Atlas Network’s Post

The study of global oligarchs by Valentina Rodríguez and David Lingelbach in a world increasingly divided by the haves and have-nots, as well as authoritarian vs democratic states, is becoming more important to understanding the blurring lines between business and politics.

Today, I celebrate my 50th anniversary of becoming a Canadian citizen, making this a timely article. In their 40s, Mom and Dad emigrated to Canada from the north of England due to a lack of economic opportunities. They had few resources, no jobs to go to, and two young children in tow so it was a leap of faith but it worked out well. I don't agree with much of this article but understand where the sentiment comes from. Canada has always alternated between angst, insecurity and bravado about itself and how it fares against other countries. There is a persistent sense that we are falling behind, even if that doesn't relate much to our day to day lives. On the occasion of this anniversary, I'd like to reflect on three things. Firstly, Canada is not "broken". It remains young and is evolving rapidly. Canada is a much more dynamic and interesting place than the country I moved to and voices that have been suppressed are emerging. This is a great thing but it makes it harder to secure alignment on many issues, which can give a sense that something has been "lost". A future vision for Canada must recognize current realities and build on historical traditions but not be bound by them. Canada's "exorbitant privilege" is our wealth of natural resources which, if developed responsibly, can provide security for generations. The bar for developing natural resources has raised considerably over the past 50 years and there is no going back. If we are going to realize this potential we need visionary leadership from the business community that reflects the new realities. Instead, we have "leaders" who want governments, particularly the federal government, to do the heavy lifting and de-risk issues before they will act. Their "vision" is a "competitive policy and regulatory environment", whatever that means. They are holding us back. Finally, we need to stop blaming each other for our geography. We live far apart and moving natural resources from much of Canada to either coast requires crossing challenging terrain. How challenging? Well, the "nation-building" projects we like to cite - the TransCanada Highway and the railroads - still aren't sufficient to meet current requirements. Through much of the Canadian Shield and the Rockies, all are single track with slow speeds. Resolving the geographical challenge requires much more engagement and collaboration than now exists between our warring fiefdoms. Since coming to Canada, I've lived in four provinces, seen most of the country (except Yukon and the eastern Arctic) and have traveled extensively abroad. I've been fortunate to work with excellent leaders from the Indigenous, business and NGO communities and with Cabinet ministers representing all major parties. Even with the changes taking place in this country, there isn't nearly as much division as some people project and we've weathered bigger challenges than we face now. Let's move forward. https://lnkd.in/gjipkUiG

Engaged in my second university-organized roundtable discussion with my colleague, Ayappa V.Subramaniam. The session involved a stimulating dialogue among participants, including Yayasan Inovasi MOSTI and SMEs. We delved into challenges of industry-university-GRI collaboration in RICES (research, innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and society), analyzing root causes and proposing strategies. I addressed the importance of networking sessions between researchers, industry, and government. For example at Leave a Nest, the Hyper-Interdisciplinary Conference (HIC) serves as a unique platform, fostering connections and enhancing researchers' visibility, knowledge, and technology transfer from universities to industries, vice versa for impactful societal implementation. More details about the conference can be found at https://lnkd.in/e96MbBwf.

As we make the final preparations for The Montgomery Summit on Tuesday, March 5th and Wednesday, March 6th, I spent this weekend reflecting on my ten years of weekly breakfasts with Charlie Munger and how to distill down the learnings. We will be closing Monty2024 with a special session on the wit and wisdom of Charlie Munger. Charlie had a number of simple rules which I look forward to diving into Wednesday afternoon. Charlie often spoke about his goal to create "a seamless web of deserved trust.” That is a goal that I share for the Montgomery Summit community. Charlie also pursued a lifetime of learning. A few weeks before he passed, we spoke about subjects we are exploring at Monty2024: Why is generative AI well suited to revolutionize life science? Does Moore’s Law apply to AI GPU’s? He noted that individuals, families, companies, and institutions are biological and must adapt to survive. Charlie's pursuit of wealth was merely to enable independence—to have time to read, to think, to learn, and to spend time with family and friends. If he wanted to do something, he would do it. If he didn't, he wouldn’t. So what are you doing this week that is more interesting or important than attending The Montgomery Summit? As you make your final plans, come join us in Santa Monica to spend two days with our global community—our “seamless web of deserved trust.”    We look forward to seeing old friends and new ones in Santa Monica tomorrow! https://lnkd.in/gcMyTDYt #montysummit #technology #innovation #capital

