As principal sponsor, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) played an important role in the success of the recent Fifth Annual Forbes Global CEO Conference, which saw over 370 chief executives from 26 countries join local business leaders at the Opera House in Sydney.
Themed "The Next Move", the conference provided a platform for attendees to focus on the best ways to nurture and capitalise on innovation and the latest global trends. Topics discussed and debated included growth, risk management and investment strategies in the global economy, the convergence of financial markets and the emergence of China as a force in international trade.
The conference was opened by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and featured 44 speakers from the world's leading companies and institutions, including former New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma, Business Council of Australia President Hugh Morgan and PwC Global CEO Samuel DiPiazza.
Samuel DiPiazza took part in the "Regulation and risk: achieving the balance" panel session. This session, one of the conference's headline events, was moderated by Steve Forbes, Publisher of Forbes Magazine.
Australian PwC CEO Tony Harrington said the Forbes Global CEO Conference was a landmark event and the firm was delighted to have supported its success. "Globalisation is having a very real impact on the business community and governments everywhere, and bringing the world's business leaders together at the Forbes Conference was an important step towards reaching a common understanding on these issues," he said.
PwC's brand positioning for the conference was "Thought. Let's provoke it." This highlighted the synergy between the conference theme, "The Next Move", and PwC's strategic goal to be at the leading edge of debate on a global stage.
PwC's own signature event to leverage its sponsorship with Forbes - the PwC roundtables - also generated significant interest. Designed to promote debate on key global business issues among prominent attendees, including Australian Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd MP and CEOs from major Australian and International organisations, the three 90-minute roundtable discussions on the topics of China, Growth and Talent, were held simultaneously on Monday 29 August. Participants attended a dinner with a keynote address from Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Mark Vaile MP, and a private performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, of which PwC is Principal Innovation Partner.
A communiqué for each topic was prepared to reflect the collective point of view/opinion of the participants. These were distributed to the round table participants, the media and Forbes Conference delegates and are available by clicking here.
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