Programme

Europe accounts for at least half of the top 10 markets ranked by Global Competitiveness surveys over the last 10 years, due to strengths in their institutions, infrastructure, macro stability, labour force quality and social and environmental factors. Yet, it is also often depicted as slow growth and highly regulated, making it more difficult for Europe to produce global champions, and cope with rising global competition, particularly from Asia. Given the increasingly connected and challenging business environment, how will Europe perform over the longer term? What changes are needed to make Europe and European businesses competitive at the global level and what role can investors and businesses play?

Advancements in technology has significantly changed the way that businesses and investors operate and the risks they are exposed to. Tech companies have dominated the stock markets over the last 10 years, while abundant capital continues to target the tech sector. In fact, many companies are becoming tech companies as technology has become an integral part of their operations and strategy. In addition, Emerging markets have become major hubs for innovation and technology adoption, resulting in the rise and global expansion of new business models and technology giants. At this session, our speakers will speak about the tech-related trends and solutions that they are seeing and their potential implications on businesses and markets going forward.

Climate Change has emerged as one of the biggest areas of concern for consumers, businesses and investors. While the rhetoric around environmental risks and sustainability is not new, it is not until the last few years that we are seeing words being translated into action, with regulators and the capital markets playing an increasing role in driving change in businesses and disrupting industries. While companies with good sustainability practices are expected to perform better financially in the long term, meaningful implementation remains a challenge given definition, measurement and control issues. Our esteemed speakers will discuss this topic through three lenses – Investing, Regulation & Policy and Business Transformation.