Agenda

Session One: Leadership in a Post-Pandemic World – Welcoming Remarks

Every economic shock leaves a legacy. The Covid-19 pandemic is no different. It has roiled financial markets, dampened global growth, upended traditional business models and threatened the future of globalization. The scars will be felt for generations. However, the chaos has also given birth to an uneasy optimism about the future. The world may never be the same again. In that, lies a historic opportunity.

A titan of global business, Mukesh Ambani shares his vision for a post pandemic world – how global commerce has changed forever, the new power balance between the public and private sector, why the future is digital and the role business can play in creating a fairer future for all.

More than a decade after the 2008 financial crash, its dark legacy hangs over the global economy. Despite bank bailouts and central bank interventions, the global economy remains marred by deep inequality, growing populism and swathes of social and civil unrest. Covid-19 exacerbated all of that. We can’t just reset. We must break the cycle with a new global blueprint.

The pandemic sent the world economy into free fall last year. Fifteen months later, we are looking at the faintest glimmers of a recovery. David Westin speaks to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for a bird’s-eye view of the prospects ahead.

While the global vaccination campaign is well underway in many wealthy countries, many poorer nations are left behind. The continent of Africa remains the least vaccinated region in the world. We examine the social and economic impact of vaccine nationalism.

In the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, “vaccine nationalism” is becoming a statement of power, wealth and influence among the countries of the world. We need to vaccinate 70 to 85% of a global population of almost 7.8 billion people to return to some semblance of normality. How do we get there in a world divided by a widening chasm between the haves and the have-nots?

Akoya brings the heritage of Qatari folk music to life in an original piece by Qatari composer, songwriter, singer, and symphonic artist Dana al-Fardan and performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The piece celebrates Qatar’s original genre of music: Fjiri, music of the sea. In addition to its role as a major pillar of Qatar’s economy, the pearl trade developed a new style of music, providing motivation and entertainment for the pearl divers as they worked. Fjiri’s distinct percussion patterns represent the stories of pearl diving and accompany the traditional chanting of the Naham, a designated singer on each ship.

Performed by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra

Session One Highlights: Leadership in a Post-Pandemic World

Join us to experience highlights from Day One of the Qatar Economic Forum.

After the most significant year of digital transformation in recent history, we take a closer look at permanent changes to the human-technology nexus.

The rapid shift to all things digital is stoking business expectations as well as personal anxiety. How will all this pan out? We seek the answers.

A generational trauma like the pandemic has forced everyone—rich, poor, young and old—to reassess their lives, from where they live to what they do. Understanding how the virus has changed how we buy, sell, communicate and do business is essential to every facet of society.

The pandemic brought global business to a halt and forced business leaders everywhere to think on their feet. We hear first-hand how one of the regions sprawling conglomerates made it through the pandemic by being fast, and thinking digital.

It’s “new” for now. But will it become the “normal” going forward? The pandemic transformed workplaces, home structures and even family relationships in a massive shift to “work from anywhere.” What does this mean for the future of city centres, the notion of work-life balance in the era of the “electronic leash”  and the very future of humanity’s social structures?

The Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and 5G are helping pandemic-hit businesses transform into digitally driven industries. A vista of opportunities beckons, but at what cost to society?

The latest ransomware attacks are a wake-up call to organisations all over the world. With millions lost in ransom demands and billions burned in operational losses, can insurers protect us against systemic cyber risk? We talk cybercrime with Sergio Ermotti and gain his global economic outlook.

The era of the Internet of Things and Industrial Revolution 4.0 is upon us. We look at what we can do to protect ourselves in an era where when everything is connected, everyone is vulnerable. We explore how hackers can bring our world to a halt, review the new tactics employed by criminals, and identify the precautions we need to take.

We talk Bitcoin, Doge and Elon Musk with the founder of the world’s biggest crypto exchange.

We look to the fintech powered future of banking.

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

• Prioritization: Maximizing ESG in Extractive Industries
• Bitcoin Blues: The Realities of Global Cryptocurrency Adoption
• Post-Blockchain Identity: What is the Next Generation of Security?
• Building Legacy: Securing the Lasting Impact of Mega-Sports Events

2021 is a fresh start for many geo-political alliances and trade relationships. We gather major international power brokers to share their vision for a new way forward.

