The Davos Disconnect

Never before has the gap between the Davos Man and the real world yawned so widely. The top executives, financiers, academics and politicians making their way up the mountain to the World Economic Forum will be talking a lot about such non-establishment leaders as President-elect Donald Trump – whose inauguration in Washington occurs on the event’s last day – France’s National Front chief Marine Le Pen and Italian populist Beppe Grillo of the Five Star Movement. Here is a look:

Delegates attending the WEF meet

US  778
UK  270
Germany 131

China 88
Canada 72

Russia 64

Turkey 39

Mexico 32

Israel 12

Taiwan 2

What the uninvited say about Davos

Marine LePen, Leader, National Front, France

“The ideology of Davos is simple: Undo nations, people and democracies to leave an open field to big finance and obligatory multiculturism”

 Christopher Blocher, Vice-President, Swiss People’s Party

“The WEF is an event where you go to see and to be seen — it’s like a theatre. Meeting up is fine but what comes out of this is speeches, declarations, drivel”

 Beppe Grillo, Leader, Five Star Movement, Italy

“the bankers are talking about world hunger... But who’s responsible? It’s a strange world in which people worry about the spread, but ignore 5mn children die of hunger every year”

Recurring Risks:

Extreme weather is the biggest global risk according to this year’s WEF survey of 750 members

TOP five agenda:

1. Extreme weather

2. Involuntary migration

3. Major natural catastrophe

4. Large terrorist attacks

5. Massive data fraud/theft

Sources: Bloomberg, World Economic Forum annual report