WELCOME TO THE WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM 2012

The World Entrepreneurship Forum 2012 will be held under the high patronage of Mr. Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The World Entrepreneurship Forum was born in Evian in 2008 from a simple idea: more than ever, the world will need entrepreneurs in the years to come.

We were realized we were facing the most important challenges and discontinuities of our history since the first industrial revolution. Challenges were embracing all domains of society:

  • 8 big demographic blocs were emerging as new economic powers giving way to a new multipolar geopolitical order
  • the population growth together with the increase in life expectancy were radically modifying the structure of social life
  • climate change was leading to a massive environmental change
  • various breakthroughs in IT, biotech, nanotech, neurotech and green energy were taking science and technology to a next level
  • the failure of current institutional regulations in a highly interconnected world was generating a new paradigm

Five years later, the very idea behind the creation of the World Entrepreneurship Forum remains ever relevant.

Economic failures and social distress have created the need for a new humanism. A need to build a sustainable economic growth incorporating social justice in a spirit of global citizenship. More than ever, the interest for entrepreneurial and innovative activities is ever increasing worldwide.

We, at the World Entrepreneurship Forum, promote and carry the idea that entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship mindset in all its forms, i.e. undertaken individually or within large corporates is to serve this ideal of sustainable economic growth in order to create a better world for 2050.

This year sees our 5th anniversary edition. We will focus and brainstorm together on how to create entrepreneurship friendly ecosystems and foster the development of locally efficient entrepreneurial communities and enterprises: how do ecosystems adapt, depending on the abundance or scarcity of resources in their environment? Can an innovative idea that functions in one ecosystem be transplanted to another? How to cultivate communities and individuals to drive wealth and social justice? How to foster needs-driven entrepreneurial communities at the base of the pyramid?

The city of Lyon combines an entrepreneurial tradition together with an humanist spirit. Ranked as one of the ten favorite European cities among entrepreneurs, it is a right place to raise these critical questions.

Thank you for being part of our community, for bringing your inputs in turning our Forum into a global reference point and thank you for your presence at the celebration of our 5th anniversary.

 

Tugrul Atamer, Jean-Luc Decornoy, Inderjit Singh, Gérard Collomb, Philippe Grillot, Wu Xiaobo
Co-Presidents of the World Entrepreneurship Forum.

 

Tugrul Atamer
Prof. Tugrul ATAMER
Vice-President
EMLYON Business School
FRANCE
Jean-Luc DECORNOY
Jean-Luc DECORNOY
CEO
KPMG SA FRANCE
Inderjit SINGH
Inderjit SINGH
Chairman, Enterprise Committee
Board member, NTU (Nanyang Technological University)
Member of the Parliament
SINGAPORE
Gérard COLLOMB
Gérard COLLOMB
Senator - Mayor of Lyon
FRANCE
Philippe GRILLOT
Philippe GRILLOT
President
Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry
FRANCE
WU Xiaobo
Prof. WU Xiaobo
Dean of the School of Management, Zhejiang University
Director, National Institute for Innovation Management
CHINA