World Economic Forum 2026

January 20, 7:00 a.m. CET

Hosted by Mercer and the Oliver Wyman Forum, this breakfast dialogue explores how leading organizations are navigating uncertainty while building the foundations for future growth. As shifts in AI, global politics, and demographics reshape business models, leaders will discuss how to redesign workforces, unlock real value from AI, and forge new ways to connect with customers.

Moderators: Ravin Jesuthasan, senior partner and global transformation leader, Mercer; Ana Kreacic, partner and chief knowledge officer, Oliver Wyman, and COO, Oliver Wyman Forum

Speakers: Azeem Azhar, founder, Exponential View; John Doyle, president and CEO, Marsh; Christian Edelmann, managing partner and head of Europe, Oliver Wyman; George C.W. Gatch, CEO, J.P. Morgan Asset; Rick Haythornthwaite, chair, NatWest Group; Pat Tomlinson, president and CEO, Mercer; Judith Wiese, chief people and sustainability officer (CPSO), Siemens AG

January 20, 12:30 p.m. CET

A new financial order is emerging from the collision of persistent inflation, mercantile policies, and rapid experimentation in AI. As governments pursue trade derisking and capital flows fragment, traditional boundaries are shifting — between deposits and stablecoins, public and private markets, and banks and private market players.

Hosted by Oliver Wyman, this leaders’ lunch will open with remarks from Anders Nemeth, the global head of our Banking and Financial Services Practice. The session will explore how financial institutions can seize new opportunities, reshape risk models, and strengthen their competitive positioning as global finance is being redrawn.

Moderator: Huw van Steenis, vice chair and partner, Oliver Wyman

Speakers: Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor in chief, The Economist; John Graham president and CEO, CPP investments 

January 21, 7:00 a.m. CET

Hosted by Mercer, Mercer Marsh Benefits, and Oliver Wyman, this breakfast brings together global health leaders to examine what it will take to achieve a Great Health Productivity Reset. Without a system-wide transformation, healthcare spending could double by 2040 as demographic shifts collide with inefficiencies and workforce shortages.

This session will be opened by Pat Tomlinson, president and CEO, Mercer, and John Romeo, managing partner and CEO, Oliver Wyman Forum. It will explore the investments, talent strategies, and infrastructure needed to reset productivity and ensure equitable, high‑quality care. We will also share new research on how AI and humanoid robotics could unlock significant productivity gains across care delivery, administration, and supply chains — expanding access while improving precision and outcomes.

Moderators: Herve Balzano, president, health and benefits, MMB/ Mercer; Oliver Eitelwein, partner, Oliver Wyman; Lorna Friedman, global health leader, multinational client segment, Mercer

Speakers: Maria Ansari, CEO and executive director, The Permanente Medical Group; Gilles Roucolle, managing partner and head of Global Industries, Oliver Wyman; Amira Romani, head of innovation, Siemens Healthineers; Cord Stähler, senior vice president, CTO for digital platforms and solutions, Dentsply Sirona; Pat Tomlinson, president and CEO, Mercer; Marnix van Ginneken, chief of Environmental, Social, and Governance Practice and legal officer, Royal Philips; Christophe Weber, president and CEO, Takeda

January 22, 7:00 a.m. CET

Hosted by Mercer, this session looks at how investors can build resilience in private markets amid macro uncertainty and accelerating megatrends. As AI blurs boundaries between public and private markets and redefines sources of value creation, investors need new strategies to navigate volatility while capturing long-term opportunity.

We will explore how megatrends — including technological disruption, demographic shifts, and geopolitical realignments — are reshaping deal flow, asset performance, and risk.

Moderator: Mick Dempsey, president, investments and retirement, Mercer

Speakers: Stephen Schwarzman, CEO and co-founder, Blackstone; Connor Teskey, president, Brookfield Asset Management

Thursday, January 22, 12:00 p.m. CET

Following the launch of our Sports for People and Planet report, developed in collaboration with the WEF, this invitation-only event — hosted in partnership with the Tsao Pao Chee (TPC) organization — brings together key stakeholders and decision‑makers across the sports economy, including sporting goods companies, city designers, national governments, sponsors, and investors, to explore how sport can enhance and amplify its positive impact through multi‑stakeholder action on communities, economies, and the environment.

Today, the sports economy is a fast-growing, more than $2 trillion ecosystem spanning global sporting events, adventure tourism, sporting goods, and active lifestyles. It is also becoming an increasingly attractive asset class for investors and philanthropists. Yet rising health and environmental risks — from sedentary behavior and extreme heat to air and water pollution — threaten both its growth and its positive impact on communities. At this pivotal moment, sport can redefine prosperity by aligning financial performance with societal health and environmental well-being.

Moderator: Tony Simpson, partner, sports industry lead, Oliver Wyman

Speakers: Federica Maria Giovanna Alberti, director of wellness foundation, Technogym; Alice Charles, director for cities, planning & design, ARUP; Luis Cervantes, managing director and head of Mexico Office, General Atlantic; Martina Gaus, head of strategic partnerships and sports economy lead, UBS Optimus Foundation; Tanuj Kapilashrami, chief strategy and talent officer, Standard Chartered; Todd Kline, president, commercial, Chelsea Football Club & BlueCo