ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
A Different Kind of Partner in an AI World
AI-native strategy
consulting
Experienced hires
We are hiring experienced top-tier strategy consultants
Quantified Strategy
Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
Global Advisors is a leader in defining quantified strategies, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions and achieving measureable results.
We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
We support implementation of adaptive capability and capacity.
Our latest
Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Leading a deliberate life
By Marc Wilson
Marc is a partner at Global Advisors and based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Download this article at https://globaladvisors.biz/blog/2018/06/26/leading-a-deliberate-life/.
Picket fences. Family of four. Management position.
Mid-life crisis. Meaning. Purpose.
Someone once said that, “At 18, I had all the answers. At 35, I realised I didn’t know the question.”
Serendipity has a lot going for it. Many people might sail through life taking what comes and enjoying the moment. Others might be open to chance and have nothing go right for them.
Some people might strive to achieve, realise rare successes and be bitterly unhappy. Others might be driven and enjoy incredible success and fulfilment.
Perhaps the majority of us become beholden to the momentum of our lives.
We might study, start a career, marry, buy a dream house, have children, send them to a top school. Those steps make up components of many of our dreams. They are steps that may define each subsequent choice. As I discussed this with a friend recently, he remarked that few of these steps had been subject of deliberations in his life – increasingly these steps were the outcome of momentum. Each will shape every step he takes for the rest of his life. He would not have things any other way, but if he knew what he knows now, he might have been more deliberate about choice and consequence…..
Read more at https://globaladvisors.biz/blog/2018/06/26/leading-a-deliberate-life/
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Strategy Tools
PODCAST: Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?
Our Spotify podcast explores the relationship between Return on Net Assets (RONA) and growth, arguing that both are essential for shareholder value creation. The hosts contend that focusing solely on one metric can be detrimental, and propose a framework for evaluating business portfolios based on their RONA and growth profiles. This approach involves plotting business units on a “market-cap curve” to identify value-accretive and value-destructive segments.
The podcast also addresses the impact of economic downturns on portfolio management, suggesting strategies for both offensive and defensive approaches. The core argument is that companies should aim to achieve a balance between RONA and growth, acknowledging that both are essential for long-term shareholder value creation.
Read more from the original article – https://globaladvisors.biz/2020/08/04/strategy-tools-growth-profit-or-returns/
Fast Facts
Fast Fact: The rate of technology adoption exploded in the 1990s
The 1990s were an inflection point in the adoption of new technologies. While radio showed fast adoption in the 1920s, new technologies introduced post 2010 had reached penetrations of more than 30% of the United States population within 3 years from launch. PCs...
Selected News
Term: Agent2Agent (A2A)
“The Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol is an open standard that enables different AI agents, built by various vendors and using diverse frameworks, to seamlessly communicate, collaborate, and coordinate on complex tasks.” – Agent2Agent (A2A)
A2A addresses the challenges of multi-agent systems by providing a vendor-neutral framework for agents to discover each other, exchange capabilities, delegate tasks, and manage complex workflows.1,2,3 It leverages familiar web standards such as HTTP, JSON-RPC, and Server-Sent Events (SSE) to ensure reliable, interoperable interactions while incorporating enterprise-grade security features like JWT and OIDC authentication.1
Key Features of A2A
- Agent Discovery and Capabilities Exchange: Agents publish standardised ‘Agent Cards’ (JSON files) that detail their abilities, enabling dynamic discovery and task negotiation.1,3
- Structured Task Management: Defines protocols for task delegation using unique task IDs, supporting states like submitted, working, and completed, ideal for long-running processes.1,3
- Standards-Based Communication: Uses HTTP POST requests and structured JSON messages for consistent messaging between client agents (task initiators) and remote agents (task executors).1,3
- Enterprise Security and Privacy: Includes encryption, fine-grained authorisation, payload validation, and support for various authentication schemes to protect data and identities.1,2
- Support for Collaboration: Facilitates message exchanges for context sharing, real-time updates via asynchronous notifications, and dynamic UX negotiation.1,3
How A2A Works
A2A operates on a client-server model: the client agent formulates tasks and identifies suitable remote agents via Agent Cards, then communicates structured requests over HTTP.3 Tasks progress through defined lifecycles with messages containing parts for content delivery, ensuring agents remain synchronised even in opaque, diverse environments.1,3
For example, in e-commerce, an inventory agent could use A2A to collaborate with demand forecasting, customer service, and logistics agents to optimise supply chains.5
Key Theorist: Sundar Pichai and Google’s Role in A2A
No single ‘strategy theorist’ in the traditional academic sense originated A2A, as it is a practical engineering protocol driven by industry leaders. The most directly associated figure is **Sundar Pichai**, CEO of Google and Alphabet Inc., whose strategic vision propelled its development and announcement.4
Biography of Sundar Pichai
Born in 1972 in Madurai, India, Sundar Pichai grew up in a modest middle-class family. He excelled academically, earning a degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 1993. Pichai then pursued higher education in the US, obtaining an MS in materials science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.1 (Note: Biographical details drawn from general knowledge, aligned with A2A context.)
Joining Google in 2004, Pichai initially led product management for Google Chrome, transforming it into the world’s most-used browser through innovative strategies emphasising speed, security, and user-centric design. His success led to promotions: Vice President of Product Development (2008), overseeing Chrome OS and apps; Senior VP for Chrome and Android (2012); and Chief Business Officer (2014). In 2015, he became CEO of Google, and in 2019, CEO of parent company Alphabet Inc.4 (contextual link).
Relationship to A2A
Under Pichai’s leadership, Google prioritised AI agent interoperability as part of its broader AI strategy, culminating in the A2A protocol’s announcement via the Google Developers Blog in 2025.4 Pichai’s emphasis on open standards mirrors his earlier work on Chrome’s open-source model, fostering ecosystems over proprietary silos. A2A embodies his vision for ‘a new era of agent interoperability,’ enabling secure multi-agent collaboration across frameworks – much like Android unified mobile ecosystems.1,4
Pichai’s strategic oversight ensured A2A adhered to principles of discovery, interoperability, delegation, and trust, positioning Google as a leader in agentic AI infrastructure while inviting broad industry adoption through its open GitHub repository.7
Tags: Agent2Agent, A2A, agents, AI, artificial intelligence, term
References
1. https://www.solo.io/topics/ai-infrastructure/what-is-a2a
2. https://developer.pingidentity.com/identity-for-ai/agents/idai-what-is-a2a.html
3. https://www.descope.com/learn/post/a2a
4. https://developers.googleblog.com/en/a2a-a-new-era-of-agent-interoperability/
5. https://www.alumio.com/blog/what-is-a2a-agent2agent-ai-protocol
6. https://www.credal.ai/blog/what-is-agent2agent-a2a-protocol
7. https://github.com/a2aproject/A2A
8. https://ai.pydantic.dev/a2a/
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tud9HLTk8hg
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We help clients to measurably improve strategic decision-making and the results they achieve through defining clearly prioritised choices, reducing uncertainty, winning hearts and minds and partnering to deliver.
Our difference is embodied in our team. Our values define us.
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Define optimal business portfolios aligned with investor expectations
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14 years of quantitative and data science experience
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Developers of digital proof-of-concepts
An accelerator for Global Advisors and our clients
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Consultants join our firm based on a fit with our values, culture and vision. They believe in and are excited by our differentiated approach. They realise that working on our clients’ most important projects is a privilege. While the problems we solve are strategic to clients, consultants recognise that solutions primarily require hard work – rigorous and thorough analysis, partnering with client team members to overcome political and emotional obstacles, and a large investment in knowledge development and self-growth.
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