BCG@Davos - Past Editions

BCG@DAVOS - 2020

It takes many kinds of institutions and individuals to address our most urgent challenges. This is the idea at the heart of the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland. For BCG, a WEF partner, the theme of the 2020 meeting, Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World, has particular resonance.

A central challenge for companies in the next decade will be to deliver value not just to shareholders but to all stakeholders—to generate societal as well as financial benefits. Explore below for insights into the responsibilities of business in our complex world and imperatives for leaders in the 2020s.

From Disruption to Opportunity

Conversations at Davos this year focused less on the threat of technology and more on the innovations that emerge from the combination of people and machines. Rich Lesser and Karalee Close share their impressions of the week.

Meet our Delegates

BCG Experts on Opportunities and Challenges of the 2020s

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Looking Back on Davos 2020

Rich Lesser and Martin Reeves on the energy and urgency around climate and society at this year’s World Economic Forum meeting.

Adopting a Broader View of Sustainability

Mitigating the effects of climate change is essential, but so is providing energy for the world. Companies in the sector will have to consider these challenging issues through the widest lens possible.

Getting Back to Humanity

Increased diversity, sustainability, and community uplift aren't just byproducts of thriving markets; they're essential ingredients, and necessary for companies to win the '20s.

Optimistic, Collaborative, Persistent

The future will not be as dire as many predict—so long as we work together to meet our most pressing challenges and apply the solutions with diligence and consistency.

Collaboration is the Only Way

Becoming a Young Global Leader (YGL) means joining a diverse, influential network of individuals committed to making change happen, which depends on accountability—and the power of collaboration.

A New Way to Measure Impact, Both Good and Bad

There's a big opportunity to create value for shareholders through innovations that improve our world. New companies should take stock of their Total Societal Impact to measure what matters most.

Unlocking Tomorrow’s ESG Opportunities Demands a Forward-Looking Investment Approach

There's little doubt that an ESG approach creates value. But in order to maximize the efficacy of their ESG programs, companies must look past today's considerations and consider what will be material tomorrow.

Future of Eurasia: Competition, Cooperation or Coercion?

Shifting regulation, trade agreements, and political tensions have made Eurasia a powerful testing ground for the future of geopolitics. Companies will have to learn to navigate this complexity to survive going forward.

Is Your Company Fit to Compete in the 2020s?

Across industries, it is increasingly lucrative—and increasingly necessary—for companies to beat the average. But outperformance has become more difficult to sustain. Leaders must continually reinvent their companies to defy the mean and win in the new decade.

WEF-BCG Project Updates

The World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group collaborate on projects that address critical issues facing business and society. Click here for a complete overview.

Understanding the ESG Factors of Today—and Tomorrow

It hasn’t been easy for investors to assess a company’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance. WEF and BCG are shedding light on the financial materiality of ESG factors and how those factors will evolve.

Read the full reports and white papers

We have to point out the cost of going separate ways and see how we can emphasize and strengthen our shared goals. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, BCG's Rich Lesser shares his thoughts on the importance of purpose, the next generation, and how multi-stakeholder capitalism—supported by shared goals—can better society.

Rich Lesser

Global Chair

New York

For the planet, the cost of not mitigating CO2 emissions...is going to cost us trillions. Michel Frédeau speaks with Cheddar about the role companies will have to play in the battle against climate change and the importance of this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Michel Frédeau

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Paris

It is no longer possible for companies to innovate first and provide for security and privacy second. Stefan Deutscher presents the critical steps business leaders can take to enhance their company's cybersecurity in an article published collaboratively by Forbes and WEF.

Stefan Deutscher

Partner & Director

Berlin

BCG@DAVOS - 2019

Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In a world preoccupied by crisis management, BCG will collaborate with stakeholders at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos to foster solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Meet our Delegates

Hear more from our delegation about their experiences at Davos

Digesting the Social Impact Strides at Davos

Looking at Multidimensional Risk Issues at Davos

Insights from Davos Day Three

Globalization’s Effect on Investment Returns

People Are at the Center of Transformation

A Reskilling Revolution

Insights from Davos Day Two

The Role a Company Plays in Finding Solutions

Companies Should Share Social Impact Data

The Evolution of Digital Ecosystems

Insights from BCGers at Davos

Miki Tsusaka: Davos 2019: A CMO’s Perspective

BCG’s Miki Tsusaka reflects on her fifth appearance at the World Economic Forum as BCG's CMO. She explores several topics, including a CMO’s role and responsible marketing.

Read the perspective piece on LinkedIn

Martin Reeves: From Diagnosis to Action, Reflections from Davos

Martin Reeves looks back on Davos 2019. He recalls heavy conversations about risk and declining growth, but identifies six imperatives for action.

Martin's perspective on Davos 2019

Wendy Woods: Davos 2019: Social Impact on Center Stage

Wendy Woods has attended Davos each of the last seven years. This year she noted a shift: engagement in societal impact is growing, and not just in the social sector. CEOs share a sense of urgency to collaborate for good.

Vincent Chin: Government Leaders Must Understand that Globalization 4.0 is No Bogeyman

Governments who embrace disruption, enable their industry, and empower their people will be the winners of Globalization 4.0

See Vincent's thoughts on Globalization 4.0

Highlights from BCG@Davos

Guy Standing, research professor in development studies at the University of London; Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs; Ali Velshi, panel moderator and NBC news anchor; Laurence D. Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock; Daniel Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal; and BCG Global CEO Rich Lesser discussed the paradox between rising corporate profitability and the uncertain financial future of the middle class.

