Building Togetherness
Horasis convened the 2017 Horasis Global Meeting in Cascais, Portugal over 27-30 May. Under the theme ‘Building Togetherness’, the Horasis community of more than 400 selected world leaders from 70 countries gathered for an unparalleled experience advancing solutions to the most critical challenges facing corporations and societies today. The annual Horasis Global Meeting is one of the world’s foremost gatherings of business leaders who interact with key government officials and eminent thought leaders. Download the report and visit the photo gallery.
Participants shared insights on the current state of the world which seems to become more fragile and fractious. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, stated in his welcome speech that ‘we need to build a new togetherness, to raise our belief in our inventiveness and in our ability to overcome oppression.’
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| António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal |
According to José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, the two important conclusions from the meeting were that we have to strengthen international organizations, and that globalization is here to stay. ‘To achieve this, we must embrace a new spirit, looking towards and embracing others,’ said Deborah Wince-Smith, President, United States Council on Competitiveness, USA. And, as António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal put it: ‘World leaders must re-invent their roles and their management to accommodate an increasingly volatile world.’
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| Deborah Wince-Smith, President United States Council on Competitiveness, USA | Werner Hoyer, President European Investment Bank, Luxembourg |
Togetherness is the opposite of fragmentation and isolation. And nature is an integral part of a greater whole which includes the economic sphere as well as the social and political goods,’ said Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Vatican City. ‘We must more readily accept people as the globe’s life-force; all must feel needed and valued more equally,’ added Canon Sarah Snyder, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Adviser for Reconciliation, United Kingdom.
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| Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson | Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research Science and Innovation |
Four Nobel Alumni debated how their prize helped others to generate togetherness as a force against ignorance and adversity. The panellists were:
• Bernard Kouchner, Founder, Médecins sans Frontières, France; Nobel Peace Prize 1999 on behalf of Médecins sans Frontières
• Rajendra K. Pachauri, President, World Sustainable Development Forum, India; Nobel Peace Prize 2007 on behalf of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize 1996; Former President of Timor-Leste, Timor-Leste
• Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize 1997; Chairperson, Nobel Women’s Initiative, USA
Other summit highlights included a debate between Shashi Tharoor, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, India, and Norman Pearlstine, Vice Chairman, Time Inc., USA, about the shifting sands of world order. Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General, Commonwealth of Nations, championed the premises of global citizenry in times of economic and political stress. Likewise, William Y. Zhang, Chairman, EU-China Municipal Development Commission, China, reflected on how China can guide sustainable globalization. Roman Shaykhutdinov, Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Tatarstan, spoke about the increasing importance of regional development in countries like Russia and other BRICS-economies.
It is our hope that the Horasis Global Meeting has contributed to build togetherness – developing a new philosophy of working together, in business and politics. ‘We need to abandon the Machiavellian mind-set which seems to overtake the world,’ said Barbara Barrett, Chairman, Aerospace Corporation, USA. ‘There might be a better way – a middle way – where we can discover common ground for economic growth and peace,’ conveyed Werner Hoyer, President, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg. And, as Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, noted, ‘togetherness can achieved in particular through joint innovation and entrepreneurship – and the empowerment of youth – because it is the youth which will decide our common future.’ ‘Technology and digitization will for sure lead to economic and social benefit,’ concluded Strive Masiwia, Founder and Chairman, Econet Wireless, South Africa.
The co-chairs were:
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Barbara Barrett, Chairman, Aerospace Corporation, USA |
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José Manuel Barroso, Former President, European Commission, Belgium |
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Eduardo Catroga, Chairman, EDP, Portugal |
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Vijay Eswaran, Chairman, QI Group, Malaysia |
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CP Gurnani, Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, India |
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Alan Hassenfeld, Chairman, Hasbro, USA |
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Werner Hoyer, President, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg |
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Kevin G. Lynch, Vice Chairman, BMO Financial Group, Canada |
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José Antonio Martinez, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Science of Digital, Spain |
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Strive Masiwia, Founder and Chairman, Econet Wireless, South Africa |
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Rajiv I. Modi, Chairman, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, India |
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Kenneth S. Rogoff, Professor of Economics, Harvard University, USA |
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Evgeniya Shamis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sherpa S Pro, Russia |
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Heinrich Weiss, Chairman, SMS Group, Germany |
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Ann Winblad, Managing Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, USA |
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Deborah Wince-Smith, President, United States Council on Competitiveness, USA |
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William Y. Zhang, Chairman, EU-China Municipal Development Commission, China |
About Horasis:
Horasis – a global visions community committed to enact visions for a sustainable future – provides a unique platform for companies from emerging and developed markets to globalize their organisations. In addition to the Horasis Global Meeting, Horasis hosts summits with a focus on China, India, South East Asia, Russia and the Arab world.
About the Estoril Conferences:
The Estoril Conferences are a one-week series of events held in Cascais in May 2017. Held since 2009, the conferences are a meeting place of thinkers and other renowned personalities to discuss the most pressing issues related to globalization. The 2017 Horasis Global Meeting marks the inaugural event of the conference week.
The more successful our business the more successful our society.
Mark Price, Minister for Trade and Investment, United Kingdom
Liverpool is a city built on its links around the world.
George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, United Kingdom
Social innovation is necessary.
Kris Peeters, Deputy Prime Minister, Belgium
The recognition of the need for change could start through the process of deep self-introspection.
F.W. de Klerk, Nobel Laureate for Peace, South Africa
I question people’s ability to learn to trust.
Her Highness Shaikha Al Maskari, Chairwomen, Al Maskari Holding, UAE
It will take a generation to re-build trust in the financial sector.
Antonio Simoes, Chief Executive, HSBC Bank, United Kingdom
Future technologies are going to change the way humanity has ever lived. Technology has the power to disrupt.
Naveen Jain, Co-founder and Chairman, Moon Express, USA
Social stability had to be maintained building on traditional senses of community supported by social welfare systems developed.
Takumi Shibata, CEO, Nikko Asset Management Co, Japan