical risks, alliances and power dynamics that could drive the global order. It was a provocative discussion, reflecting the precarious state of our world. As you'll hear, Emily and Robin offer some unsettling—and quite illuminating—insights. -- The views...

Marc Andreessen is one of the most influential Silicon Valley founders and investors, so when he talks about the future of tech, we want to pay attention. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in June 2024, Brown Advisory's Elise Liberto sat down with Marc to explore: why he's a techno-optimist, innovation in the age of AI, the state of venture capital, and lots more.   -- The...

As investors, we are keenly interested in what it takes to create and sustain cultures of excellence. In this conversation, recorded live at our NOW conference in San Francisco in June, Brown Advisory's Karina Funk sat down with Kim Budil, Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. For Dr. Budil, stewarding a culture designed for transformational technical breakthroughs--such as fusio...

As long-term investors and stewards of our clients’ capital, we seek to uncover and reflect on all kinds of quantitative and qualitative information to optimize our investment decisions. For this special Climate Week episode, Brown Advisory’s Karina Funk sits down with Dr. Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian. They discuss the power of information and collabora...

Two seismic forces that are shaping our world--deglobalization and digitization--are colliding over a single inflection point: semiconductor chips. Chips are the building blocks of the global economy, an irreplaceable enabler of tens of trillions of dollars of annual economic activity. Geopolitically, the stakes could not be higher.    In this conversation, recorded at the NOW Conference in June 2...

Global world order is shifting. The last four decades have seen a marked rise in the economic power of China and a simultaneous weakening in the stability of liberal democracies the world over. The outlook for the 2020s appears rife with uncertainty.   We kicked off our NOW conference in San Francisco with two China experts in conversation about the changing geopolitical landscape and the future o...

Global world order is shifting. The last four decades have seen a marked rise in the economic power of China, and a simultaneous weakening in the stability of liberal democracies the world over.    As investors, how should we be thinking about the geopolitical outlook—and what might be on the horizon?    In the lead-up to Brown Advisory's "Navigating Our World" conference in San Francisco, Meredit...

According to the IEA, one in 10 people around the world lacks access to reliable energy. A third of the world’s population lacks access to clean cooking fuels—a major health risk. At some point, renewable energy sources may fill these gaps—but until then, Steve Riney, President and CFO of Apache, argues that we need more of every form of energy to connect people to the global economy. In this epis...

Lithium is the lightest metal, so soft that you can cut it with a knife. Its structure gives it the ability to store large amounts of energy, making it ideal for manufacturing batteries. As the world moves to create a lower-carbon economy, it is not an overstatement to say that the future of energy may hinge on lithium. To learn more about lithium, how it is produced, and its role in electrificati...

Nuclear power has had a controversial history. Today, however, it is often considered an essential energy source for a lower-carbon future. In a continuation of our NOW series on the future of energy, Erika Pagel sits down with Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, the leading operator of nuclear power plants in the US. Joe and Erika discuss progress in shifting to a lower-carbon economy, where nuc...

As investors, we know that we must consider the complexity of today’s energy ecosystem.  As we think about driving toward a stable, lower carbon global economy, we want to understand different opportunities and perspectives across the energy landscape. In this episode we are diving into renewables, and specifically into solar power. Brown Advisory's Erika Pagel sits down with Raghu Belur, the Co-f...

We are launching the first episode in our multi-part NOW podcast series on the future of energy. In this first episode, Brown Advisory’s Erika Pagel sits down with Dr. Atul Arya, the Chief Energy Strategist of S&P Global. They cover the impact of the war in Ukraine, the role of traditional energy companies, and the promise of technology and innovation. --- The views expressed are those of the...

Artificial intelligence appears poised to disrupt industries, improve customer outcomes, and enhance lives, and solutions based on AI are projected to contribute as much as $15 trillion to the global economy in 2030 —more than the current output of China and India combined. The problem-solving potential of AI is seemingly limitless, and it may well change the way we work, travel, power our cities,...

Fortune recently ranked Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal, near the top of its annual World’s Greatest Leaders list, and as long-term shareholders of PayPal, we agree with their assessment. We have watched Dan lead PayPal’s ongoing growth into a digital platform responsible for more than $1 trillion in payments globally last year. In addition, he has been steadfast and outspoken about the role of busine...

Nature-based factors and challenges have a real impact on our economies, lives and investments. Brown Advisory's Karina Funk sits down with Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, for a special Climate Week episode. They discuss the critical need to invest in biodiversity; in the irrecoverable carbon in mangroves, tropical forests and peat lands; and in the indigenous communities that...

Blockchain technology offers the promise of a new era of secure, decentralized transfer of value on the internet—a future less reliant on trusted intermediaries and gatekeepers. Some have described blockchain as Web 3.0, unlocking the true vision of what the internet was meant to be, where users of applications are also the owners. Despite their recent—and signature—volatility, digital assets have...

In this episode, Brown Advisory’s Meredith Shuey Etherington, a San Francisco-based portfolio manager, speaks with Fred Blackwell , CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, and Craig Young , Managing Principal of Tidewater Capital, to examine whether the Bay Area and San Francisco can retain and even enhance their identity as the home of the innovation economy.  San Francisco has been a paradox for de...

Microbusinesses are becoming a way of life for more and more people; these very small businesses are often sole proprietorships or have just a few employees, yet can provide meaningful household income for millions of people. Digital platforms make many of these businesses possible, and companies like Etsy and GoDaddy have been an essential backbone for microbusinesses, especially during the pande...

Solving world hunger—or “food insecurity”—is really hard. The solutions are not particularly sexy, and they require a very long-term outlook. We wanted to learn more about the problem and the innovators who are working to solve it. In part 1 of this conversation, Brown Advisory's Emily High Daniels sat down with two leaders at opposite ends of the impact spectrum. Barron Segar, President and CEO o...

Featuring Barron Segar, USA CEO of Nobel Peace Prizewinner World Food Program, and Mira Mehta, Founder/CEO, Tomato Jos Solving world hunger—or “food insecurity”—is really hard. The solutions are not particularly sexy, and they require a very long-term outlook. We wanted to learn more about the problem and those who are trying to solve it.   In part 1 of this conversation, Brown Advisory's Emily Hi...

In our latest episode, Dr. Daniel Yergin —a leading global authority on energy, economics and geopolitics, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author—sits down with Brown Advisory’s Jane Korhonen to discuss the future of energy, and how that future may shape innovation, international relations and the economy in the years ahead. The stakes are high: Climate change is creating an urgent need for a lower-car...

Thinking that you have to trade off financial performance and sustainability is a “false dichotomy” and a “ridiculous mindset,” according to Alan Jope , CEO of Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods companies on the planet. Jope wants Unilever to be famous for three things: creating an envied portfolio of purpose-driven brands, proving the link between sustainable business and better financia...