Klowden Mike formal

Published October 20, 2014.


"Think global, act local," is a popular catchphrase. But at the Milken Institute, our operating philosophy is "think global, act global," for increasingly, our engagement spans the world. Here are a few examples:

  • In September, the Institute held its inaugural Asia Summit in Singapore. Organized by our new, Singapore-based Asia Center, the meeting brought together leaders from the worlds of business, finance, government and philanthropy to discuss issues ranging from Asia's new crop of political leaders, to the prognosis for health innovation in Asia, and to prosperity and risk in the Asia-Pacific region. Our work in the region extends beyond convening meetings: on the eve of the Summit, we released several major research reports on Asia, including a ground-breaking index of the best performing cities on the continent.
  • In late October, we return to the U.K. for our fourth London Summit, a one-day version of our Global Conference. We will gather nearly a thousand participants from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas for panels and private sessions that will focus on finding solutions to some of the globe's biggest challenges.
  • Our work in Africa continues to expand. As the continent with the most rapid growth in the past decade, there are clearly huge opportunities to unlock the human capital and creative potential of tens of millions of people. We are helping governments in East Africa develop policies that attract growth-inducing foreign investment, as well as helping multinational businesses better appreciate why they need an Africa strategy if they don't already have one.
  • Last but hardly least, our Global Conference, held each spring in Los Angeles, is more global with each passing year. We're already planning for GC 2015, and expect to have more international participants and speakers than ever before, and more panels centered on issues of interest outside the United States.

Why is the Milken Institute so focused on expanding activities around the world? Not only are the issues we focus on – expanding access to capital, improving health, helping fuel job creation – intrinsically global in nature, but in an ever-more-borderless world, solutions and innovations pioneered in one country can powerfully help people elsewhere. A big part of what we do, especially through our convening, is a kind of cross-pollination of ideas. By bringing innovators and leaders from many sectors and countries together, we raise the odds that innovations will move around the world faster, and affect more lives for the better.

Michael Klowden

CEO and President

mksig

Michael Klowden, CEO and President