Bled, Slovenia, November 8 2019: The annual International Presidents’ Forum was attended by 130 leaders from 18 countries. The forum was opened by Mr. Zoran Poznič, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and Prof. Danica Purg, President and Dean of IEDC.
The keynote speaker at the event was Dr. Dominique Turcq, author of the book “Augmented Management” and a world-renowned neuroscience and artificial intelligence expert who presented the challenges of a post-automated future, the impact of neuroscience and biology on our lives and the need for leaders to prepare for such changes. Dr. Turcq points out that digitalization is already our "new normality" and artificial intelligence is just a tool that makes it easier for us to make decisions. Neuroscience and biology will have a greater impact on life and business in the coming decades. Neuroscience will bring many changes in the areas of learning, engagement and decision-making. Our brains are the organ in which the cognitive abilities of humans are formed and affect the cognitive intelligence of the entire organization. “Globally most significant technological disruption in the 20th century was not telephone, nuclear energy, airplanes, or the Internet. It was Biology: without vaccines and antibiotics and cancer treatments, we would not be close to 8 billion on this planet, and a large part of today's audience would just never be born. As an implication, we would not have the huge issues we have with pollution, climate change, or migrations.", explained dr. Turcq. “New plants and new animals will emerge, and we will have new treatments and genetics interventions. We will face even more injustices, ethical, legal and environmental challenges. "
All of this will also affect businesses and present new challenges for leaders who will need to adapt their processes in all areas. Companies will need to create new values through technology and artificial intelligence. But leaders will have to be less technical and more human. They will become translators and the face of technology to guide their employees in the search for new ethical and socially responsible values. But the most important role of leaders is to create the conditions for creative work, well-being and trust within their teams in a world where we all search for meaning and have an emotionally fulfilling life.
At the forum we also discussed the leadership challenges of the future with prominent international business leaders: Mr. Manfred Stern, Yaskawa, President and CEO, YASKAWA Europe, Germany, Mr. Nebojša Bjelotomić, CEO, Saga New Frontier Group, Serbia, Dr. Mark Pleško, CEO and Co-founder, Cosylab, Inc., Slovenia.