DAVOS: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE NEW IDEAS
GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE, AVIVA
ATTENDING the annual World Economic Forum at Davos is a privilege. Why am I going, and what do I hope to get out of it?
The great thing about Davos – but also a frustration – is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to talk to all the delegates you might want to.
Presidents, prime ministers, chief executives, senior officials, heads of universities and charities – leaders from around the world sit in conference rooms and auditoria, debating some of the most important questions of our time. This might all sound a bit grand. It really isn’t. Indeed: one of the unspoken rules at Davos is that you have to participate actively and do so without displaying too much ego. This is not about pushing commercial agendas. You are invited, yes, to represent your business and your industry, but more importantly to make a constructive contribution. It is a time to consider new thinking and practical solutions that we can all take away with us.
I will particularly look forward, of course, to discussions on the financial services industries, on the question of regulation, and sustainability. I also want to see a discussion on the broader role that insurers play in society – particularly the part we can play working in partnership with governments to contribute to future prosperity and help tackle the shortfall in people’s provision for retirement. We’re committed to playing a full part in that debate.
In both public and private sessions, colleagues from my sector and further afield will be able to share thoughts and experiences that should help us all to do a better job in the future. You just don’t get many chances like this to hear from so many well-informed people at the same time. I am in for a few very long but very interesting days.
Davos tweets …
@VivianeRedingEU 7.18pm
#EU generates 25% of the world economy. It is important #EU has a strong voice in #WEF. As VP of the European Commission, I’ll be in #Davos
@HuffPostBiz 7.30pm
Davos conference still doesn’t have enough female attendees http://huff.to/eemBaa #WEF
@TheActionForum 7.49pm
What do the SOTU Address, Davos, and the price of wheat have in common? They’re all things you need to know about now! http://ow.ly/3JkXg.
@ebarret 7.57pm
Don’t worry over at Davos they have the solution for all our debt problems. Simple: $100trillion more debt! @wef