Klaus Schwab
Klaus Schwab
A Conversation with Klaus Schwab: Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
At a September 20 meeting that launched the Boston College Chief Executives Club's 25th year, German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), discussed his foundation’s origins in 1971, major economic shifts over the last 46 years, and ongoing challenges that the "global village" of WEF is dedicated to addressing. In a conversation with Steve Pagliuca, co-chairman of Bain Capital and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, Schwab described how WEF has evolved into the preeminent international, non-partisan organization for public-private collaboration by fostering corporate citizenship, social entrepreneurship, and the idea that "in a global world, business is itself a stakeholder in our global future." Schwab also previewed his foundation’s 2018 annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, at which 2,500 global business leaders, heads of state, and academics will address "shaping a shared narrative in a fractured world."
TAKEAWAYS
"I would say there are three major concerns...the transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world; the possible negative impact of the fourth industrial revolution, which means the fast technological development; and inclusiveness." Transcript and Video about World Concerns
"Individual efforts are very good. But if you want to have a global impact, you need to ally yourself with similarly minded and similarly interested stakeholders, not only from the business community but also from governments." Transcript and Video about Global Alliance
"Eric Schmidt (executive chairman of Alphabet, Inc.) in Davos said the next decade will be the fight between robots and humans. So, if we want to win this fight, we have to know what makes us different as humans. For me, cultural values are very, very important." Transcript and Video about Societal Challenges