Contract Negotiations in Western Africa: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Imagine a high-tech environment which is a hive of creativity and collaboration, where people think in terms of platforms and ecosystems, and are asked to provide a rapid response in pursuit of a goal. While a start-up setting in a tech hub will likely come to mind, such a setting is typical of a more traditional (yet advanced) organization – the military.

The global insurance industry is in the process of dramatic transformation. Whereas reinsurance has historically been highly globalized, life and nonlife insurance have traditionally been confined to national markets by legal, tax and regulatory regimes.

In May 2010, a year after becoming President and Managing Director for Southern Europe at Discovery Inc., Marinella Soldi faces a make-or-break meeting with Discovery’s global Executive Committee. Her region is about to lose half of its revenues in a contract renegotiation with Sky Italia.