On September 25 and 26, the Association of Business Services Leaders (ABSL) forum “Create and Secure the Future – Now!” will take place in Riga, at “Hanzas Perons”, Hanzas Street 16A. The significant international event, which is held in cooperation with the Riga Municipality and the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA), will bring together global business leaders, experts, policymakers and innovators for two days, reviewing trends and creating strategies for the development of sustainable business in Europe and beyond in the current climate of uncertainty, which is significantly affected by the geopolitical situation.
The forum will be opened with speeches by the Chairman of ABSL Jacek Levernes and Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs. Those will be followed by a valuable discussion “The Voice of Power: Expect the Unexpected. How to Lead and Strengthen Decision-Making Capabilities in Times of Uncertainty”, in which the former Chair of the NATO Military Committee (2021-2025), retired Admiral Rob Bauer, as well as Jacek Siewiera, Head of the National Security Bureaus of the Republic of Poland (2022-2025), and Olivier Girard, Representative of Accenture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company in France, will share their insights and experiences.
A presentation of the ABSL European Report "Driving Business Efficiency and Competitiveness Through Business Services Industry" is also expected.
Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs states:
“Riga is pleased to host the ABSL Business Leaders forum and its participants from all over Europe and the world. We are proud to be a city where ideas, experience and new opportunities meet. The forum is an opportunity to showcase Riga as an open, dynamic and internationally minded metropolis, ready to strengthen ties with business and innovation leaders.”
The forum is held annually in different European cities – in 2023 it was held in the German capital Berlin, and last year in the Portuguese city of Porto. Thanks to RITA’s long-standing investment in attracting investors and promoting Riga, the Latvian capital has been chosen as the venue for this year’s forum, highlighting its growth and opportunities as a major business services center.
“We are proud that the ABSL forum is taking place in Riga this year. This confirms and proves RITA's investment in the business service center industry over the past three years, its ability to attract new investors, as well as to organize international events of this level. Riga is a dynamic innovation metropolis on both the Baltic and European scale, and such events promote cooperation with international investors, while ensuring an influx of tourists outside the active season,”
emphasizes RITA Director Fredis Bikovs.
The two-day event program also includes plenary sessions, discussions with separate sessions, experience stories and closed meetings for VIP guests, focusing on opportunities and challenges in three thematic areas – talents, technologies and transformation. Before the discussions, key-note speeches by various international experts are expected, providing insight into the geopolitical situation and its impact on the dynamics of global business. Several Latvian and international companies operating in Latvia will also participate in the forum, such as “SEB Global Services”, “Swedbank Latvia”, “Tietoevry”, “Cirkle K Business Centre”, “Accenture Latvia”, “Atea Global Services”, etc.
The Association of Business Services Leaders (ABSL) is the leading organization representing the business services industry in Europe. More information about the event, its participants and the program can be found on the ABSL forum website.