Digital Nations: Harnessing technology for economic growth
Thursday, September 7, 2023 | 11 am ET / 8 am PT
Please join us for a virtual livestream on September 7 at 11:00 am ET, hosted by GZERO Media in collaboration with Visa. The event, "Digital Nations: Harnessing technology for economic growth," will delve into digitization and its impact on the global economy and society.
In an era where the digital landscape is rapidly evolving, the World Economic Forum reported that 60% of global GDP was digital as of 2022. However, a significant portion of the economy remains non-digital, and only 45% of people believe that technology will improve their lives.
The past three years have seen an explosive surge in digitization, but access to reliable connectivity remains a challenge for over a billion people, and some nations lag in adopting digital tools for essential services, data collection, and payments. We’ll take a look at how governments are using digital tools to foster greater growth and stability.
Sign up to be notified about this event and join our distinguished panelists on September 7 for an engaging and informative discussion on the challenges and opportunities of digitization and how it could shape a more inclusive and resilient future for all. We look forward to seeing you there.
- Mohamed Abdel-Kader, Chief Innovation Officer, USAID
- Rajiv Garodia, Global Head of Government Solutions, Visa
- Carmen Raal, Digital Transformation Adviser, e-Estonia Briefing Centre
- Alexis Serfaty, Director of Geo-technology, Eurasia Group
- Priya Vora, CEO, Digital Impact Alliance
- JJ Ramberg, Co-Founder, Goodpods and former host of MSNBC's Your Business (moderator)
Speakers
Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
Ian Bremmer is a political scientist who helps business leaders, policy makers, and the general public make sense of the world around them. He is president and founder of Eurasia Group, the world's leading political risk research and consulting firm, and GZERO Media, a company dedicated to providing intelligent and engaging coverage of international affairs. Ian is an independent voice on critical issues around the globe, offering clearheaded insights through speeches, written commentary, and even satirical puppets (really!). Ian is the host of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, a weekly show airing on US public television.
Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank
President Nadia Calviño is a Spanish economist and lawyer with a 30+ year career in public policy, economics and finance. She has held several prominent positions within the Spanish government and the European Commission.Ms. Calviño served as First Vice-President of Spain and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise until December 2023. Prior to that role, she held various positions, including Second Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalization (March-July 2021), Third Vice-President and Minister for Economy and Digitalization (2020-2021) and Minister for Economy and Business (2018-2020).
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, WTO
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh Director-General of the WTO. She took office on 1 March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 40 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was formerly Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She was previously on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc.
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
As Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith is responsible for spearheading the company’s work and representing it publicly on a wide variety of critical issues involving the intersection of technology and society, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy, environmental sustainability, human rights, digital safety, immigration, philanthropy, and products and business for non-profit customers. He leads a team of roughly 2,000 business, legal and corporate affairs professionals located in 54 countries and operating in more than 120 nations.
Peng Xiao, CEO, G42
Peng Xiao is a global technology and business leader with a track record of building breakthrough products, delivering customer successes, and achieving commercial results.As CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Group42 Ltd., Peng is responsible for crafting the Group’s business and product strategies, and overseeing the operating companies across numerous industry verticals, including smart city, healthcare, energy, finance and education. The group has developed world-class solutions in AI, big data analytics, mobile technology, and cloud computing, and its offerings are delivered to a wide range of commercial and government clients.
Becky Anderson (moderator), Anchor & Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi
Becky Anderson is one of CNN International’s highest profile anchors. She hosts Connect the World with Becky Anderson, which airs weekdays at 5:00pm UAE time. She is based at CNN’s Abu Dhabi bureau, where she also serves as Managing Editor. In these roles Anderson has a distinctive regional perspective on some of today’s most important news stories, including the emerging politico-economic trends in the Gulf, the regional rivalries between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the deepening humanitarian crisis stemming from years of political instability in Syria and Iraq.GZERO Media Events
