What is Davos?

Davos is a modest ski resort?near Zürich, Switzerland, in a tiny and very swiss charming town. But it′s also very famous. Each January, Davos is home to the World Economic Forum (WEF). A highly curated selection of delegates from global business, government, civil society, media, and academia converge on this Swiss town to attend sessions designed to spark fruitful discussions around the most pressing issues of the day—and ultimately drive impact, in the words of 麦肯锡 .

As I was fortunate enough to attend WEF 2023, I began my preparation not only through the agenda, but things to do and how to work and dress my way around it. As a ski enthusiast, and having skied the season before nearby, I thought about hitting the slopes in one of the free mornings, but came across one article that said: only losers ski at Davos.

I was grateful for the note. Not only because the hills were loaded with snipers, as it is the most secure place on the world for a week, but mostly because once you′re there, you just can′t miss anything.

As the 麦肯锡 article express, Davos isn′t about keynotes and lectures. Davos happens in one street, the Promenade; along two miles, you′ll find the Congress Center (just for white badge holders) and the Ice Village (with igloos as tents for simultaneous panels), but you′ll also find hotels, theme houses for sponsors, participating companies, think thanks, governments, loaded with events, lounges, places to meet. All geared up nicely for the -12o, -14o, delegates and attendees stroll quickly across the place, from one lecture to the other, but mainly for the networking and social interactions, day and night (did I mention Sting′s pocket show? Or a dinner powered by Jose Andres?).

You can only enter Kloster/Davos if you hold a badge or a hotel room, but even that doesn′t grant you access to everything. You need to be listed for 爱德曼 Trust Barometer Launch at Kirchner Museum, for 普华永道 CEO Survey presentation at the Belvedere, The Wall Street Journal House, where you can hear Uber′s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaking to a very small audience how Uber navigates a new reality, or Helle Bank J?rgensen of Competent Boards on Human Rights and ESG, or The Promises and Perils of AI Axios House. Just awesome. You are always welcome to The Female Quotient House, busy with panels, talks, presentations (such as Building Better Boards), a powerful wifi and nice coffee, hosted by women in leadership positions and allies; to India′s house, to understand history, culture, crafts, how to do business, and of course get some very nice silk scarves as gifts; and to Ukrainian House, for a vivid and real life experience on the horrors of war. Just heartbreaking.

The unusual connections and coincidental meetings will make you befriend different people from lots of places, have interesting conversations about culture and lifestyle, expand horizons and make you think. And hopefully, act; personally and professionally. Since its adoption, WEF’s 2020 manifesto guides companies in the age of the?Fourth Industrial Revolution, stating that a company should “pay its fair share of taxes,” show “zero tolerance for corruption,” uphold human rights throughout its global supply chain, and advocate for a competitive, level playing field. As a tax executive myself, seeing taxes in this strategic position, alongside governance and fairness, feels just about right.

The WEF 2023 was emerging from COVID-19. Resilience, sustainability, green skills, artificial intelligence were at the top of the agenda. For 2024, the focus is rebuilding trust in our future, within societies and nations, given we′re living in an era of fragmentation, misinformation, lack of collaboration, uncertainty and fear of artificial intelligence. As Harari has said a couple years ago, tackling global challenges will need global cooperation, that has remained resilient for the last 10 years according to the brand new Global Cooperation Barometer’s accompanying report. I invite you to pay attention to what′s being discussed at the WEF 2024, get information from good sources to make educated decisions and be part of change.