Over 100 Indian CEOs to attend WEF Davos meet

More than 100 Indian CEOs, along with some senior government leaders, will be in Davos next week for the World Economic Forum annual meeting. They will discuss ways to revive economic growth and strengthen global collaboration. It will be a five-day talkfest, starting January 16. The 47th Annual Meeting of the WEF will take place just before Donald Trump assumes Presidency in the US, and amid a growing focus on fight against terror across the world.

Top global leaders expected to be present include British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping, even as some others like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will give this year's annual jamboree of the rich and powerful a miss.

From India, the expected participants include Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Niti Aayog Vice-President Arvind Panagariya, DIPP Secretary Ramesh Abhishek and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Besides, more than 100 Indian CEOs are expected to be present at the event which will see overall more than 3,000 participants from more than 100 countries, including 1,200 CEOs, the biggest such gathering ever.

There will also be 300 public figures, including more than 50 heads of state and government, and many participants from media, academia, and NGOs. A full list of participants will be released by Geneva-based WEF on January 10.
 

The opening day will also see singer, songwriter and education advocate Shakira, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and artist/social activist Forest Whitaker being awarded with the 2017 Crystal Awards in recognition of their leadership as artists improving the state of the world at a special session and concert on 16 January.

The Meeting will focus on five critical leadership challenges in 2017 — strengthening global collaboration, restoring a sense of shared identity, revitalising economic growth, reforming capitalism and preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
 

From India, a business delegation led by industry body CII would also be present in Davos for various meetings, including on the sidelines of the WEF Annual Meeting.

The Indians registered for the WEF Meeting include Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani, as also his wife Nita and son Akash, Bajaj group patriarch Rahul Bajaj and son Sanjiv Bajaj, Wipro's Azim Premji and son Rishad, Godrej Industries' Nadir Godrej, Tech Mahindra's C P Gurnani, Bharti group's Sunil Mittal, Ashok Leyland's Dheeraj Hinduja, Adani Group's Pranav Adani and Hero Group's Pawan Munjal.

TCS' N Chandrasekaran, Tata Steel's T V Narendran and Mukund Rajan from Tata Group, ace bankers SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya and Kotak Mahindra Bank's Uday Kotak, as also IDFC Bank's Rajiv Lall and Spicejet's Ajay Singh would also be there.

Film maker Karan Johar, activist Swami Agniwesh, Congress leader and former union minister Kamal Nath and Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma are also scheduled to be present.