On 21 January, Nextrade Group Founder and CEO Kati Suominen participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos in a keynote discussion on the top trends to watch out for in the evolving app economy.

Organized by The Economist, the panel “Crystal Balls: Future of the App Economy” also featured John Chambers, Executive Chairman, Cisco Systems; Michael Gregoire, Chief Executive Officer, CA Technologies; Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia; and Erik Hersman, CEO, BRCK and Founder, iHub Nairobi. The discussion was led by Matthew Bishop, Editorial Director, New Initiatives, The Economist.

​Suominen highlighted opportunities for companies to unlock key sources of growth - company-wide digitization initiatives to create new efficiencies, use of mobile technologies to reach B2C and B2B markets worldwide, and public policy initiatives to harness global digital dividends - end digital protectionism and bridge global digital divides. These growth drivers, when tapped, will add trillions of dollars to the global GDP and leave concerns about secular stagnation behind, Suominen argued.

 

Executives from Fortune 500 companies and startups participated.

 

Also in Davos was released Suominen's report on harnessing the more than 400 regional trade agreements for global trade and development. "Enhancing Coherence and Inclusiveness in the Global Trading System in the Era of Regionalism." The report summarizes the recommendations of a global expert group on RTAs chaired by Suominen and organized by the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the World Economic Forum.