Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Tianjin

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Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Tianjin

Date: Sep 25, 2008 - Sep 27, 2008
Venue: Tianjin Binhai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Tianjin, China

The Annual Meeting of New Champions provides a unique platform for those seeking new opportunities to come together to shape and define an agenda of growth with fresh ideas, innovative business models and new technologies, regardless of prevailing macroeconomic conditions.

At the forefront of this next wave of growth will be the Forum’s Community of Global Growth Companies, a new breed of high-growth enterprises that are by definition global in outlook. A survey of CEOs from these companies, conducted jointly with the Harvard Business Review, revealed that they are focusing more attention overseas than on their domestic market. These New Champions are looking to engage with the most dynamic cities and regions associated with the innovations and technologies that will reshape the future business landscape. Joining them in Tianjin will be a select group of mayors and governors, technology pioneers, young scientists and policy-makers from countries with outstanding growth potential.

The Next Wave of Growth

The most recent World Economic Outlook of the International Monetary Fund forecasts that growth of the world economy will slow to 3.7% in 2008 versus 4.9% in 2007. While over 50% of global GDP is generated by the G7 industrialized economies, and despite a looming recession in the United States, the good news is that robust growth is occurring elsewhere in the world, driven by industries outside of the battered financial sector.

The Annual Meeting of the New Champions provides a unique platform for those seeking new opportunities to come together to shape and define an agenda of growth with fresh ideas, innovative business models and new technologies, regardless of prevailing macroeconomic conditions.

At the forefront of this next wave of growth will be the Forum’s Community of Global Growth Companies, a new breed of high-growth enterprises that are by definition global in outlook. A survey of CEOs from these companies, conducted jointly with the Harvard Business Review, revealed that they are focusing more attention overseas than on their domestic market. These New Champions are looking to engage with the most dynamic cities and regions associated with the innovations and technologies that will reshape the future business landscape. Joining them in Tianjin will be a select group of mayors and governors, technology pioneers, young scientists and policy-makers from countries with outstanding growth potential.

The programme will concentrate on five key themes that enable business leaders to take a deep dive into the Next Wave of Growth:

Going Global

For many global growth companies, the main internal challenge of their overseas expansion is the development of corporate managers who can navigate different cultural contexts and think globally. In contrast, external challenges related to global growth are increasingly connected to the ability, or willingness, to collaborate with different actors to establish public-private partnerships, galvanize multiple stakeholders and work with fast-growing local competitors.

A series of boardroom-style discussions with eminent business leaders and policy-makers will examine “going global” from different regional and industry perspectives. A select group of CEOs from the most respected corporations have also been invited as “Mentors” to engage future global industry leaders and deepen their understanding and commitment to “corporate global citizenship”.

Managing Risks

Economic interdependence means that downturns and shocks no longer occur in isolation but are more likely than ever to cut across regions, markets and industries. Global growth is threatened by curbs and constraints that are political, social or environmental in origin. Most are triggered or linked to reactions to a sudden downturn or shock, thus a backlash to globalization can take many forms and emerge at anytime. A series of expert-led workshops will examine how to create a framework and the capacity to assess, prioritize and mitigate such risks at the company level, as well as how to capitalize on those global risks that can be transformed into business opportunities.

Drivers of Future Growth

Emerging and developing economies, if combined together, account for two-thirds of the world’s growth when measured on a basis of purchasing price parity (PPP). As a result of this growth, the IMF forecasts that these countries will manage a current account surplus totalling over US$ 700 billion in 2008. Yet, this growth now faces headwinds linked to rising commodity prices, a weakened US dollar and the need to be environmentally and socially sustainable. Given the overwhelming global trend toward urbanization, cities will be at the vanguard of opportunities and challenges related to future growth. Over 100 mayors and governors from many of the fastest-growing regions in the world along with ministers of science and technology, commerce and transport will engage in a series of multistakeholder discussions to explore the drivers of future growth and the various scenarios that may emerge.

Technology and Innovation: The Next Wave

Advances in nanotechnology, genetics and computer science combined with progress in related disciplines such as engineering, medicine and finance make science and technology an inescapable presence in our daily lives. Faced with a growing roster of technological innovations that may rapidly reshape their industries, companies are on alert for disruptive technologies and innovative new models that may emerge from around the globe. A series of briefings by globally recognized pioneers in science and technology will explore their discoveries and innovations as well as their future impact in a wide range of contexts.

China as a Global Player

2008 marks the 30th anniversary of China’s now historic “Opening and Reform Policy” and its first interaction with the World Economic Forum. Membership in the WTO, over one trillion US dollars in foreign currency reserves and the creation of the world’s largest markets for mobile telephone and Internet use are some of the country’s impressive economic milestones since 1978. As China’s integration into the world economy enters a new phase as a result of its increasing political influence, technological advancement and changing societal needs, a series of sessions will explore how the country is poised to emerge as a global player and how that journey will reshape its foreign, trade and investment policies in the future.

Contact

Contact person: Champions
Email address:
Event website: http://www.weforum.org/en/events/AnnualMeetingoftheNewChampions2008/index.htm
Phone: +41 (0)22 869 1436
Fax: +41 (0)22 594 8496

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