Punjab delegation holds strategic talks with global business leaders at Davos

Davos: Strategic discussions and meetings with global business leaders marked Punjab’s first day in Davos for its second visit to World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

The high-level Punjab delegation, led by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, met Chris Johnson, CEO, Zone Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa, Nestle; Israel Makov, Chairman, Sun Pharmaceuticals; Phillip Myer, Global Public Policy Head and Govt. Affairs, Pepsi Co; Surendra Patawari, Chairman, Gemini Corporation Belgium; Magesvaran Suranjan, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Procter & Gamble; Ho Kuen Loon, Global CEO, Fullerton Healthcare; and Sucheta Govil, COO, Covestro AG.

The delegation also comprises of Advisor Invest Punjab, Mr. B.S. Kohli and CEO Invest Punjab, Mr. Rajat Agarwal.

In line with this year’s theme of WEF “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”, the Finance Minister started the day with participating in the Food Steward Board Meeting on ‘Shaping the Future of Food’. Forty leaders from the public and private sectors discussed collective cooperation on strengthening and shaping food systems. Badal showcased the various initiatives taken by Punjab government to support inclusive growth for farmers, as well as access to new technologies and partnerships in a move towards promoting sustainable agriculture.

Apart from sharing various agendas such as emphasis on forming global linkages, the Punjab Government and WEF are also experiencing milestones together this year. For Punjab, both the celebrations of the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji and the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit 2019 were recently concluded, while WEF 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the event.

The 4-day event (21st-24th Jan 2020) will see attendance by numerous dignitaries including US President Donald Trump, Britain's Prince Charles, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice-Premier of the People's Republic of China Han Zheng, Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga.

This will be an unparalleled opportunity for Punjab to network with global leaders & thinkers, and engage with them to shape global, regional & industry agendas and establish Punjab’s position within these agendas. It is also an important platform for Punjab Government to position “Brand Punjab” as a favoured investment destination.

WEF is a platform which gets the best minds of the world together to shape the future. The progressive reforms and initiatives taken by the Punjab Government are being appreciated and acclaimed at the global stage.