As I wrap up our trip to #unDavos alongside the World Economic Forum, feeling utterly exhausted — but in the very best possible and stimulating way, I reflect on the eye-opening discussions and interactions of our journey with Joshua Haynes and Masawa.
What a week and what a momentum: I am so excited about what is yet to come!
Yet first for those who weren’t fortunate enough to join, here are my key highlights:
Responsible Business Education at the SDG Tent
Listening to our very own INSEAD Dean Francisco Veloso, explaining how sustainability needs to be at the core of business education from the curriculum to innovative teaching materials and case studies 🎓
Mental Health Funders Roundtable & Afternoon Tea
Organized by Prospira Global and our wonderful host Elisha London
A very interesting discussion around youth mental health and its horrific statistics: did you know that suicide is the main cause of youth death and 50% of teens contemplated suicide at least once? The discussion also covered the responsibility of social media and the double edge of technology: friend or foe? 👀 💔
The recent survey orchestrated by the Misk Foundation on 18,000 youth across 20 countries also underscored this vital concern: promoting mental health and wellbeing is the top cause youth care about (see video — which I was able to take at the House of Misk). Another crazy stat! 👀 💔
The Women Leaders Reception organized by The Adecco Group did not disappoint either in continuing the tradition of bringing together inspiring women and men allies, renewing their commitment to gender parity and driving DEI impact for the week ahead.
At the Philanthropy: ‘Being Honest about the Power of Money’, a fruitful session connecting BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders, I listened to a much-needed discussion around power dynamics, ethics, and good deeds: how can we bring catalytic capital to play a bigger role in creating lasting and true impact.
Onto a ski lift ⛷ for Top Tier Impact Investment Panel
What a nice way to commute when embarking onto a ski lift to attend the Top Tier Impact Investment Panel & Lunch: Responsible Investing & Conscious Leadership — where I was awed by the impulse keynote and poem from Azrya Bequer, Co-Founder of KAVANÂ, who has devoted the last ten years to elevating the welfare of purpose-driven leaders by nurturing conscious leadership and fostering increased emotional intelligence. If you get to see or meet her on stage, this is one not to be missed! Her poem is just Wow! ❄ 🙏
I am also definitely not missing the release of Maureen N. Dunne, Ph.D.’s new book The Neurodiversity Edge scheduled for March 2024. Pre-order it here & gain access to a free masterclass, too! Maureen spoke as a panelist about conscious leadership and neurodiversity in investment decisions, the inherent strengths and brain magic neurominorities bring to society and businesses alike. 🧠 💫
Which reminds me of Leyla Salvadé’s morning transformative session at the House of Trust ‘Progress Reimagined: Harnessing the Power of Heart Intelligence for Sustainable Innovation’, where she made us discover how cultivating heart coherence amplifies our effectiveness as individuals and communities, fostering empowered decision-making and fortifying organizational resilience.
🫀🌱 My favorite quote of the week actually came from this workshop: “I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystems collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy… and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation.” Gus Speth — co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council 🫀🌱
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Wednesday was marked by significant networking albeit less content sessions with:
The Venture Capital Investors Roundtable
Thanks Yuri G. Rabinovich: love the format — introducing everyone in a crowd of 150 LPs and GPs is a perilous exercise that you managed remarkably well!
And the infamous Swedish Lunch 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
… aka the hottest place atop of the mountains at Schatzalp to see and be seen! Or as they say ‘A unique event where existing and future world leaders meet’.
Well, I must say that the panel on ‘Human Security at the Crossroads’ touched upon significant key initiatives by the NATO Innovation Fund, the Roger Federer Foundation and Feeding America — all advocating for better access to… and a systemic approach for… education, food, defense, security and resilience… and the great power when public and private intersects (catalytic capital) 🤝 🤩
My Davos trip ended on a high note with an INSEAD mini reunion: so grateful to meet and exchange with many members of the INSEAD Alumni community who were here in Davos helping to drive positive change in business and society!
And last but not least… 🇫🇷 La French Tech ‘Make it Iconic’ Soirée 🇫🇷
Even if I had to go out of my way to get in (… as the vice-president of La French Tech Munich — no special privilege!), I was able to attend the ceremony in the presence of Emmanuel Macron and Pascal Cagni, alongside a delegation of 19 brilliant companies from the France 2030 program, here to reaffirm the French excellence and contribute to the creation of future international collaborations in tech and innovation.
This was an unforgettable moment in Davos, which I hope will bear witness in the days and months to come to the fact that it wasn’t all just fluff and that we can all make a difference and play a role for the better in this ecosystem.
Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get on with the job: let’s walk the talk of Davos!
