28th January, 2010
The Duke attends the World Economic Forum in Davos
The Duke of York attended the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he conducted 35 engagements in two days. This was his fourth Annual Meeting.
The Duke attended Davos in his role as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. It provided a unique opportunity to continue his engagement with business and political leaders whilst they were gathered in one place. He used the occasion to speak with Chief Executives about how the economic downturn has been affecting their organisations, and about their pursuit of key opportunities that will drive their success in the future. He also spoke with Heads of State and Ministers in key priority markets for the UK about the issues they are facing and explored further ways in which the UK can provide support.
Thursday 28th January
During the day, His Royal Highness attended meetings with key figures from foreign governments including the Premier of Quebec, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Mayor of Tianjin (China), the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry and the Mexican Minister for Economic Affairs. The Duke’s meetings with global business leaders included the Chairman of Rio Tinto, the Executive Director (Upstream) of Shell, the Chairman of Unilever, the Chief Executive of HGW Management, the Chief Executive of Apax Partners, the Chairman of BT Group, the Chief Executive of Petrofac and the Chief Executive of Prudential. He also met with the Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
After these bilateral meetings, The Duke was interviewed by Andrea Catherwood of Bloomberg.
In the evening, His Royal Highness hosted a Reception under the theme "The UK: Standing Out". This event was attended by 250 people, providing a special forum that brought together the senior British political and business contingent at Davos, as well as international companies and public figures with interests in the UK. The Reception was attended by 10% more people than the equivalent Reception last year, which is a testament to its success and impact.
In his speech, the Duke observed that the tone of the Annual Meeting last year (at the height of the economic crisis) was “pessimism” whereas this year it was “pragmatism”. He used the forum to promote the attractiveness of Britain, both as a nation for inward investment and as the source of strong exporters. He encouraged use of the Reception to further the dialogue between the political and business classes to jointly address the challenges the economy is facing.
His Royal Highness afterwards attended a World Food Programme Reception, followed by a Dinner given by Bombardier Incorporated at the Morosani Posthotel.
Friday 29th January
After an early breakfast, the Duke of York returned to the Congress Centre at the World Economic Forum in Davos ready to resume his schedule of bilateral meetings.
These included the President of Mongolia, the President of Panama, the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand and the President of the China Investment Corporation. His Royal Highness also held meetings with the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme and the Mayor of London.
When time allowed between bilateral meetings, The Duke attended Seminars on "Global Redesign - Priorities for Strengthening the International System" and "Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture". His Royal Highness was interviewed by Robert Quest, which was broadcast on CNN.
In the evening, Prince Andrew hosted a Dinner for the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This presented an occasion for key figures from the Vietnam government to meet with leaders of UK companies to discuss business opportunities. The Duke facilitated a wide-ranging discussion which highlighted potential for UK companies to support Vietnam across various sectors. These include the creation of a local bond market, the establishment of public-private partnerships and in expanding the education system.
