More than 1,300 public and private leaders convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 30 and 31 for the Crossroads GCC Future Impact Forum, co-hosted by the HBS Club of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Harvard Club of Saudi Arabia, and under the patronage of H.H. Prince Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, Mayor of the Riyadh Region.

Saleh Lootah (GMP 10, 2011), president of the HBS Club of the GCC, says the Crossroads Forum was designed to enable leaders in the Gulf region to “re-shape, re-imagine, and re-engineer” business and governmental organizations for greater impact in the next 20 years.

“The Forum invites key government, business leaders, HBS academics, and alumni CEOs—all carefully selected from across the GCC—to address core issues from multiple perspectives, focused on coming up with impactful solutions,” says Lootah. “We wanted this to be a unique event [devoted to] having a positive impact in our region through our alumni.”

The event, held at the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, engaged more than 35 thought leaders and speakers from business, government, and NGOs, sharing insights on a range of issues including health care, national talent, food security, and sustainability. They also talked about the role of the private sector in meeting goals of Vision 2030, the impact of soft power on the region’s economy and image, family business succession planning, sports, empowering women, and the digital frontier.

“We introduced several new panels for this edition of the event, and personally, I found the exploration of soft power particularly intriguing,” says Lootah. “This panel delved into the realms of media, culture, and cinema, highlighting their pivotal roles in shaping perceptions, influencing policies, and fostering international relations. Additionally, the discussion on sports, especially considering Saudi Arabia’s significant investments in this arena, provided valuable insights into the potential social, economic, and diplomatic impacts of such initiatives.

As a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration among experts, policymakers, and stakeholders, Lootah says the Crossroads Forum—now in its fourth year— holds significant potential to positively impact the Gulf region.

“It fosters innovation, drives economic growth, enhances our global visibility, informs policy decisions, and promotes cultural exchange—all contributing to positive development across sectors” he says. “At the same time, all the main stakeholders—government, the private sector, and NGOs—join us to openly discuss all these topics and work together to find solutions. We do it every year in one of the capitals to make sure that the impact is reaching all of the GCC.”

For attendees and this year’s 25 partners and sponsors, Lootah says the opportunity to connect with the HBS community adds another layer of appeal. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, lauding the panel discussions as particularly engaging and insightful.

“And the networking opportunities were highly valued, allowing attendees to connect with industry peers, exchange ideas, and forge meaningful professional relationships,” says Lootah. “We’re delighted that our event has left such a positive impression, and we look forward to continuing to provide valuable experiences for our community in the future.”

The HBS African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) partnered with the HBS Club of Seattle and the Harvard Club of Seattle to present Leadership in Tech: Innovation, Disruption, and Opportunity at the Columbia Center in Seattle on February 8.

The panel discussion featured industry experts Rathi Murthy, CTO and president of Expedia Product and Strategy at Expedia Group; Dave Cotter, founder and CEO of Stealth Startup; Matt Oppenheimer, cofounder and CEO of Remitly; and Anthony Diamond, PhD, New Ventures Lead for Pioneer Square Labs.

HBSAAA Board Member Beverly Anderson (MBA 1997), president and CEO of the event’s co-sponsor, BECU (Boeing Employees Credit Union), served as moderator.

Among the issues the panelists explored: the key drivers and culture of innovation; the opportunities and challenges of AI, blockchain, and IoT; how companies can prepare for disruption; and how to leverage new technologies to create value.

“It was a great panel,” says Anderson. “What was exciting was that we had the full technology ecosystem represented. We had CEOs and entrepreneurs who had gone from startup to launch to IPO, and we had CEOs or CTOs who were representing large, multibillion-dollar, global tech organizations. It was this great spectrum of experience, knowledge and perspective.

“All of the panelists believe that the disruption that we’re seeing with technology, particularly in and around AI, will continue. One says our lives will look totally different—the way we do almost everything will be different in 10 years. It blows your mind to hear a tech leader say that.”

Another takeaway was that hardware will be the next space for innovation and disruption. “They all had differing views about the meaning of innovation,” adds Anderson. “For those on the large company/institution side, innovation is about delivering new value to your customer base, but if you’re a disruptor, then your innovation may be in search of an opportunity. It was a fascinating chicken-or-the-egg conversation.”

