The World Economic Forum in Davos is serious business — literally. C-suite executives descend on the Swiss resort town each year in the hopes of hatching big deals.
The glitzy affair has for decades been associated with investment and geopolitics. But besides the wealthy CEOs and political heavyweights, Davos also attracts people across the development and humanitarian sphere, in large part because of the growing recognition that improving the world’s lot requires the help of the private sector.
But that recognition has plenty of room to grow, according to Børge Brende, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum. The longtime Norwegian diplomat talked to Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar by email about the need to include the private sector in development priorities and how the “intelligent age” can be used to tackle poverty and humanitarian crises.
About the author
Raj Kumarraj_devex
Raj Kumar is the President and Editor-in-Chief at Devex, the media platform for the global development community. He is a media leader and former humanitarian council chair for the World Economic Forum and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His work has led him to more than 50 countries, where he has had the honor to meet many of the aid workers and development professionals who make up the Devex community. He is the author of the book "The Business of Changing the World," a go-to primer on the ideas, people, and technology disrupting the aid industry.