BCG’s Hans-Paul Bürkner joined Adecco's chief executive officer, Alain Dehaze; Microsoft's executive vice president, Jean-Philippe Courtois; Zurich Insurance Group's chief human resources officer, David Henderson; and panel moderator Olivier Smith on the FU.SE Future Series panel to discuss the future of work and the role that FU.SE can play in addressing challenges faced by both employers and employees.

Miki Tsusaka and Pia Tischhauser discussed what it’s like to be at Davos and what they're learning about during a live filming at the Facebook Davos Mobile Studio.

BCG's Tom Reichart moderated a discussion between Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; and Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, executive chairman of LEGO on how global leaders are moving beyond the basics of digital adoption to integrate digital capabilities and culture.

Miki Tsusaka joined Kylie Wright-Ford, CEO of Reputation Institute, and Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick, for “The Female Quotient,” a WEF session focused on the role leader’s play as change agents.

Global Managing Partner Stefan Gross-Selbeck, of BCG Digital Ventures, spoke at the "Realizing the Internet of Things" session of the 2019 Annual Meeting.

Patrick Foulis, shumpeter columnist for The Economist; Ann Cairns, vice chairman, Mastercard; Christophe Catoir, regional head of France, Adecco Group; BCG’s Rainer Strack, and Bernadette Wightman, Global Services managing director, BT, came together for a session entitled “Designing and Implementing a Future Proof Strategy.” During the event, which was hosted by The Economist and supported by BCG, Brightline, and PMI, the panel discussed strategies for addressing technological progress and the future of human capital.

Sylvain Duranton delivered the key note speech on the advantages and the perils of delivering AI at Scale during the BCG dinner under The Dome.

Rich Lesser and Pia Tischhauser prepare for the BCG Dinner under The Dome.

WEF-BCG Project Updates

Future of Sustainable and Impact Investing

The reporting ecosystem for environmental, social and governance (ESG) data must evolve to unlock the significant business and societal impact that strong ESG performance enables. The paper summarizes the findings of an extensive consultation process, uncovering opportunities for collective action between the complex and diverse set of stakeholder groups that influence ESG reporting, and highlighting where greater action is needed to accelerate system-level progress. Read the "Seeking Return on ESG" White Paper Project Advisor: Wendy Woods

Advancing Cyberresilience

The power grid is an increasingly popular target for cyber-related threats around the world: including among hacktivists aiming to cause civil unrest or state-sponsored groups performing espionage activities. By identifying the key cyberresilience challenges affecting the electricity industry, Cyberresilience in the Electricity Industry: Principles and Guidance for Boards report provides seven strategies that boards of directors can institute to improve the cyberresilience of their organizations and broader electricity ecosystem. Read the "Cyberresilience in the Electricity Ecosystem" Report Project Advisor: Walter Bohmayr

Value in Healthcare

"Value in Healthcare: Accelerating the Pace of Health System Transformation” highlights three critical agenda items to drive value-based health systems forward at the global level: a “user guide” for health system transformation, a global roadmap for health informatics standardization, and a new Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare. Read "Accelerating the Pace of Health System Transformation" Project Advisor: Stefan Larsson

Future of Work

To help the industries prepare in an action-oriented way for the future of work, we created clear cross-industry recommendations and case studies linked to industry-specific roadmaps. Additionally, we show how a cost-benefit balance of reskilling workers in disrupted roles can be built for companies and government stakeholders and how many workers could be reskilled with a positive cost-benefit balance. With this report, we are building on our initial reports, in which we laid out scenarios of what the future of work might look like and introduced a new approach to identifying reskilling and job transition opportunities. Read "Towards a Reskilling Revolution" Project Advisor: Rainer Strack

For most companies around the world, looking at how you build strong partnerships and strong business models is the better way to think. BCG's Rich Lesser examines global economic relationships between different countries, world leaders, and businesses, as Davos begins.

Rich Lesser

Global Chair

New York

If you want to be a superpower in the world—and the U.S. still is—you have to engage with people. Chairman Hans-Paul Bürkner analyzes the US’s global status amid the government shutdown and trade disputes. Read on The Washington Post >>

Hans-Paul Bürkner

Global Chair Emeritus

Frankfurt

Workplace diversity remains an issue for many companies. Global business leaders are stressing the importance of eliminating homophobia and discrimination as a BCG study revealed that workplace diversity is a common theme. Read on Reuters >>

We are facing a big issue: AI algorithms taking nonsense decisions and taking nonsense actions…usually related to the use of [biased] data sets. BCG's Sylvain Duranton discusses algorithms: China's heavy usage and how biased data sets can lead to AI mistakes. Watch the interview on DW >>

Sylvain Duranton

Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Leader, BCG X

Paris

[Bitcoin] will go to zero. I think it's a great technology but I don't believe it's a currency. It's not based on anything. With bitcoin steadily falling since its peak value in 2017, BCG’s Jeff Schumacher believes that the cryptocurrency could become completely worthless. Read on CNBC >>

Jeff Schumacher

Alumnus

Digital Ventures – Manhattan Beach

BCG has been helping our clients expand the positive societal impacts that they create through their products, services and how they operate as a business. Hans-Paul Bürkner and BCG partnered with the SK Group to present on how social value can be used as an approach to reach sustainable growth. Read on Business Insider >>

Hans-Paul Bürkner

Global Chair Emeritus

Frankfurt

The pressure from companies to make their businesses work is so much higher on the 5G network than what it used to be in 4G. With 17 billion connected devices in the world today, the demand for 5G capability continues to grow according to Tom Reichert. Read on CGTN >>

Tom Reichert

Alumnus

Winning the ’20s: A Leadership Agenda for the Next Decade

Multiple challenges—the rapid advance of AI and other technologies, a changing global economic order, and the increased scrutiny of business, among others—are reshaping the competitive environment. Here are five ways leaders can get ahead of those trends.