Working closely with HBS Club of Seattle co-presidents Shyam Ayengar (MBA 2006) and Jon Weintraub (MBA 1989), as well as Kelly Charlton from the Harvard Club of Seattle, Anderson and the HBSAAA organized the event in part as a response to the buzz around ChatGPT. It was also an opportunity to mark Black History Month by bringing together a diverse community of business leaders in the Seattle area to connect and expand their networks. The gathering was also a chance to talk about the HBSAAA’s capital campaign and ask local alumni for support. “It was a mash up of Harvard, tech and disruption, leadership, and diversity,” she says. “And BECU is proud to be a sponsor for this kind of bringing together of the community.”

Approximately 135 alumni and guests from the three clubs, local Ivy Plus schools, and HBCUs attended the event, which opened with a networking reception hour featuring food from Island Soul, a local Black-owned caterer, and a prosecco called Viarae made by actress Issa Rae with E & J Gallo Winery.

Ayengar says his club jumped at the opportunity to partner with the HBSAAA to produce the event and provide much of the logistical support—including securing the venue, food, and wine. “Part of our mission is to help the alumni affinity groups have events here in Seattle,” says Ayengar. “We were excited to step up and partner with the HBSAAA since we hadn’t had this opportunity previously. This was a chance to show off what we can do as a club.”

Charlton says that with roughly 4,500 “super diverse” Harvard college and graduate school alumni in the area, the Harvard Club of Seattle was excited to collaborate with the HBSAAA and the HBS Club of Seattle for this event. “It was awesome,” he says. “My goal is to help to create opportunities to bring all these people together. There’s a lot of benefit in these collaborations. We hope to do it more often.”

Anderson says more collaborative events are very likely, as she has received overwhelmingly positive feedback. “People said it was the most diverse, most interesting set of people and discussions with the most amazing tech panel. Two alums said, ‘We’ve never come to a Harvard event that looked or felt anything like this before.’ And they were asking when the next one will happen. It was magical.”

To view a video recording of the panel, visit https://f.io/xpfzG-1i.

The HBS Club of Italy is busy getting ready to host the 2024 HBS European Alumni Summit in Milan, from May 10 to 12. Alumni from all across Europe and the Middle East will be gathering at the IBM Center to explore the Summit’s theme, Geopolitical Disruption: Opportunities and Hedges, with world-class CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, and HBS faculty.

According to club board member and the summit’s co-organizer, Juliana Zinger (MBA 1994), topics on the agenda include: medicine of the future; business and civic leadership and resilience in times of great upheaval; democracy; infrastructure, energy, and vulnerability; and investment in uncertain times. HBS Associate Professor Vincent Pons is among the confirmed guests.

“[These conversations] will make us wiser in handling the unexpected as leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, employers, and human beings,” says Zinger, adding that the club is excited to welcome HBS alumni guests to Milan to spend the weekend in thought-provoking discussions, enjoy social opportunities to meet and connect, and indulge in the beauty and culture of the city. “In May, the whole city is blooming with wisteria,” she says.

Taking the baton from the HBS Club of France, the host for the last European Alumni Summit in November of 2022, Zinger, club president Raffaelle Petrone (PLDA 19, 2015) and a group of alumni volunteers have enjoyed a generous amount of support from other HBS clubs across Europe, as well as from HBS. “This is a fantastically collaborative effort,” she says. “We’re getting a lot of help and guidance to make this a great success, strategically and financially.”

Zinger says exceptional support is coming from alumni volunteers who are recruiting sponsors and speakers, working on hotels and logistics, and helping to assemble the most cohesive expert panels. For the duration of the weekend, a group of students from nearby Bocconi University will be volunteering to staff the event.

The weekend will include a cocktail party on Friday, May 10, the conference on Saturday—followed by a gala dinner and a variety of cultural activities, then brunch on Sunday. Ticket sales are underway, and Zinger urges any interested alumni to get tickets soon, as fewer than 80 tickets remain and the summit will most certainly sell out.

All HBS alumni are invited, and are traveling from more than 20 countries, including Eastern Europe and the Middle East, says Zinger. “We have a dozen alumni coming from the US as well, and hopefully one of my sectionmates will be joining us from Japan, to serve as a guest DJ for the event. We’re also excited to hear that the HBS GMP 32 class is planning for their reunion to coincide with our event, so they’re all coming to Milan for several days of cooking and culture!”

That excitement is palpable and Zinger says she’s hearing from alumni who want to know how they can prepare for the summit, much like they did for a case at HBS. “I’m encouraged by how proactive they are, and I’m hopeful this will be an impetus for us to remember our mandate as leaders—to give back and share our ideas to make this a better world.”

For more information about the Summit and to get tickets, visit www.hbs-europeanalumnisummit-2024.com.

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