The News
Today, on stage at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington D.C, Co-Founder & CEO, Justin B. Smith announced the launch of its inaugural World Economy Summit: Fall Edition, a major expansion of its flagship live journalism platform, designed to coincide with the Fall IMF/World Bank meetings in October. Centered on the intricate world of global finance, the Fall Edition summit will be the premier public-facing media platform for thousands of global economic and business leaders converging in Washington D.C.
Hosted by CEO and Co-Founder Justin B. Smith, Founding Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons, and Semafor journalists, The World Economy Summit this week in Washington D.C. featured some of the most prominent industry luminaries and policymakers in government. Semafor drove headlines from the stage with New York Federal Reserve Bank Chief John Williams on why there is no urgency to cut interest rates; Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson calling for a ‘pragmatic’ China policy; Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg confirming the department’s watchdog agency is auditing the FAA’s oversight of Boeing; Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on why the US can’t unlink from China; and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on Brexit consequences; and CISA’s Executive Director Brandon Wales on hacking threats from China.
Additional speakers included Xavier Becerra, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services; Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna; Lael Brainard, Director of the White House National Economic Council; Pat Gelsinger, CEO, Intel; Rich Lesser, Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group; Daniel Pinto, President, JPMorgan; Gretchen Watkins, President, Shell USA; UK; Jared Bernstein, Chair, White House Council of Economic Advisers, among others.
The two-day summit featured high-profile speakers including seven cabinet secretaries, 20 Fortune 500 CEOs, and dozens of thought leaders, academics and current and former policymakers. Attended by nearly 3000 individuals, the event drew together a powerful and influential audience of business and economic decision-makers. 27% of the summit’s attendees were members of the C-suite, while more than 1 in 5 Fortune 100 companies were represented at the summit.
Semafor’s second annual World Economy Summit was supported by founding partners Amazon, Bank of America, BCG, Hyundai and Verizon, as well as presenting partner, IBM.
