Power Plays: Strategic Decision-Making in a Fragmented World
Aquitania West | 60 Chelsea Piers
Morning Panel at Lauder Global Impact Summit
Saturday, October 18 | 11:15 AM - 12:15PM
Themes
Geopolitics | Emerging Markets | Multipolar Risk
Description
Explore how realignment across China, BRICS, the Global South, and the West is reshaping capital flows, supply chains, and business strategy. With expert framing and alumni voices on the ground, this panel offers practical insight into operating in a world that no longer revolves around a single axis of power.
Speakers
Moderator: Victoria Cheng ‘17
Professor: Regina Abrami
Panelist: Natalya Guseva, ‘15
Panelist: Shiv Khemka ‘90
Panelist: David Buenfil ‘98
Bios
Victoria Cheng
Moderator Victoria Cheng is a Product Leader with over a decade of experience in the technology industry. She is based in San Francisco, where she leads global AI initiatives within Airbnb's Community Support team. She is a 2017 Wharton/Lauder Chinese Track graduate, and spent two years working in China after school, during a period when US-China globalization was at its peak. Her background gives her a unique perspective on how global politics, especially the growing AI rivalry between China and the US, are shaping the technology industry and the way people will live in the future.
David Buenfil
Panelist David Buenfil spent the last 23 years at Skandia / Old Mutual growing Mexico, and Colombian units from being small startup operations to very successful and respected Asset Management, and Insurance companies with assets under management of over $14 Billion supported by a large footprint of qualified, and distinct distributors. He started at Skandia Mexico in 2002 as Commercial Director, developing the company´s product, and sales strategy since its inception. In 2006 he was promoted to CEO Mexico, and later in 2009 also took responsibility for Skandia Colombia, and Old Mutual´s growth strategy in Latin America. In 2012 David was named Old Mutual´s CEO for Latin America & Asia and became a member of their Executive Committee for Emerging Markets.
Before joining Skandia / Old Mutual, David spent over 10 years at various key positions within multi-national companies in the financial, digital, and automotive sectors in various countries. In late 1999 He co-founded eNovar, a Latam Internet incubator, and Vidalink, one of the Leading Brazilian Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Companies. Other professional experiences include, being a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton in Brazil, and a manufacturing engineer for General Motors in the USA, Mexico, and Germany.
David is married with three children, and loves travelling, dancing salsa, and wine tasting. He is also a member of YPO in Mexico.
Natalya Guseva
Panelist Natalya Guseva, Head of Financial Markets and Resilience Initiatives at the World Economic Forum, is responsible for the research and thought leadership on topics from financial system stability to individual financial resilience. Current and recent work has focused on geopolitical fragmentation of financial markets and European market integration and competitiveness, as well as access and participation of retail investors and financial education. Prior to this, she headed engagement of the WEF’s community of asset owners and alternative asset managers.
Prior to joining the World Economic Forum, Natalya worked in institutional fixed income trading at Morgan Stanley and Wunderlich Securities. She earned an MBA at the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Haas Business School at the University of California, Berkeley.
Regina Abrami
Dr. Regina Abrami is Chang Sun Term Professor and Faculty Director of the Global Program & Strategic Initiatives at the Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, including the Institute’s recently launched Politics and Policy Program. At the Institute, her teaching focuses on topics related to foresight strategy, geopolitical leadership, and international and comparative political economy. At Wharton, her award-winning “Competing with China” course is now in its 6th year.
Before Penn, Dr. Abrami was a member of the Harvard Business faculty (2001-2012), where she chaired its immersion programming, in addition to teaching the “Business, Government, and International Economy” core course and a China-focused elective. Her research has appeared in Comparative Politics, Journal of East Asian Studies, Harvard Business Review, and the Oxford Handbook of Asian Business Systems.
Shiv Khemka
Panelist Shiv Khemka is Vice-Chairman of SUN Group, a 120+ year-old family enterprise comprising both operating and investment companies. SUN Group is active in Asset Management (including Venture Capital, Private Equity and Real Estate), Natural Resources, Green Infrastructure, and Technology Investments.
Shiv is the Executive Chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF), a foundation that has reached over 25 million students worldwide and aims to create the next generation of ethical and altruistic leaders that tackle the world’s most important challenges. The foundation partnered with Global Citizen to create Global Citizen India, which raised over USD 6.4 billion in commitments in support of the UN SDGs. Shiv is a founding member of Values 20 (V20) founded by the MISK Foundation during the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s G20 leadership. V20 is a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with the G20. He is the current Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and serves on the Board of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and the Leadership Council at the Brookings Center for Universal Education.
He is married to Urvashi and they have three daughters, Bhavani (28), Jayashree (27) and Gayatri (25).