47th St. Gallen Symposium, 3–5 May 2017
The 46th St. Gallen Symposium was highlighted by the presence of the Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. We saw this occasion as a starting point to tighten the relationship between Luxembourg and the St. Gallen Symposium. In addition, the notable appointment of the Luc Frieden as a Professor at the University of St. Gallen and the growing number of Luxemburgish participants at the symposium shined a promising light on our long-term goals.
Furthermore, the topic of the 47th St. Gallen Symposium (3–5 May 2017), “The dilemma of disruption”, reasons with the concerns Luxembourg decision-makers are facing as well as with the Rifkin study about the “Third industrial revolution”. Whether we look at how the financial sector is disrupted by fintechs or any other business sector confronted with the digital revolution, disruption is a pertinent issue for both the private and the public actors in Luxembourg.
The St. Gallen Symposium holds its first reception at the Chamber of Commerce
For the first time on January 12th 2017, the Chamber of Commerce hosted a reception organised by the Swiss Embassy in Luxembourg and the International Students’ Committee (ISC). The idea was to gather the Luxemburgish community of the St. Gallen Symposium, which includes University of St. Gallen Alumni, alumni of the symposium organising committee, and the participants of the conference.
This was made possible by His Excellency Urs Hammer, Ambassador of Switzerland in Luxembourg and Dean of the diplomatic corps in the Grand Duchy, who recalled the special links that exist between Switzerland and Luxembourg as well as between the University of St. Gallen and renowned academic and private institutions in Luxembourg. The address of the His Excellency was followed by the speech of drs. Joseph Jean Aghina, who himself was part of the organising committees of the 7th and 8th St. Gallen Symposium. He elaborated on the evolution of the forum over the years and felt happy to share his memories of organising one of the first symposia. Following the successful first edition of the reception in Luxembourg, the ISC hopes to continue with organising this exclusive event in the upcoming years, following the path of the symposium’s receptions in Beijing, Paris, Copenhagen, Johannesburg, and also in other places in the world.
The St. Gallen Symposium and this year’s edition
Since 1969, the St. Gallen Symposium has been organised by the ISC and aims at offering a platform and an atmosphere for high-quality debates on current global issues. On this occasion, 600 of today's decision makers and 200 potential future leaders attend the global forum to immerse in interdisciplinary and intergenerational debates. After “Proudly Small” in 2015 and “Growth – the good, the bad and the ugly” in 2016, the topic of the 47th St. Gallen Symposium will be “The dilemma of disruption”.
Few management theories have had as much influence on the business community and our society as the concept of disruption. With “The dilemma of disruption”, the participants will look at the breeding grounds for radical change and assess tough decisions that come with it. The world is being disrupted in so many areas these days and the symposium aspires to take the debate far beyond the management theory. It will therefore be crucial to grasp some of the radical changes happening in business, politics, and society and to foster a fruitful discourse at the symposium in May 2017 on how to cope with disruption. Renowned global leaders have already confirmed their participation in the symposium, including Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, Professor Takaaki Kajita, Nobel Laureate in Physics, and John Flint, HSBC Holdings plc. The latest version of the speaker line-up is available at www.symposium.org/speaker-preview (updated regularly).
Take part in the intergenerational debate in May 2017
It would be a great honour for us to welcome interesting and renowned participants from Luxembourg to the 47th St. Gallen Symposium. In this regard, please feel free to visit www.symposium.org or to contact guillaume.gauthier@symposium.org for further Information.