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Davos 2023

Writer's picture: Meg BearMeg Bear

Updated: Jan 13


Reminder: Davos is a very serious conference with very serious people...
Reminder: Davos is a very serious conference with very serious people...

A conversation can put everything into focus. 


One week out from #wef23 and some dozens or hundreds (or what feels like thousands) of conversations later, and our global issues have never been more clear. We’re halfway through the 2030 U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals target, and we’re not on track


However, I know we can still achieve more together than we can alone and progress is even more important than it was in 2015. Real progress requires bringing together people and innovation - something that we think about at SAP SuccessFactors every day. Even at a place of action like Davos, we tend to talk about work that needs to happen or discussions that should be had, but, at the end of the day, for change to happen we need real people and real action.


That’s why I care deeply about the topic of People Sustainability and believe it must be central to any sustainability goal. A successful, sustainable business starts with all of us and how we create purposeful work cultures where people, planet and profit are balanced so everyone thrives. 



Davos was also an opportunity to bask in the diversity of thought and opinion from some truly talented [and fun] people. 


Like the conversation Vani Rao, CFA Lakshmi Reddy Kim "Kimfer" Flanery-Rye, MBA Yao Huang and I had at The Female Quotient #EqualityLounge about diverse boards.


Building Better Boards: Creating Diverse Pipelines
Building Better Boards: Creating Diverse Pipelines

or the conversation Angela Hultberg Peter Ziswiler Philippe Dutkiewicz and I had about leveraging the power of employees with a sustainability mindset. Of course, employee mental health and wellbeing was a big part of our discussion (both on and off camera). Aaron Green writes often about this important topic.


How can we leverage the power of employees with a sustainability mindset? 
How can we leverage the power of employees with a sustainability mindset? 

Then there was the thought provoking panel discussion on the intersection of humans and innovation in the future of work with Dr. Astrid Fontaine Roberto Pérez Segura Monika Jiang and Sylvain Duranton .


How can technology help to make the future of work more human?
How can technology help to make the future of work more human?

or the conversation where Julia White reminded us that trust is the foundation of collaboration and that psychological safety is critical for skill building, growth, and innovation. 



I particularly enjoyed the call to action from the delegates of the We Are Family Foundation who reminded us that the ideas and actions of youth are critical to achieving our targets. 


We are family foundation delegates
We are family foundation delegates

This new generation have a unique vantage point: they understand the stakes and have less unlearning to do. I truly appreciated their energy and [polite] challenging approach asking us to better recognize their leadership (even while having to recon with the reality of being the “older generation” at the table (?!) ). 


But, of course the highlight for me was Thomas Saueressig 's important conversation about Diversity Equity and Inclusion on CNBC highlighting how our SuccessFactors Whole Self model is an important framework to help every employee have the opportunity to realize their full potential.


Davos panel discusses diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace
Davos panel discusses diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace

Thank you SAP for the leadership role we are taking on this topic - not just at Davos but in our mission to build a sustainable world together and improve people's lives. 

If you can believe it, this is the "highlights" of this very productive few days, lots to ponder and reflect and take action on in the weeks and months to come.

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