BMO Thought Leaders share ideas with World Economic Forum through #fairerworld campaign

Ahead of this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the organizers invited attendees and the global community to have their say on a number of significant challenges that would form some of the main discussion points for the conference. By submitting a user-generated video clip, participants and members of the public could give their perspective on one (or more) of seven key themes:

• The world needs to learn to work together – how can governments lead the way?
• How do we create a more equal world for everyone?
• How do we save our planet?
• How can we make businesses better for people and the planet?
• How can we make sure game-changing technologies are a force for good?
• How can we prepare for the future of work?
• How do we ensure everyone has access to quality mental and physical healthcare?

This call for videos was intended to broaden the discussion, because organizers recognized how critical it was that answers to the big question our global society is facing come not just from CEOs, governments and academics, but from engaged citizens across all walks of life.

Six of BMO’s thought leaders answered the call, creating short videos that allowed them to have their say on the questions most important to them.

Click here to hear Michael Torrance, BMO’s Chief Sustainability Officer, reflect on the individual actions that can contribute to positive sustainability outcomes. His advice? Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.

Click here to hear Gina Generoux, BMO’s Chief Learning Officer, offer her view on the ways companies can smooth the transition to the skills of the future for their employees. As digitization, demographics and social innovation shift the landscape of customer expectations, she believes companies can level the playing field for their employees through offering training in tomorrow’s skills.

Click here to hear Jonathan Hackett, BMO’s Head of Sustainable Finance, describe how the path forward for progress on the transition to a low carbon economy requires an all-hands approach and engagement with traditional energy industries.

Click here to hear Laura Reinholz, Director of the BMO for Women program, reflect on how political engagement and empowerment are necessary components of creating real change for women globally. In her view, issues like family planning and education for girls are critical to progress and political leaders must be part of the social change needed to progress equity.

Click here to hear BMO’s Nada Ristich, Head of Community Giving, describe how collaboration among the public, private, and social sector must be encouraged to enable progress in closing the fairness gap for vulnerable citizens. She argues that these groups fail to leverage their complementary strength to create more lasting outcomes for the people they seek to help.

Click here to hear BMO’s Sharon Haward-Laird, Head of North American Treasury and Payment Solutions, discuss the critical role of governments and business leaders in helping ensure access to quality mental health care. Only by advocating for and creating a culture in which mental health is discussed openly can we make progress on this critical issue in the labor force.