Sitting at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, Qatar is deeply vested in smooth global trade flows. We speak to His Excellency Ali Bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari.

We find out how to bump global trade up to pre-virus levels and preview the future of the rules-based global trading system.

Lord Mandelson tells us what’s next for global supply chains in a post-pandemic world.

From flying high to parked on the tarmac, Covid-19 grounded thousands of aircraft. Once-bustling airports turned into virtual mausoleums. Millions of workers in the aviation sector worldwide lost their jobs. Will the rollout of vaccines and the lifting of travel restrictions bring back the glory days of air travel and revive a sector vital to global economic recovery?

We took flying for granted. The pandemic grounded airlines, locked us in our homes, and brought business and holiday travel to a halt. Will we ever get back to the way it used to be? We ask the experts.

How do we reform the world’s governing structure to address challenges that are global, from the pandemic to climate change? The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, gives us a view from the inside.

Located at the crossroads of three continents, Qatar occupies a perch that gives it a wider lens to view global affairs. We draw out some of these unique insights on the world after Covid-19 from H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar.

Countries all over the world have set up special economic zones to maximize the benefits from global trade and investments. We find out how these zones could reenergize globalization.

The coronavirus pandemic may push more than 60 million Africans into absolute poverty. But beyond the economic impact, the pandemic threatens to roll back democratic gains made on the continent over the past decades. Mo Ibrahim shares his outlook.

As the world recovers from the pandemic shock, issues of national security and the global economy are set to become even more tightly woven together. David Westin explores these bonds that bind with Daleep Singh, deputy national security advisor of the United States of America.

Sea lanes, sky corridors and terrestrial roads are the arteries that power world trade and globalization. But maritime borders, air space and land boundaries are all designated by nation states. Will rising  geopolitical tensions pose a threat to keeping these “globalization lanes” open?

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

Shining a light on the intersection of capitalism, energy and the environment, we profile the people who can help us transition to a more sustainable global economy.

We profile the energy executives who are helping us transition to the new energy economy.

Global green economy plans are set to fuel a new commodities supercycle. We identify how to ensure this commodity-intensive economic growth is sustainable.

At a time when the world turned upside down, sales of electric cars defied gravity. We find out if industry and society are ready for the new mobility revolution. 

As an ongoing debate heats up about whether nationalism or globalization will define the next decade, we take a look at a third option: Slowbalization. We speak to Kumar Mangalam Birla about his global outlook, his focus on sustainability, and understand how some multinationals will always be open to foreign acquisitions, even as the world looks inward.

From Africa to Asia, from America to Australia, entrepreneurs and activists are leading the charge for climate action and tackle the biggest problem of our time. Their efforts will help define our future.

The future of the planet and its people hangs in balance, The United Nations has mapped out a path towards a sustainable world. Zain Verjee speaks with an architect of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed.

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

Session Five: The Changing Consumer – Welcoming Remarks

Lockdown life forced people to go online for practically everything. Businesses responded by enhancing digital offerings, drawing more customers to the web. Now, it’s hard to see people returning to pre-virus behavior; yet some consumers are doing just that. We look to what the future holds for commerce.

Consumers born between 1981 to 1996 have the biggest buying power today. Coming of age during the internet boom and at the forefront of the global green movement, millennial consumers are digital first and keen to make a positive impact on the world. We find out how one of Greater China’s leading developers and retailers is catering to them.

Offices and malls were long buoyed by the steady flow of commuters and shoppers. With work-from-home and e-commerce supercharged by the pandemic, we find out how developers and asset managers will rise to the challenge.

He hails from a renowned pearl-merchant family in Qatar. He has played, and continues to play, an outsized role in the development of his country. He runs one of the largest conglomerates in the region. Mr. Hussain explains how pearl diving fed the Qatari population for decades until the Japanese cultured pearls came to prominence. And, naturally, he owns a spectacular collection of pearls and other assorted gems. Meet Hussain al-Fardan, the “King of Pearls.”

The campaign for Valentino’s latest collection is inspired by empathy and celebrates a society with no place, boundaries or categories. With the world opening back up, we find out what’s next for the luxury fashion house.

The beauty industry is thriving, even in these pandemic days. Taylor Riggs finds out the trends and innovations powering this sector in a conversation with Roberto Marques, head of Natura &Co.

