Fortune Global Forum 2023
The Fortune Global Forum gathers the leaders of the world’s biggest multinational companies in great cities on the dynamic frontiers of global business.
Agenda
Hosted by Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
It is estimated that AI could contribute $320 billion to the Middle East economy by 2030, with the UAE seeing the greatest gains. On this special learning journey, we’ll visit the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world's first graduate-level, research-based AI university. Launched in October 2019 and located in Masdar City, the university ranks in the top 20 of world-class research in AI, CS, data sciences, and related disciplines such as health care, sustainability, and education. It is also playing a key role in shaping and executing the UAE government’s national AI strategy. Delegates will engage in an interactive dialogue with Dr. Eric Xing (MBZUAI’s president and one of the world’s foremost experts in AI), meet with students and faculty, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the university is applying AI to real-world challenges.
Lunch Session (By Invitation Only)
Hosted by HONOR
From sensor-driven appliances and security systems to AI-powered robots and digital health devices, there is no shortage of innovative solutions designed to make life more simple and more convenient. The changing nature of products is also transforming global value chains, forcing makers to rethink and re-tool products for consumers that demand greater functionality and reliability. As disruptive technologies like generative AI, AR and VR come into the picture, they offer unlimited opportunities to expand the potential of our devices but also come with associated privacy and security concerns. In this session, we’ll explore the next wave of human-device interaction and how both industries and consumers can benefit from the expanded capabilities of smart, connected products and the data they generate.
Dr. Ray Guo, Chief Marketing Officer, HONOR
Frank Holzmann, Senior Vice President, TÜV Rheinland
Ben Wood, Chief Analyst and Chief Marketing Officer, CCS Insight
Moderator: Clay Chandler, Executive Editor, Asia FORTUNE
Alan Murray, Chief Executive Officer, FORTUNE; Co-chair, Fortune Global Forum
The combination of extraordinary advances in technology, an existential climate threat, volatile geopolitics, and unpredictable market conditions present business with a challenge in the next decade to turn unprecedented risk into unprecedented opportunity. How can companies take advantage of the rerouting of global economic ties and the reshaping of globalization as we’ve known it? And what are the implications for both business and society? In this opening session, we’ll set the table with what’s top of mind for every global CEO and assess how companies can navigate through uncertainty and keep pace with the seismic shifts reshaping the marketplace.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium
Mikhail Gerchuk, Chief Executive Officer, e& International
Christian Ulbrich, Chief Executive Officer, JLL
Nigel Vaz, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Sapient
In conversation with: Geoff Colvin, Senior Editor-at-Large, FORTUNE
H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation; Chief Executive Officer, Expo City Dubai Authority
In conversation with: Hala Gorani, International Correspondent, Journalist, and Author
When it comes to staying competitive, few brands out there know more about speed and beating all odds than McLaren Racing. Winner of 20 Formula 1 world championships and hundreds of Grand Prix competitions, McLaren has long been an example of expert data analytics and precision engineering, a skillset French pharma giant Sanofi is hoping to harness. Pharma and racing may seem like an unorthodox collaboration, but we’ll hear all about the power of partnerships and how data can be used to drive manufacturing lines into high gear, enhance performance, and improve the bottom line.
Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing
Paul Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi
In conversation with: Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief, FORTUNE; Co-chair, Fortune Global Forum
While many technologies have been developed to capture CO2 from the atmosphere, eliminating tons of it cheaply and safely remains daunting. Meet one startup that is removing CO2 permanently by mineralizing it in peridotite, a rock found in abundance in the UAE and Oman as well as in America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. This startup’s goal: to make gigaton CO2 removal possible by scaling peridotite mineralization worldwide.
Talal Hasan, Founder and CEO, 44.01; Winner, 2022 Earthshot Prize
In conversation with: Ellie Austin, Deputy Editorial Director, Live Media, FORTUNE
The International Energy Agency has warned that in order to reach the global benchmark to cap global warming to 1.5 degree C, fossil fuel demand has to fall by a quarter this decade and clean energy investments must double, to more than $4.5 trillion, by the early 2030s. As the world tries to outgrow its fossil fuel dependency, new forms of renewable energy are also starting to take hold. What innovations are needed to accelerate decarbonization and create pathways to clean energy?
Majid Jafar, Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Petroleum
Francesco La Camera, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency
In conversation with: Peter Vanham, Executive Editor, FORTUNE; Co-chair, Fortune Global Forum
This month marks a milestone in generative AI’s development: the one-year anniversary of its widespread adoption, which started with the public launch of ChatGPT-3. As companies rush to adapt and implement generative AI applications, understanding the technology’s potential to deliver value to the economy and society at large will be key to making critical business decisions and ensuring workforce engagement. McKinsey & Company’s research shows how Generative AI’s impact on productivity could add trillions of dollars in value to the global economy and lead to significant change of business models. Armed with insights and learnings from more than 500 AI projects and thousands of Board room conversations over the last year, we’ll hear from the global head of QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s AI arm, on who will benefit the most from the implementation of generative AI and where it could deliver the biggest value.
Alexander Sukharevsky, Senior Partner and Global Leader, QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey
In conversation with: Alan Murray, FORTUNE
Individuals with their own brands and unique audiences have emerged as one of the biggest economic success stories of our new digital age. Over the last few years, content creation as an industry has exploded, driving a major shift in both how businesses view themselves as brands and how they identify with their audiences. In the last two years alone, the number of content creators globally has increased by over 300%, and the total value of the global creator economy has now exceeded $250 billion (and counting). How is the creator economy influencing even the hardest to reach industries and marketplaces? And how have both new forms of content and the people who create it been influenced by the proliferation of AI technologies? We’ll take a closer look at what the next generation of digital content creation will look like, who will be leading it, and how businesses can unlock new value from this new creator-led digital revolution.
Sasha Kaletsky, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Creator Ventures
Caspar Lee, Co-Founder, Influencer; Co-Founder, Creator Ventures
In conversation with: Ruth Umoh, Leadership Editor, FORTUNE
Hosted by Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
A gala evening at The Dome on Al Maryah Island will transport guests through time in an immersive experience showcasing the innovation and dreams of Abu Dhabi. Experience the best of Middle Eastern cuisine and local hospitality.