CEO retreats

The Global Business Policy Council's retreats bring together a cross-section of the world's business and policy leaders. These deliberately small, off-the-record events foster a rich dialogue around critical issues likely to affect the business environment.

• About 50 CEOs of Global 1000 companies and eminent thought leaders
• Participants from approximately 20 countries
• Annual gathering since 1992
• Forward-looking discussion of issues and trends
• Published meeting proceedings

A Forbes' article, "How CEOs Stay on Top of Their Game" (5 May 2008), explains the importance of the retreat and its format:

"'It's extremely important for CEOs to have a peer group they can talk to in an intimate, honest way," says Harvard Business School Professor Bill George. A retreat can be an ideal location for such candid conversations. That's what happens at the annual meeting of the Global Business Policy Council, where a group of 55 prominent executives, thinkers and policy figures convene to discuss best practices and strategy."

Recent CEO retreats and Political Hosts

	2009	Bad Ragaz: Thomas Schmidheiny and Peter Brabeck
	2008	Chicago: Mayor Richard M. Daley
	2007	Dubai: Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Economy and Planning
	2005	Kuala Lumpur: Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minster
	2004	Washington D.C.: (2004 US Election Analysis)
	2004	Lisbon: José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
	2004	Miami: Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida
	2003	London: Prince Michael of Kent
	2003	Vancouver: Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
	2002	Berlin: 10 Year Anniversary; Gerhard Schroeder, Chancellor of Germany
	2001	Rio de Janeiro: Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil
	2000	Phoenix: Joseph Biden, U.S. Senator
	1999	London: Shimon Peres, Prime Minister of Israel & Sir G. Howe, former UK Chancellor
	1998	Palm Beach: Vicente Fox, Governor of Guanajuato (later President of Mexico)
	1997	Shanghai: Xu Kuangdi, Mayor of Shanghai
	1997	Rome: Zlatko Matesa, Prime Minister of Croatia
	1996	Hawaii: Benjamin Cayetano, Governor of Hawaii
	1995	Washington, DC: Newt Gingrich, US Speaker of the House
	1994	Budapest: Árpád Göncz, President of Hungary
	1994	Hong Kong: Chris Patten, Governor of Hong Kong
	1993	Mexico City: Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of Mexico
	1992	Vienna: Franz Vranitzky, Chancellor of Austria