Doosan 2015 Global Business Forum held in Edinburgh
Scotland plays host to company’s fourth business seminar focusing on future global economic prospects
DOOSAN have held their 2015 Global Business Forum – an annual event where global leaders, prominent economists and CEOs of multinational companies gather together to gain valuable insights into the world economy and latest technology innovation trends – in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Among the high-profile attendees/speakers at the conference were: Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister; Gene Sperling, former director of the US National Economic Council (NEC); Justin Yifu Lin, former senior vice-president of the World Bank; Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, secretary of India’s Ministry of Finance; and Amitabh Kant, secretary of India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
In his opening and closing remarks, while citing an Indian proverb: ‘We cannot change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust the sails’ and John F. Kennedy’s famous saying: ‘Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction’, Doosan Group chairman Yongmaan Park expressed his hope that ‘this discussion [will] help us identify what is ahead of us and how we should respond to the changing environment.’
Justin Yifu Lin provided insightful perspectives on the current status and future trends of the Chinese economy, pointing out the reasons for China’s slower growth, and internal and external variables that can affect China’s future economy.
In the following presentation, Joan Ogden, professor at the University of California, Davis, spoke about the transformative rise of the ‘hydrogen economy’, referring to the potential for hydrogen to replace fossil fuels as the main source of energy supplied and consumed in the future.
This year’s Doosan business forum also featured a special session on the Indian economy. Shri Rajiv Mehrishi provided an update on India’s economic growth and economic policy reforms, while Amitabh Kant, who spearheads the ‘Make in India’ manufacturing initiative, explained the programme’s key points including infrastructure construction plans, smart city projects and energy policies.
