Global Leaders Meet in Beijing to Redefine Models for Success

New Cooperation among Emerging Markets - China / India / Middle East

BEIJING, Nov. 7 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- BusinessWeek's Eleventh Annual CEO Forum brought together 700 global entrepreneurs for discussions on challenges and strategies to help companies stay on the fast track in hyper-competitive markets. The Forum, co-hosted with Boao Forum for Asia, opened today in Beijing with the theme "Staying on the Fast Track: Leadership, Innovation, Performance". The Right Honorable Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland joins the Forum as part of his first trip to Asia since stepping down from office earlier in the year.

The Forum attracted 700 business leaders, half of whom are from overseas, to meet and interact with their global counterparts. This year's forum also saw a significant increase in the number of participants from other Asian markets, such as India and South East Asia, and a big delegation from key Middle East markets. This reflects the rising interest in China as a key market for the Middle East.

Leadership, innovation and performance are all essential to the corporations of tomorrow as they tackle rapid changes. Companies need to redefine business models to incorporate changing lifestyles and needs for consumers and leverage new ways to interact with stakeholders.

The Forum provides an important platform for governments and key stakeholders to talk about these challenges, exchange views on available options, and explore practical approaches and experiences to stay on the fast track.

"CEOs around the world are recognizing how important it is to stay on the 'fast track' and adapt quickly to shifts in technology and customer needs. In addition, in increasingly global markets, business leaders need to stay attuned to regional developments such as the rapid growth of China's economy, the emergence of India as a global player, and the development of the Middle East and its role in Asia," said Glenn Goldberg, president for Information & Media of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

"The BusinessWeek's CEO Forum is one of the best East-meets-West networking platforms and opportunities. The connections of global political and business leaders marks a significant contributions in redefining business models in changing environment," added Mr. Long Yongtu, Secretary General, Boao Forum for Asia.

Keynote Speakers are:

-- The Right Honorable Tony Blair, Special Envoy, Quartet on the Middle-

East and Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

-- The Right Honorable Jenny Shipley, Former Prime Minister of New

Zealand;

-- Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of

Economy, Government of United Arab Emirates;

-- His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of the Board,

King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia;

-- Long Yongtu, Secretary-General, Boao Forum for Asia, People's

Republic of China; and

-- Professor Robert Mundell, Professor of Economics, Columbia University

and 1999 Nobel Laureate for Economics, United States.

Dialogue Panelists include, among others: Glenn Goldberg, president, Information & Media, The McGraw-Hill Companies; Tanri Abeng, chairman, PT Telkom, Indonesia; Khalid Rashid Al Zayani, chairman, Alzayani Investments, Bahrain; Yousuf Alireza, director, Xenel Industries, Saudi Arabia; Nada Al Tobaishi, managing director, Atheeb Group, United Kingdom; Rami Alturki, president, Alturki Group, Saudi Arabia; Tom Bernardin, chairman and chief executive officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide, United States; Bruce Bowers, regional chief executive officer, Asia Pacific, Allianz Insurance Management, Singapore; Barry Bridden, managing director, Corporate Strategy, Harrison Lovegrove & Co., United Kingdom; Dr. Stephanie Burns, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Dow Corning, United States; Dr. Hong Chen, chairman and CEO, The Hina Group, People's Republic of China; Barry Cheung, J.P., chief executive, Titan Petrochemicals Group, Hong Kong; Dr. Shin Cho, chief executive officer, SK Communications and executive vice-president, SK Telecom, Republic of Korea; Victoria Chu Pao, president, Platts, United States; Bob Dowling, visiting professor, Tsinghua University and former international managing editor, BusinessWeek, People's Republic of China; Andrew Ferrier, chief executive officer, Fonterra Co-operative Group New Zealand; Joseph Fuller, chief executive officer, Monitor Group, United States; United States; David Jackson, chief executive officer, Istithmar, United Arab Emirates; Robert Johnson, chief executive officer, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, United Arab Emirates; Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, chief executive, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Bahrain; Professor Annie Koh, dean, Office of Executive and Professional Education, associate dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, Singapore; Peter Lau, chairman and chief executive, Giordano International, Hong Kong; Herbert Leung, CEO, Atos Origin Asia Pacific, Singapore; Barry Libert, chief executive officer, Shared Insights, United States; Ma Chengliang, chairman, SIIC Real Estate Group, People's Republic of China; Daniel McHugh, chief executive officer, DHL Express Asia Pacific, Singapore; Daniel Moloney, president, Home & Networks Mobility Business, and executive vice-president, Motorola, United States; Niu Gensheng, chief executive officer, China Mengniu Dairy Company, People's Republic of China; Dr. Helmut Panke, former chairman, BMW AG, and member of the Board, Microsoft, Germany; Preetha Reddy, managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group, India; Alan Rosling, executive director, Tata Sons, India; Dr. John Rutledge, president and chairman, Rutledge Capital, United States; Dr. Armin Sandhövel, chief executive officer, Allianz Climate Solutions, Germany; Nasser Al Shaali, chief executive officer, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority, United Arab Emirates; Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairman and managing director, Biocon Group, India; M.S. Unnikrishnan, managing director, Thermax, India; Captain Wei Jiafu, president and chief executive officer, COSCO Group, People's Republic of China; Wu Jianmin, president, China Foreign Affairs University, People's Republic of China; Yang Yuanqing, chairman of the Board, Lenovo Group, People's Republic of China; and Zhang Xin, chief executive officer, SOHO China, People's Republic of China.

Strategic Insights Speakers are: Patrick Adiba, executive vice-president, Olympics and Major Events, Atos Origin, France; Don Birch, president and chief executive officer, Abacus International, Singapore; Robert Bush, chief executive officer, Majlis Capital, United Arab Emirates; Pierre Cohade, president, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Asia Pacific, People's Republic of China; Gregory Novak, president and chief executive officer, Harris Interactive, United States; Alan Rosling, executive director, Tata Sons, India; and Zhang Yue, chairman and chief executive officer, Broad Air Conditioning, People's Republic of China.

The Moderators include: John Defterios, group president, FactBased Communications and host, CNN "Marketplace Middle East", United Kingdom; Bruce Einhorn, Asia regional editor, BusinessWeek, Hong Kong; Christopher Power, assistant managing editor, International, BusinessWeek, United States; and V. Shankar, group head, Client Relationships and Corporate Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore.

About The CEO Forum

The CEO Forum is an annual event, held in key markets across Asia. For the last few years the CEO Forum has taken place in Beijing showcasing rising giants from Asia along with global political and business leaders. The Forum consistently attracts a gathering of 500-600 senior business leaders and decision-makers from different parts of the world. Its unique format allows for in-depth discussions and informal interaction with global CEOs and policy leaders. For more information, please refer to the website of the Forum organizer, DNMstrategies, at http://www.dnmstrategies.com.