Global Initiative

The Economic Club’s Global Initiative offers members, many of whom represent businesses with extensive global interests, the opportunity to enjoy the best and most informative international programming. The Club presents CEOs from global companies based outside the United States and representatives of governments from other nations. (Pictured Above: His Excellency Ron Dermer, Ambassador of Israel to the United States; His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; and His Excellency Abdulla R. Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States, is interviewed by Economic Club Chairman David Rubenstein on November 16, 2020.)

Past Speakers

Recent international speakers have included: 

• Bernard Looney, Chief Executive Officer, bp
• Her Excellency Dame Karen Pierce, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United States
• His Excellency Philippe Étienne, Ambassador of France to the United States
• Her Excellency Dr. Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
• His Excellency Marek Magierowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States
• Her Excellency Rosemary Banks, Ambassador of New Zealand to the United States
• His Excellency Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States
• His Excellency Ron Dermer, Ambassador of Israel to the United States; His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; and His Excellency Abdulla R. Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States
• Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars
• Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Federal Republic of Germany
• His Excellency David MacNaughton, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
• Akio Toyoda, President and Member of the Board of Directors, Toyota Motor Corporation
• His Excellency Juha Sipilä, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland
• His Excellency Gérard Araud, Ambassador of France to the United States
• His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel
• His Excellency Sir Kim Darroch, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore
• Dr. Oh-Hyun Kwon, Vice Chairman & CEO, Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.
• His Excellency Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, President of the Republic of Panama
• His Excellency Peter Wittig, Ambassador of Germany to the United States
• His Excellency Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of the Republic of Colombia 
• Bob Dudley, Group Chief Executive, BP plc
• Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division
• Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank Group
• Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation
• The Honorable Robert B. Zoellick, President, The World Bank Group
• The Right Honourable Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister  

Diplomatic Advisory Council

A key part of the Global Initiative is cooperation with the diplomatic community. Ambassadors are regularly invited to attend Signature events and encouraged to host Executive Conversations.

The Economic Club has established a Diplomatic Advisory Council to raise the Club’s international visibility and assist in reaching out to speakers from other countries. 

• H.E. Kirsten Hillman, Ambassador of Canada
• H.E. Motaz Mounir Zahran, Ambassador of Egypt
• H.E. Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France
• H.E. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland
• H.E. Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan
• H.E. Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait
• H.E. Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Ambassador of Mexico
• H. E. Lui Tuck Yew, Ambassador of Singapore
• H.E. Ralf Heckner, Ambassador of Switzerland 
• H.E. Dame Karen Pierce, Ambassador of the United Kingdom

Global Partner

The Club’s Global Initiative is supported by sponsors at the Global Partner level – Citigroup, Delta Air Lines, Marriott, and Starbucks.     

The Club’s Global Initiative is also supported by sponsors at the Global level - bp, Chevron Corporation, CTIA, H&R Block, Inc., JetBlue Airways Corp., Mercedes-Benz North America, Octagon, and Odgers Berndtson.