A shared destiny defines the health of the planet and the health of its people. We speak with H.E. Dr. Hanan al-Kuwari, Qatar’s minister of public health, on addressing the challenges in this mission.

Millions of jobs and billions of dollars are at stake. The travel and tourism industry wants to push the envelope and get back up and running as soon as possible. But we can’t simply return to normal. It is now time to rethink the global travel and tourism business model, from top to bottom. Industry titans share their vision for a new and sustainable way forward.

The Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands off the east coast of Africa, earns most of its revenue from tourism. With the pandemic disputing travel and tourism, can paradise stay open?

Prior to the blockade, Qatar imported 80% of its fresh milk from Saudi Arabia. Overnight, that number went down to zero. Four years on from the blockade, Qatar’s food system has undergone a remarkable transformation. We pay a visit to Baladna Farm to meet the pivotal figures in Qatar’s quest for food security — cows.

We get the latest from Hassad Food’s goal of meeting 60% of Qatar’s food demand.

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

The hunt for growth will always remain. But can investors help shape a more resilient global economy?

Two of the world’s top investors share their global market outlook for the year ahead and beyond.

Heeding the lessons of the post-2008 recovery, authorities and policy-makers chart a way forward for the global economy.

The world’s top investors share their views on what they look for in getting the biggest bang for their —- and your — bucks.

We find out how the UN’s new Liquidity Sustainability Facility will revolutionize Africa’s access to capital markets and power their post-pandemic economic recovery.

It has almost become a mantra in boardrooms and  across the world: To do well by doing good. Shareholder capitalism is fast ceding ground to stakeholder capitalism. The “3 P” bottom line of People, Planet, Prosperity is set to fuel a sustainable and purpose-led investment strategy.

Investment flows into sub-Saharan Africa contracted in 2020 and before that, in 2019, as the pandemic spread. If private investment inflows don’t return to pre-pandemic levels, the region faces a financing gap of up to $290 billion, and that could prolong economic difficulty. Mohammed Dewji discusses investment continuity in Africa.

Executives take a deeper dive into issues impacting key sectors in our roundtable discussions.

As we turn the page on the most tumultuous year in modern history, lingering disparities in health, access to education and human rights across nations, genders and ethnicities are slowing efforts to repair the global economy. Healing these fissures in society will be key to avoiding the mistakes of the post-2008 recovery.

The global pandemic and its resulting economic crisis is impacting women differently – and worse – than men. As the overwhelming majority of workers in education and healthcare and social assistance, women’s paid workload has become greater or more complex. For hundreds of thousands of other women, the crisis has decimated their work opportunities, and for millions more, substantially increased their unpaid care work. These unique problems will require unique solutions.

In conversation with Amb. Melanne Verveer, Co-Founder and Chair, Seneca Women

The first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company shares her unique take on American business and corporate life, racial and economic justice, and how greed is threatening democracy around the world.

Sport, with its inherent tribalism, brings the world together only for individuals to stand apart. Emerging from the shadow of the pandemic, we look at how the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will create a lasting legacy for a fractured world.

We talk to football icon David Beckham about his unique journey from player to Inter Miami CF owner and investor in e-sports, CBD and electric vehicles. With World Cup 2022 on the horizon, we get the outlook for the business of Beckham and the role of football in the global community.

On the pitch, Didier Drogba was the arch tormentor of his opponents. Off the pitch, he united his nation. We talk to the African football legend on cementing the social impact of sport and his outlook for football around the world

Masai Ujiri is uniting the youth of Africa through basketball. We find out how the ‘Giants of Africa’ program is playing through the pandemic and get the latest on the NBA’s journey into Africa.

The results are in: Covid-19 has led to sharply reduced learning gains; widening racial disparities in achievement; and a rise of mental-health afflictions among stuck-at-home students. As children return to school, countries need to ensure that both girls and boys re-engage with the learning process to future-proof global recovery efforts. We chart the way forward.

Graça Machel shares her insight and ideas on how to build a better tomorrow for our youth and generations yet to come.

As a finale to the 2021 Qatar Economic Forum, Dana al-Fardan performs selections from her new album Indigo. In this performance, al-Fardan incorporates a chamber orchestra, light design and a curated color scheme to explore connectivity, introspection and the shared human experience of the pandemic.