Time Inc. (TIME) will host the 2016 Fortune-Time Global Forum in Rome and at the Vatican, December 2 and 3, Chairman & CEO Joe Ripp announced.
The unprecedented gathering will convene select global Fortune 500 CEOs, members of the Time 100 and non-profit, academic, religious and labor leaders to address the need for a global economic system that both encourages growth and spreads its benefits more broadly. The two-day conference will culminate in an address by His Holiness Pope Francis.
Inspired by the Pope’s call for more and better jobs, broader prosperity and lasting ways to lift the poor, the theme of the 2016 Global Forum is “The 21st Century Challenge: Forging a New Social Compact.” The event will be a solutions-based conversation aimed at encouraging transformative actions by the private sector to help create a more inclusive and humane economy and aid in eradicating poverty and the refugee problem around the world.
“Time Inc. is honored to present this unique gathering of global influencers and to facilitate discussions around some of the most critical issues of our time. We are hopeful that this rare event in partnership with the Vatican has the potential to impact the way the world thinks about these issues,” said Ripp.
The Global Forum program will be led by Time Inc. Chief Content Officer and Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alan Murray and Time Inc. News Group Editorial Director and Time Editor-in-Chief Nancy Gibbs. A Host Committee of business and philanthropic leaders will assist in the development of the program, attend the event, moderate conversations and take an active role in developing working solutions. Members of the 2016 Global Forum Host Committee are listed below and include CEOs from Dow Chemical, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto, McKinsey, PepsiCo, Siemens, Virgin Group and WPP as well as leaders from non-profit organizations including the Rockefeller, Ford and Mo Ibrahim Foundations.
Forum attendees will engage with subjects including technology and jobs, global health, food and water, commitment to communities, energy and the environment, and financial inclusion—each representing critical elements related to poverty alleviation and in need of urgent attention. The first day of the Forum will include topic-area discussions and working group sessions on these subjects. On the second day, the working groups will present their solutions followed by a Special Papal Audience and an address from the Pontiff.
The Global Forum is one of more than a dozen live events produced annually by Fortune Live Media, including Fortune Most Powerful Women, Fortune Brainstorm Tech and Fortune MPW Next Gen. Time Inc. is a global leader in live media with some of the world’s most prestigious brand events, including the Food & Wine Classic, Essence Festival, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Time 100 Gala and many more. Since becoming a public company in 2014, Time Inc. has significantly expanded its brands further into the live events business and acquired INVNT, a global brand communications agency. In the past year, Time Inc. has launched Entertainment Weekly PopFest, the InStyle Awards and Fortune Brainstorm Health, among others.
