Parag is a brilliant, energetic, and mesmerizing speaker who carried the opening day at our recent symposium, the largest annual gathering of geospatial intelligence practitioners in the world. Our almost 4,000 attendees bring wide-ranging areas of expertise regarding myriad emerging technologies, including remote sensing, data analytics, and intelligence for national security. They were universally blown away by Parag’s talk, and the concepts he raised were grist for superb conversations and debates during the entirety of our event.
Speaking Topics
Investing Into Volatility:
Winners and Losers in the New Global Macro
Today’s macro investment landscape features a volatile mix of geopolitical fragmentation, interest rate gyrations and trade distortions, as well as significant new drivers such as demographic shifts, technological disruptions and climate risk. Active portfolio diversification across geographies and asset classes is essential to generating alpha. Dr. Khanna has spent a quarter century traveling to more than 150 countries, advising the largest and most prestigious asset managers as well as the most respected and successful governments. His deep and data-rich analysis paints an interdisciplinary picture of key megatrends, confidently forecasting which geographies, markets and sectors will outperform in the complex and turbulent years ahead.
Beyond the “New Cold War”:
Navigating the Geopolitical Marketplace
America no longer runs the world, nor will a “new Cold War” between the US and China determine global order. Instead, we find ourselves in a hyper-competitive “geopolitical marketplace,” the term Dr. Khanna coined to capture how a half-dozen major powers are vying to be the trusted providers of vital services across the military, financial, energy, industrial, technological, infrastructure and other domains. Meanwhile, rather than choose sides, smart countries practice a deft “multi-alignment,” doing business in all directions to get the best deal for themselves. Based on his pioneering research and extensive experience advising heads of state and global corporations, Dr. Khanna guides you in finding opportunities in this complex new global system.
The Future of Demographics and Mobility:
A Global War for Young Talent
Our species is rapidly reaching “peak humanity.” The global population may cross nine billion people during the 2030s, after which it will rapidly decline. In fact, many aging societies from Europe to East Asia are already depopulating due to collapsing fertility and low immigration. But most of the world’s people are still young — and as they vote with their feet, they determine the winners and losers of the 21st century. Countries are now vigorously competing in a global war for young talent to attract the taxpayers and homeowners, laborers and caregivers, students and entrepreneurs of the future. Companies must do the same – even though in a remote working world, millennials and Gen-Z are moving targets as they abandon national loyalty in favor of the most affordable and liberal lifestyle. Which societies are winning the war for young talent? How can corporations attract young employees to their headquarters while also building a decentralized workplace culture? Drawing upon the innovative and global research from his latest book MOVE, Dr. Khanna presents the world from the standpoint of the mobile generation who will define it, guiding your talent strategies for the years ahead.
Climate Adaptation:
How to Become Future-Proof
The climate will not adapt to us – we have to adapt to it. Climate disasters are intensifying, with hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and other catastrophes are causing ever greater costs to societies everywhere. Climate refugees now outnumber political and economic migrants. The world will not only be hotter but also more violent, with conflicts over food and water and uncontrolled mass migrations across the continents. Net zero goals are clearly not enough. That is why climate adaptation must be every country and company’s foremost priority. This includes fortifying and redesigning our cities and buildings, accelerating renewable energy, boosting food production, and relocating our businesses, citizens, and workers to more resilient habitats. As Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, the leading geospatial data science company using AI to translate climate models into financial impact, Dr. Khanna leverages his access to this proprietary software to provide detailed analysis of the locations across the globe best suited to your business requirements, helping you create a customized strategy to invest in resilient assets that will outperform in the volatile era ahead.
The Future is Asian:
Billions of People, Trillions of Dollars
Asia is the world’s undisputed economic core and strategic cockpit. More than half the world’s population and GDP, as well as most of the world’s fast-growing economies and rapidly expanding middle class, are contained within this increasingly dense zone of trade and investment agreements. Asia used to produce for the world, now the world produces for Asia. After Japan and China, the next chapter of Asia’s economic story is being written by the “fourth wave” regions of South and Southeast Asia, with countries such as India and Vietnam becoming key destinations for high-tech manufacturing as they capture value chains and lead the world in minting unicorns. Yet navigating Asia’s dizzying diversity of cultures and range of regulations requires both a macro and micro view, as well as a keen understanding of current geopolitical tensions and conflict scenarios. As author of the landmark book The Future is Asian and strategic advisor to numerous Asian governments and corporations, there is no better guide than Dr. Khanna to the region that is defining the 21st century.
Citizen of Everywhere:
A Conversation with Parag Khanna
What does it mean to be a worldly person? How should you raise kids with skills necessary for tomorrow’s world? What are the best places to live and retire? Born in India, raised in the UAE, New York and Germany, and having lived in Switzerland, London and Singapore, Dr. Khanna has cultivated a lifestyle as a “citizen of everywhere”: Someone who behaves like a local wherever he is, for however long. This approach has been instrumental in yielding the profound insights contained in his many books spanning geopolitics, technology, governance and identity – and elevated him to the status of a trusted advisor to many world leaders and corporate figures. Those in positions of responsibility and influence will savor this philosophical yet grounded conversation drawing on Parag’s uniquely insightful life experiences as an adventurous scholar who’s been to more than 150 countries, whose strategic insights have earned him comparisons to Henry Kissinger and Alvin Toffler, and whose worldview presents the essential middle ground between the forces of nationalism and globalism.
Formats
Dr. Khanna offers the following formats for his engagements:
- TED-style keynotes with large-screen maps and data visualizations
- Formal corporate presentations with industry relevant data and insights
- Interactive panel dialogues as moderator or speaker
- Exclusive boardroom briefings delivering actionable strategies for executives
- Leadership retreats mixing foresight workshops with casual dialogue
- Fireside chats offering wide-ranging, contemporary, personal and witty dialogue
- Online webinars featuring presentations and interactive Q&A