Summit Week - Full Recap

Wrapping up Think Global Forum Summit Week

Think Global Forum Summit Week found thought-leaders from around the world coming together virtually to share insights, discuss challenges and offer inspiration. It was truly a week to remember, with some amazing speakers offering different perspectives on some of our most important issues. Here is a quick recap of the week:

Day One

Day one saw an insightful opening address from Vistatec CEO Thomas Murray, who discussed the importance of socially responsible leadership, using challenges as an impetus for positive change, and maintaining the human element in an era of mass digital transformation. Thomas’s remarks were followed by a keynote from Condé Nast’s Mel McVeigh, who had some fascinating thoughts on why we need to break free from the potential tyranny of algorithms, reframe challenges and find inspiration in the new. We also celebrated International Women’s Day, with Mr Murray turning our attention towards a rousing speech from former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Day Two

Day two found our panelists tackling the topic of Global Content Operations. We heard why Lahcene Guerrouj of Salesforce thinks that quality and timeliness are the keys to visibility, why Sophie Top of adidas thinks we need to re-imagine B2B marketing, and how Esther Curiel of Indeed is tackling the global demand for highly relevant content. We questioned what it means to have a global mindset and discussed the value of learning together, building awareness, and nurturing empathy.

Day Three

Day Three explored World UX. We were joined by panelists from Verizon Connect, Oura, LINE Plus Corp, and Doctoralia for a lively discussion about projects that combined the three elements of World UX (Design, Writing, and Localisation) to achieve a successful outcome, as well as how to measure success and get buy-in from teams and leadership. A key takeaway: while the dynamics in organizations may be different, the approaches should be the same – we should be advocates, we should have patience, and we should ensure that all users are heard. We also heard how technology can be an enabler of World UX, and why integrating new technologies can be ‘the Starship Enterprise in some cases, and Mad Max in others’.

Day Four

Day four looked at global technical communications and Machine Translation. Panelists from GE Healthcare, Daimler, Johnson Controls, Biosense Webster (J&J), and ENERCON joined us in tackling some of the most pressing issues facing today’s organizations. One of the most interesting insights to come out of the Day 4 session is that when it comes to Machine Translation, there is no ‘Golden Solution.’ Every business model is unique and needs to be broken down by content types and priorities. MT can do some heavy lifting for certain types of content, but other types require a human touch. This ties in nicely to Thomas Murray’s opening remarks, as it’s essential that humans
have a place in the digital future – and that human transformation is just as important as digital transformation.   

Day Five

Day five saw us come together to mark the end of a wonderful week, but not before being treated to a moving masterclass from Mark Pollock, the first blind man to race to the South Pole. Mark’s session really drove home one of the week’s key themes: We can achieve more together than we can on our own. In addition to highlighting the need for collaboration, Mark provided some key tips for building resilience. As Mark says, “Sometimes we have the luxury of choosing our challenges, sometimes challenges choose us. What we decide to do about them is what counts."

Join Us For Next Year’s Summit

That’s a wrap for this year’s Think Global Forum Summit Week; we hope that you were able to catch some of our great sessions and found some inspiration in the information. It’s worth remembering what made the Think Global Forum Summit Week midweek sessions so special: the participants. As our attendees became panelists and took part in these conversations – asking and responding to questions and sharing their knowledge – it became clear that by opening the lines to communication, we also open the doors to a better future. Thanks for joining us on this journey; we hope to see you at one of our other Think Global Forum events and at next year’s Think Global Forum Summit Week.

To learn more about the event and the Think Global Forum, follow us on #ThinkGlobalForumSummitWeek and visit https://www.thinkglobalforum.org.