Julia Christensen Hughes

A global gathering of minds – mostly human but also a few artificial ones – taking place in Davos, Switzerland, this week will include Julia Christensen Hughes, dean of U of G’s College of Business and Economics (CBE).

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will bring together more than 2,000 international leaders from business, politics, academia and journalism. The theme of this year’s event, taking place Jan. 23-26, is “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World.”

Christensen Hughes will take part in the Global 100 Executive Roundtable on sustainable capitalism, organized by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative and Corporate Knights.

Meeting with international business and academic leaders, she will discuss how business and management education can help shape a more sustainable future, including meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CBE is a recognized “champion” of the UN’s PRME initiative and is committed to integrating its SDGs into the college’s curriculum and research, according to Christensen Hughes.

She will also take part in a session led by U of G alumnus David Fergusson on the TransHuman Code project, described as the first interactive “knowledge platform” for bringing together humanity and technology.

The session will also introduce Rachel, the digital personal assistant from Soul Machines and IBM Watson.

“I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to attend the round table in Davos, and to contribute to important conversations on the future of the economy, technology and humanity, and to learn from other participants,” said Christensen Hughes.