Chartwell Speakers in Davos 2026
Last week the World Economic Forum 2026 concluded under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,”. Several Chartwell speakers took centre stage in Davos to navigate the most complex geopolitical landscape in decades. From the return of “Trumpian” foreign policy to the urgent ethical dilemmas of AI, our experts provided the essential insights that defined this year’s meeting.
Political Scientist, and Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute
Panel: Is Democracy in Trouble?
On Stage With: A panel of three public figures from diverse democratic systems and geographies.
Key Insight: Fukuyama warned that Western democracies, particularly the US, are exhibiting signs of “political decay” or vetocracy, where organized minorities can paralyze the majority’s will. Following the meeting, he characterized the new US administration as a “destroyer of institutions,” warning of a world where individual preference replaces established rules.
Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times
Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy
Panel: India’s Rise and the Volatile Policy of Donald Trump
On Stage With: Rajdeep Sardesai (Broadcaster) and Ravi Agrawal (Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy).
Key Insight: Wolf described the shifting US foreign policy as “classic dictatorial kitsch,” warning of a prolonged era of global disorder as the traditional US-led framework collapses, while Agrawal analysed the “extraordinary” volatility of Donald Trump’s foreign policy, framing it as a distinctly “Trumpian” era of disorder.
First Deputy Managing Director, IMF (2022-2025)
Panel: Can India Become the Third Largest Economy in the World?
On Stage With: Ashwini Vaishnaw (Indian Union Minister), Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chair of Bharti Enterprises), and Juvencio Maeztu Herrera (CFO of IKEA).
Key Insight: Gopinath alerted leaders that air pollution remains a more significant long-term threat to India’s growth than trade tariffs, while noting a “once-in-a-century” breakdown in trust between the US and Europe.
Eswar Prasad
Professor of Trade Policy and Professor of economics, Cornell
President, MSC Foundation
Panel: Geopolitical Risks Outlook for 2026
On Stage With: Jane Harman (Chair, US National Defense Strategy Commission) and Elizabeth Thurbon (Professor, UNSW).
Key Insight: Prasad warned that globalization is increasingly viewed as a zero-sum game, leading to severe fragmentation in trade and technology. Ischinger added that the rules-based international order is under its greatest strain in history.
Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist, The Financial Times
Panel: Special Address by Mark Carney
On Stage With: Mark Carney (Prime Minister of Canada) and Laurence D. Fink (Chairman of BlackRock).
Key Insight: Rachman moderated high-stakes negotiations on Arctic security and the framework deal for Greenland, signaling a major shift in how middle powers navigate a multipolar world.
Chair of the NATO Military Committee (2021–2025)
Panel: Can Europe Defend Itself?
On Stage With: Mark Rutte (NATO Secretary-General).
Key Insight: Bauer stressed that while transatlantic tensions are high, Europe must urgently strengthen its own defense industrial base to remain a resilient partner.
Head of MI6 (2020–2025)
Focus: Security in a Tech-Polar World
Key Insight: Speaking at the Journal House, Moore addressed the lack of “referees” in the global AI power play and how digital sovereignty has become as critical as territorial integrity.
Social Psychologist and Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University
Topic: Societal Polarization and the Digital Dark Side
Key Insight: Responding to the Global Risks Report 2026, Haidt advocated for stronger structural controls on digital platforms to protect the social fabric from the eroding effects of social media.
Philosopher and Professor of History, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Panel: An Honest Conversation on AI and Humanity
On Stage With: Irene Tracey (Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford)
Key Insight: Harari highlighted that AI is shifting from a tool to an agent, a system capable of learning, deciding, creating, and manipulating information.
Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs)
Panel: Venezuela: What Next?
On Stage With: Ricardo Hausmann (Harvard University), Jeffry A. Frieden (Harvard University), Jason Bordoff (Columbia University), Ngaire Woods (University of Oxford)
Key Insight: Niblett highlighted that Venezuela’s future remains deeply uncertain, with political stability, economic recovery, and regional implications closely tied to international engagement and governance choices.
Nobel Economics Laureate (2025), Professor of Economics, Collège de France, INSEAD, LSE
Panel: Return of Creative Destruction
On Stage With: Saadia Zahidi (Managing Director, World Economic Forum) and Peter Howitt (Professor Emeritus, Brown University).
Key Insight: Aghion underlined that long-term growth comes from “creative destruction” the cycle of innovation that replaces old firms, technologies, and business models and argued it’s becoming even more urgent in a fragmented, disruption-heavy global economy.
Editor-in-Chief, The Economist
Topic: In Conversation with Jamie Dimon
Key Insight: Minton Beddoes led a wide-ranging interview with Jamie Dimon on growth, inflation, financial stability, and AI, highlighting how geopolitical fragmentation and policy uncertainty are reshaping global markets and corporate decision-making.
President & Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, TIME Editor-at-Large
Panel: AI Power Play, No Referees
On Stage With: Brad Smith (President & Vice Chair, Microsoft), Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director, IMF), Khalid Al-Falih (Minister of Investment, Saudi Arabia), and Ashwini Vaishnaw (Minister for Electronics & IT, India).
Key Insight: Bremmer warned that an unchecked AI rollout could accelerate social and economic dislocation, intensifying migration pressures and fuelling radicalism in already-fragile political environments.
Nobel Economics Laureate (2010), Regius Professor, LSE, University of Cyprus Professor
Panel: Corporate Ladders, AI Reshuffled
On Stage With: Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri (Minister of Education, United Arab Emirates), Andrew Ng (Founder, DeepLearning.AI), Himanshu Palsule (CEO, Cornerstone OnDemand), and Shereen Bhan (CNBC-TV18).
Key Insight: Pissarides noted that while AI creates fear of job displacement, the need to manage and deploy new technologies is expected to generate new roles and demand for new skills.
Behavioural Economist and Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Panel: Future of Inclusion
On Stage With: Enrique Acevedo (Journalist and Presenter, En Punto), Luana Marques Garcia Ozemela (Chief Sustainability Officer, iFood), and Niall Ferguson (Milbank Family Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University).
Key Insight: Bohnet emphasized that rhetoric alone does not change outcomes, arguing that real progress on inclusion comes from redesigning systems so that fair decision-making is embedded into how organisations hire, evaluate, promote, and allocate opportunities.
Editor-in-Chief, POLITICO Europe (2021 – 2025)
Panel: Path to Peace in Ukraine: By Might or by Accord?
On Stage With: Elina Valtonen (Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland), Anita Anand (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada), Thom Tillis (US Senator for North Carolina), and Kyrylo Budanov (Chief of Staff to the President of Ukraine).
Key Insight: For Anderlini, the war in Ukraine marks a rupture in the post-WWII multilateral order, with Europe now in the “seven stages of grief” as it adapts to a harsher geopolitical reality and a less certain US security guarantee.
Defence Editor at The Economist
Topic: How Satellite Imagery is Reshaping Open-Source Intelligence
Key Insight: Shashank Joshi sat down with Will Marshall, CEO and co-founder of Planet, to discuss how OSINT is democratising intelligence and challenging the state monopoly on information, while raising the national security and ethical implications and the role AI will play in transforming OSINT.