🌏 “You're the experts in #taxes and #customs, right?” — This is a typical conversation starter at events. Yes, that's part of what we do at eClear. But our ambition goes beyond: We're committed to strengthening Europe on multiple levels! As a 🇪🇺 European company, we're on a mission to showcase innovative companies and organisations through our documentary series “Mission Europe.” We provide a stage for visionaries, passionate entrepreneurs, and intellectual allies to share their insights and visions for a prosperous Europe of tomorrow. In our inaugural episode (English subtitles available!), our CEO, Roman Maria Koidl, takes you to niceshops in Styria, Austria – a company offering promising glimpses into Europe's future. Join us on this exciting journey and discover how innovation and collaboration lay the groundwork for our Europe.  https://lnkd.in/eVD78Npa #MissionEurope #eClear #FutureOfEurope #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #digitaltranformation #Sustainability

VI International Conference on Risks’ in Space Sector 🌠 Centrum Studiów Kosmicznych ALK Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego (Kozminski University) invites to the VI International Conference on Risks’ in Space Sector, focusing on 👇👇👇 ⭐ Standards and good practices as risk prevention tool in space sector ⭐ 📆 The conference will take place on April 18, 2024 in Warsaw 💡 Participants will discuss upon standards and best practices from strategic, managerial, and legal perspectives. This thematic focus has been selected with the intent of fostering awareness among entrepreneurs, particularly those engaged in the burgeoning #NewSpace sector, as well as public administration and other stakeholders within the space industry, including investors and financing institutions 💫 📝 Preliminary Agenda and registration: https://lnkd.in/gQ58gx3C #POLSA #spacesector #risksinspacesector #conference

SAVE THE DATES. Save the date for Monday 9th June and Tuesday 10th June 2025 at The Vox Conference Centre for The Midlands Economic Summit 2025. We are looking forward to hosting the largest 2 day economic summit in the region. Topics of discussion will include infrastructure, international trade, innovation, governance, entrepreneurship, sustainability, skills and global competitiveness. More details to follow soon #MidsSummit25

I am an optimistic and proud Canadian. As such I urge you to read and reflect on this quick essay. It succinctly provides a mature and objective call to action for a nation that if we haven’t lost our way we’ve thrown out the map and turned off the gps. We have all known or surely felt for sometime an erosion in our lives and society and of late a growing resignation, particularly among young adults, of a future with less certainty and promise. The truth is we have been benefitting from the reputation, investments and foundations built decades ago, enjoying the fruits of those hard decisions and purposeful actions, often with the complacency or lack of will to make the decisions that matter to course correct in recent times. The world has changed, we’ve become less relevant globally and require urgent and honest non partisan conversations to inform and truly assess where we are as a nation and commit to change. Why do we tolerate segmented bandaid solutions to symptoms, rather than face head on the root causes of real problems or seize the means to realize real opportunity ? This isnt about a leader, party or culprit. Its about our obligation as Canadians and citizens of an enviable endowment that needs our collective attention. Not the politics and virtue and tribalism that divides us. What truly is the vision and promise of Canada? What are our differentiated strengths and how do we leverage them in a digital age ? How do we build a brand we stand behind with a focus on meaningful outcomes at a determined pace ? What are the innovations , accountable policies, coordinated actions and strategic investments required to build productivity that supports real outcomes to improve our expected quality of life and that protect those people and places that are vulnerable to the status quo and risks ahead? Realizing the potential of people and acting with purpose using our natural and creative endowments of our country is crucial, not just to compete and improve the quality of lives and environment for future generations, but to stop the current trajectory of complacent failure as spectators rather than participants in what could be. #canada #future #productivity #honestconversations #collectivepurpose #pride

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 A thought-provoking article shared by Kevin Newman, courtesy of The Centre for International Policy Studies. Two thoughts we see through many posts, including my own 𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗺: The global landscape as we’ve known it has undergone a seismic shift. This isn’t the result of a singular event or political entity, and there’s no turning back to the old ways. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The onus is on us, the citizens, to actively participate in shaping Canada’s trajectory. We cannot leave our future solely in the hands of politicians or biased interest groups. It's time for each of us to engage to forge a path that reflects our collective vision for Canada’s place in this new world order.

Honored to be participating in #ACEMichigan! 🇨🇷👨🏼💼 Americas Competitiveness Exchange - ACE 70 senior-level government, business, policy, and economic #leaders from 18 countries across the #Americas and beyond convene to exchange #knowledge, build #cooperation networks, drive economic growth and #competitiveness in the region. The weeklong agenda features opportunities to engage with over 20 sites and institutions driving economic development in Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor, including #innovation hubs, advanced technology centers, leading firms, and research institutions. Site visits include Michigan State University, Peckham Industries, Kellogg, TechTown Detroit, and more, representing key economic sectors such as #Agribusiness, #LifeScience, #Automotive and #Mobility, and #AdvancedManufacturing. Organización de los Estados Americanos Michigan Economic Development Corporation State of Michigan U.S. Economic Development Administration U.S. Department of Commerce US-Mexico Foundation International Economic Development Council