LEADERS RECEPTION

Leading through global turbulence and transformation

Featuring The World Ahead 2025, by Tom Standage

Hosted by Infosys and Economist Impact | January 22nd, 2025 | 17:00 CET

Education in Emergencies: When the Cameras Leave

In 2024 more than half the global population voted in elections, often amid escalating conflicts, climate crises and rapid technological change. As the world welcomes 2025, business leaders must navigate the results of those votes while anticipating economic and geopolitical uncertainty and seeking out opportunities from disruptive technologies.

With lower inflation expected to reignite business activity, and record spending predicted on information technology and artificial intelligence, 2025 could be a transformative year for global business. But even if the year brings no new major conflicts, existing ones will continue, and geopolitical tensions, including possible new trade wars, will weigh on the global economy. The Economist forecasts that global GDP will grow by just 2.5%, less than in 2024. How are business leaders navigating these turbulent times?

To understand the future, it can help to anticipate the unlikely. In this session, hosted in partnership with the Economist Impact, Tom Standage, the editor of The World Ahead 2025, presented his predictions for the year. Afterwards our expert panel of executives considered more critical questions for these challenging times, including:

How are businesses preparing for a new incoming government in the White House?
Have global emissions peaked? What does this mean for businesses and governments?
In a world of slowing inflation, how can companies and consumers prepare for the next tough economic choices ahead?
AI has been called the “biggest gamble in business history”. Can the technology prove its worth this year?