KUALA LUMPUR, 8 June 2021: The PETRA Group Chairman and Chief Executive Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar will be giving his keynote message to over 1,000 prominent global leaders, social and entrepreneurial leaders, government ministers and Fortune 500 CEOs at the Horasis Global Meeting today.
Horasis Founder and Chairman Dr Frank-Jürgen Richter said there is a sense of urgency to this year’s meeting in light of the global pandemic and its economic impact.
“The world is at a crossroads, where increased international collaboration is needed more than ever to resolve its most pressing issues, including economic inequality, climate change and a path forward post-pandemic. The Horasis community of world leaders will be instrumental in formulating actionable plans to lead the global community towards a prosperous, egalitarian future,” Richter said.
Richter also pointed out that PETRA Group’s initiative on good capitalism and similar goals for long-term sustainability, is consistent with Horasis’s objectives.
“As the strategic partner of the event, PETRA Group will be involved in various ways. They are charting the right path through initiatives such as setting up its own think tank – the Sekhar Institute – conducting non-profit work, giving back to society and engaging with key stakeholders in Malaysia and across the world,” he added.
Datuk (Dr) Vinod, a well-known business leader and philanthropist, is a strong advocate of social capitalism, a concept that he believes will be a sustainable tool to uplift communities.
His vision has cascaded down to the PETRA Group that he leads, which aims to provide ‘solutions for humanity’ through innovative technologies and sustainable business practices.
“I feel privileged and am looking forward to speaking at the meeting where prominent leaders and decision makers of the world will gather. This will also be a wonderful opportunity for the PETRA Group and Sekhar Institute to promote good capitalism, a concept I hope to see more corporations and organisations embrace within the communities that they work with,” Datuk (Dr) Vinod said.
“I am proud to be associated with Horasis because it is important for world leaders and corporations to have these discussions. What Horasis is doing now is exactly what we stand for. If you look at all the different discussions, it’s exactly the kind of discussions we want the world to have.
“If you look at the speakers, it’s quite an amazing group of people and leaders from all walks of life and industries, different political thought, but more important than that, this is a time for economic leaders.
“It’s time for economic leaders to stand up and be counted. This kind of platform allows that. We have to stand up and show leadership,” said Datuk (Dr) Vinod who added that the Covid- 19 pandemic has changed the world’s economic landscape and forced multinational companies and governments to change the ways they operate.
Datuk (Dr) Vinod will be joined by Sekhar Institute’s Executive Director, P. Gunasegaram and Prof Graham Kendall, the Chief Executive of the Good Capitalism Forum (GCF), which is a part of the institute.
The Sekhar Institute, as part of the PETRA Group, is the research and advocacy arm to explain, publicise and promote the concept of social or good capitalism as a tool to lift people out of poverty. The institute promotes awareness, debates, and policy formulation, which favours social capitalism. Under social capitalism, enterprises are run as profitable ventures while simultaneously helping to lift customers, stakeholders and society out of poverty.
Sekhar Institute’s GCF on the other hand is where global speakers and participants share a common platform to discuss key concepts and programmes for the advancement of good capitalism.
Gunasegaram will be speaking in a session titled The Democratic Process and the Power of Humanity while Prof. Kendall will be addressing the delegates in the Balancing Capitalism’s Short vs Long-termism session.
The meeting, which PETRA Group is the strategic partner, will be held virtually today where the invited delegates will discuss the theme of “Fostering a Shared Humanity” in times of great uncertainty.
Held at a historic moment in which the world is facing an existential threat from Covid-19 and its emergent variants, an unprecedented global economic downturn, and a dearth of decisive leadership, Horasis delegates will convene to propose sustainable pathways, buoyed by compassionate leadership, to solve the myriad of disruptions on both global and local levels.
Among the political leaders in attendance are Armen Sarkissian, President of Armenia, Hage Geingob, President of Namibia; Taro Kono, Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform, Japan; Julia Klöckner, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Germany; Radmila Shekerinska, Minister of Defence, North Macedonia, among others.
Besides Datuk (Dr) Vinod, the private sector will also be represented by leaders from top organizations such as; Hank McKinnell, Member of the Board, Moody's, USA; David de Rothschild, Founder, Voice for Nature, United Kingdom; Megan J. Smith, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, shift7; Former CTO of the United States, USA; Ibukun Awosika, Chair, First Bank of Nigeria, Barbara Ann Bernard, Chief Executive Officer, Wincrest Capital, Bahamas; Nadja Swarovski, Chair, Swarovski Foundation, Austria, amongst many more.
Launched in 2016, the annual Horasis Global Meeting is one of the world's foremost discussion forums, offering an ideal platform to explore and foster cooperation, impact investing and sustainable growth across the world. The summit -- hosted annually in the seaside resort town of Cascais, Portugal -- has moved online due to the pandemic.
Horasis holds a series of summits throughout the year including the Horasis Extraordinary Meeting, as well as smaller, country-specific conferences including the Horasis India Meeting, Horasis China Meeting, Horasis Asia Meeting, and the Horasis Visionary Circle, a private meeting of the world’s most influential captains of industry.
To learn more about the Horasis Global Meeting, please visit: www.horasis.org/horasis- global-meeting