Sanctions, Sovereignty and The New Geopolitical Order

Expert contributions by Dr Hannes Meissner and Dr Johannes Leitner at the Economic Council at Moody's, Frankfurt/Main

The high-profile network International Circle of the Economic Council of Hessen (Wirtschaftsrat Hessen) is a meeting place for entrepreneurs, politicians and experts to discuss the hottest topics relevant for businesses. In October 2025, the event ‘Pressure Points: Sanctions, Sovereignty and the New Geopolitical Order’ brought together experts and practitioners to discuss the role sanctions play in shaping sovereignty, power and the emerging global order.

In his keynote speech, Managing Partner Dr Hannes Meissner spoke about the new geopolitical realities and sanctions as a foreign policy instrument that dominates global business relations. To meet new minimum standards of trade compliance, companies must evolve their traditional export control systems into an integrated and centralized trade compliance management system. Investigation software programs and comprehensive, in-depth analysis by experts are indispensable today.

The practical workshop entitled ‘Sanctions in the shadows: Mastering geopolitical risks and increasing sanction complexity’, led by Dr Johannes Leitner, Managing Partner, LM Political Risk and Strategy Advisory, and Hera Smith, Director and Practice Lead for Financial Crime Compliance at Moody's, focused on identifying key risk areas, analyzing current developments and sharing experiences on strategies for dealing with uncertainty.

The presentation slides can be found at this link.

Hera Smith (Moody´s) and Dr. Johannes Leitner (LM PRISK)