Strategic advisory for leaders navigating politically sensitive, cross‑border and institutionally complex environments.
Clarity, judgement and execution in high‑stakes environments
Led by Charles Lartey based in London - often found in the field
What I Do
I work with leaders navigating complex political‑economic environments, where commercial ambition, institutional incentives and cross‑border dynamics intersect. My work is discreet, senior‑level and designed for organisations that value clarity, judgement and alignment.
Cross-border Strategy & International Expansion
Senior guidance for organisations expanding, investing or repositioning across markets.
incuding end‑to‑end investor support from early market understanding and regulatory clarity through to site selection, ecosystem engagement and operational landing.I help clients interpret unfamiliar political‑economic systems, align strategy with institutional realities, and sharpen the narrative that carries their ambition into senior rooms. This includes preparing leaders for high‑stakes engagements, coordinating multi‑stakeholder pathways, and ensuring their positioning resonates across borders.
Government Engagement & Regulatory Navigation
When operating near policy, regulation or public‑sector stakeholders.
I translate political signals, regulatory incentives and institutional behaviour into practical strategy. Clients use this to engage with credibility, understand unwritten rules, and build alignment with government‑adjacent actors across the UK, the Americas and Sub‑Saharan Africa.
Stakeholder Engagement & Orchestration
Designing and managing the relationships that matter — investors, governments, corporates and ecosystem actors.
Cross‑border work requires coordinated relationships; investors, governments, corporates, ecosystem actors. I help clients design and manage these relationships, build momentum, and create the conditions for decisions to move.
Markets, Investors & Investment Promotion Intelligence
Turning "where should we focus, and with whom" into a defensible, evidence‑based answer.Structured targeting, scoring and prioritisation of markets, sectors, organisations or investors, so effort goes where it is most likely to convert, and the rationale holds up when challenged. Useful for investment promotion agencies, economic zones, and companies choosing where to deploy time and capital
Execution Support - Interim & Project Based Leadership
Stepping in as the person, not just the advisor, when the gap needs authority as well as insight.I stay involved beyond the strategy — joining meetings, making introductions, or stepping in as interim or project‑based leadership where a decision needs an owner, not just an adviso
Most engagements draw on two or three of these at once. They're not fixed packages, they're the clearest way to answer "what would I actually be paying for."
Geographies I Serve
United Kingdom
The UK is home and the centre of gravity for much of my advisory work. I help organisations navigate the UK’s political, regulatory and institutional landscape — translating signals into strategic clarity, aligning clients with the right pathways, and shaping narratives that carry their ambitions into senior rooms.
This often includes market entry, government engagement and regulatory navigation for international companies entering or expanding in the UK
The Americas
Across the Americas, my work has focused on how political, institutional and commercial incentives interact across a complex hemisphere. From Brazil and Mexico to Colombia, the Caribbean and the United States, I’ve helped leaders interpret shifting priorities, regulatory dynamics and on‑the‑ground realities.
Today I support organisations entering or operating in the UK, and advise on cross‑border investment, internationalisation, and emerging South - South trade corridors as Latin America deepens its engagement with Africa and the wider Global South.
Sub-Sahara Africa
My work across Sub‑Saharan Africa centres on the political‑economic systems shaping investment, institutional behaviour and emerging South–South corridors. Grounded in my Ghanaian heritage and ongoing advisory work with government teams and Africa‑focused founders, I help organisations interpret institutional signals, align with ecosystem actors and position themselves within Africa’s evolving investment narrative.
This includes investment facilitation, trade corridor development, and advisory support for organisations building new LATAM–Africa pathways.
How I Work
Senior level engagement — no delegation, no junior layers
Low volume, high trust model — selective, discreet, relationship driven
Clarity and narrative discipline — every engagement produces assets that travel
Cross border fluency — commercial, political, and ecosystem lenses combined
Outcome oriented — strategy that moves people, not just documents
Evidence-led, not just relationship-led — targeting, prioritisation and narrative are built on structured analysis, not just who I know.
Selected Work
Cross‑border strategy and government‑adjacent advisory — guiding companies from early market understanding and regulatory clarity through to site selection, ecosystem engagement and operational landing.
Government‑adjacent advisory — supporting leaders navigating political‑economic context, institutional incentives and stakeholder pathways.
Mission‑driven trade and economic‑development initiatives — Advising on Freeports, SEZs and ecosystem‑building initiatives, including value‑proposition design and international engagement.
Narrative and collateral development for international positioning — Sharpening the story leaders tell to governments, investors and global partners.
Stakeholder orchestration across public and private actors — Building momentum across governments, corporates, investors and ecosystem actors.
Insight and IP creation for South–South trade and emerging‑market platforms — Developing strategic intelligence and frameworks for Africa–LATAM cooperation
Case studies available on request
About Lartey Global Advisory
Lartey Global Advisory exists for leaders operating in environments where political dynamics, institutional incentives and commercial decisions collide. Over two decades working in and alongside UK government — including senior roles with the UK Department for Business and Trade, EY, and PA Consulting — I’ve advised start‑ups, SMEs and multinationals across a wide range of sectors and geographies, developing a systems‑level view of how markets, institutions and capital actually move.Today I focus that lens deliberately on the corridor between the UK, Latin America and Sub‑Saharan Africa — one of the most underdeveloped, highest‑potential trade relationships in the world when viewed through the systems forming beneath it rather than the traditional North‑North or North‑South lens most analysis defaults to.My work is grounded in the belief that clarity is a strategic asset. In high‑stakes situations, outcomes are shaped as much by context, timing and narrative as by strategy itself. I help leaders interpret these dynamics, align the people and institutions that matter, and move decisions with confidence.Most clients arrive through a recommendation or a long‑standing relationship, though I’m always glad to hear from someone new. If we haven’t met yet, the best place to start is a conversation — to understand your context, your ambitions, and whether my approach is the right fit.Charles Lartey
Principal, Lartey Global Advisory
Get in Touch
If you’d like to discuss a challenge or explore whether working together makes sense, you can reach me directly. I take on a small number of engagements at a time, so every conversation begins with context and priorities.
thank you!
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