Even in places where Covid-19 may be acceptably contained, the pandemic has impacted the world of work, perhaps fundamentally. The rapid introduction of various models of working-from-home and hybrid arrangements created disruptions in the workplace, but also provided useful lessons that companies can incorporate as they emerge from this challenging period.

The agenda around talent, leadership and the nature of work has been evolving. However, the human impact of the pandemic and the acceleration of technology have combined to create seismic changes to the world of work.

Even in places where Covid-19 may be acceptably contained, the pandemic has impacted the world of work, perhaps fundamentally. The rapid introduction of various models of working-from-home and hybrid arrangements created disruptions in the workplace, but also provided useful lessons that companies can incorporate as they emerge from this challenging period.

In this briefing, the Director of The Economist Corporate Network in Beijing discussed the key findings of the white paper ‘The cost of de-globalizing world trade,’ which takes a deep dive into the recent developments impacting international trade and investment and warns about the impending threat of an increasingly ‘slowbalized’ world. The briefing put special emphasis on how international supply chains are being disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, growing US-China tensions, and increasing geopolitical volatility.

Thanks to all the Economist Corporate Network members who completed my short survey this week that focused on two topics of great interest among the business leadership community in the United Arab Emirates right now.

On 2 September 2021, I hosted a breakfast briefing to discuss the changes to China’s data regulatory framework and what this means for business, including the actions companies can take to mitigate disruption.

Lead the conversation by joining our exclusive membership only networking events, hosted in key emerging cities.

Every country wants to have its own Silicon Valley, but simple replication does not work. What are governments doing to advance the expansion of smart cities and startup hubs in Asia and how can they help to create real innovation clusters? On August 18th, the Corporate Network held an engaging discussion on innovation clusters and smart cities in Asia with key decision-makers and experts in this sphere.

Please join us for ECN China’s Regional Strategic Forecast which will feature a discussion of US and global foreign and trade policies and implications for Asian markets, as well as new frontiers for Asia’s tech sector.