For nearly two decades, the Wharton Global Forum has brought leaders of industry and finance together with eminent faculty and alumni of the Wharton School in locations around the world. Alumni gather to network, collaborate, and share insights in a dynamic global business environment. This year, the School celebrates a milestone — its 50th Wharton Global Forum, held in Hong Kong, a vibrant financial hub with one of Wharton’s most robust alumni networks in the world.

Leading disruptive innovation is a key theme of the milestone Forum, at which more than 600 guests are expected. New York Times columnist and bestselling author Thomas Friedman kicks off the event with his keynote speech, addressing geopolitical uncertainties
and disruptive innovation in a flat world. Eight keynote speakers, including Friedman, will share insights on all aspects of the Forum’s theme. Panel sessions include presentations and discussions on topics that range from regionally focused issues to industry-specific outlooks to the global investment landscape.

Forum participants have the unique opportunity to explore with prominent regional business leaders the implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious economic development program intended to bolster trade with approximately 60 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Leaders from the public and private sectors examine the roles of development banks, governments, and private sector financial institutions and firms in financing Belt and Road infrastructure. Some issues to be addressed are lessons learned from the implementation of public-private partnerships in other countries and the role of Hong Kong in the project.