The News
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Semafor’s signature live journalism event, the 2025 World Economy Summit, will bring together over 200 top CEOs, making it the largest gathering of Fortune 500 leaders hosted in the United States in 2025. The exclusive three-day summit will take place April 23–25, 2025, in Washington, D.C., and will be the first of its kind since the new U.S. administration took office.
Coinciding with the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, the annual summit uniquely unites private and public sector leaders—including U.S. Cabinet officials, congressional leadership, global finance ministers, and central bankers—to explore innovative solutions for expanding the global economy. Through the summit, Semafor aims to cut through political noise to spotlight diverse, actionable insights on critical global challenges, such as the future of trade, the next technology revolution, and reimagining global energy.
With over 5,000 expected attendees, the 2025 World Economy Summit will feature Semafor’s award-winning editors and reporters, alongside its distinguished co-chairs and advisory board featuring an esteemed lineup of global leaders:
The 2025 World Economy Summit Leadership
Co-Chairs
- David Rubenstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group
- Henry Kravis – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, KKR
- Ken Griffin – Founder and CEO, Citadel
- Penny Pritzker – Former U.S. Commerce Secretary
Advisory Board Members
- Dr. Albert Bourla – CEO and Executive Chairman, Pfizer
- ES Chung – Executive Chairman, Hyundai Motor Group
- Gina Chon – Senior Editor, Semafor
- Aliko Dangote – President, Dangote Group
- Jorge Paulo Lemann – Co-Founder and Chairman, 3G Capital
- Rich Lesser – Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group
- Sowmyanarayan Sampath – CEO, Verizon Consumer
- Justin B. Smith – Co-Founder and CEO, Semafor
- John Waldron – President and Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs
This year’s summit will bring together U.S. Cabinet officials, global finance ministers, and central bankers for critical discussions on economic trends, policy innovation, and the challenges shaping the global landscape. The summit will be the definitive forum for global leaders in the U.S. with speakers participating from countries including India, Turkey, Italy, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, New Zealand, and South Korea.
Alongside its mainstage program, Semafor is debuting a private, invitation-only initiative designed to provide chief executives with unparalleled networking opportunities and tailored insights. The program includes private convenings with business leaders, tailored bilateral meetings, on-the-record briefings with congressional and administration officials moderated by Semafor journalists, and thought leadership opportunities at Semafor’s multimedia studio onsite.
CEO Speakers Include:
- AES – Andrés Gluski
- Air Products – Seifi Ghasemi
- Amgen – Robert Bradway
- Ariel Investments – John Rogers
- BCG – Rich Lesser
- BHP – Mike Henry
- Biogen – Christopher Viehbacher
- Booking Holdings – Glenn Fogel
- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board – John Graham
- Capgemini Group – Aiman Ezzat
- Chevron – Mark A. Nelson
- Consolidated Edison – Tim Cawley
- Cred – Kunal Shah
- CSX – Joseph Hinrichs
- Dapper Labs – Roham Gharegozlou
- EchoStar – Hamid Akhavan
- Exelon – Calvin Butler
- Expand Energy – Domenic Dell’Osso, Jr.
- FedEx – Raj Subramaniam
- Franklin Templeton – Jenny Johnson
- Gallup – Jon Clifton
- Generali Group – Philippe Donnet
- Gensler – Diane Hoskins
- Infosys – Nandan Nilekani
- Instacart – Fidji Simo
- KPMG LLP – Paul Knopp
- Kyndryl Holdings – Martin Schroeter
- Land O’Lakes, Inc – Beth Ford
- Lumen – Kate Johnson
- Manulife Global Wealth and Asset Management – Paul Lorentz
- Marriott International – Anthony Capuano
- Mattel – Ynon Kreiz
- Moniepoint – Tosin Eniolorunda
- Nasdaq – Adena Friedman
- Netflix – Ted Sarandos
- Northrop Grumman – Kathy Warden
- onsemi – Hassane El-Khoury
- Otis Worldwide Corporation – Judy Marks
- PayPal – Alex Chriss
- Pegasus Airlines – Güliz Öztürk
- Prysmian – Massimo Battaini
- Rockefeller Capital Management – Greg Fleming
- SAIC – Toni Townes-Whitley
- SpartanNash – Tony Sarsam
- Tapestry – Joanne Crevoiserat
- United Airlines – Scott Kirby
- Verizon Consumer – Sowmyanarayan Sampath
- Voya – Heather Lavallee
- Walgreens Boots Alliance – Tim Wentworth
- Wayfair – Niraj Shah
- Westlake – Jean-Marc Gilson
- WeWork – John Santora
- W.W. Grainger – D.G. Macpherson
- Xcel Energy – Bob Frenzel
- Xero – Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
- XPO – Mario Harik