World Economic Forum · Dubai 2026
Towards a World of Opportunities for All
Opening Plenary · Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders 2026
The future will be shaped not simply by what becomes possible, but by where we choose to invest — and who we empower to make those decisions.
About the engagement
Shaping the Next Generation of Opportunity
- Organisation
- World Economic Forum
- Event
- Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders 2026
- Session
- Opening Plenary — Towards a World of Opportunities for All
- Role
- Opening Plenary Speaker
- Location
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Date
- October 2026
- Panel
- Temi Marcella Olatunde, Khaled Bin Braik, Elham AlQasim, Benjamin Von Wong
- Moderator
- James Longman, ABC News
At the World Economic Forum's inaugural Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders in Dubai, Temi Marcella Olatunde joined the opening plenary, Towards a World of Opportunities for All, exploring the forces reshaping global economic opportunity and the leadership decisions required to navigate them.
Drawing on her experience investing in and building businesses across international markets, Temi brought a private capital perspective to discussions spanning technological transformation, entrepreneurship, economic growth and institutional leadership.
A central theme of her contribution was the distinction between technological possibility and economic progress. While advances in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are expanding what is possible, their impact will ultimately depend on the decisions made about where capital flows, which entrepreneurs receive support and which institutions and businesses are built.
Her reflections also examined how significant unmet demand, structural change and evolving technologies can create compelling investment opportunities, particularly when combined with appropriate capital structures, strategic partnerships and operating capabilities.
The discussion underscored a defining question for investors and leaders:
How do we translate extraordinary technological possibility into productive investment, transformative businesses and more broadly shared prosperity?
Perspectives from the Plenary
-
Capital Allocation Shapes the Future
Investment decisions influence which technologies scale, which businesses emerge and who participates in the next generation of economic opportunity.
-
Innovation Requires Pathways to Scale
Technological breakthroughs alone are insufficient. Translating innovation into lasting economic value requires capital, infrastructure, partnerships and operating capabilities.
-
Opportunity Is Global
Transformative businesses do not necessarily emerge where their underlying technologies originate. Significant opportunities exist wherever innovation intersects with unmet demand, entrepreneurial ambition and the ability to execute.
The Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders
The inaugural gathering brought together emerging and established leaders across business, government, technology, science and civil society to explore the forces shaping the future and opportunities for intergenerational collaboration.
The meeting included the introduction of three initiatives:
- Future Leaders Outlook
- Alliance for Future Generations
- Agentic AI Challenge
A Full-Circle Moment
The gathering also marked Temi's graduation from the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders programme as a member of the Class of 2024.
Dubai holds particular significance in her professional journey. Having moved to the UAE more than a decade earlier to build her career in private equity, returning for the inaugural Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders brought together an important chapter of her investment career and her continued engagement with the global leadership community.
Speaking & Strategic Engagements
Temi contributes to international conversations on investment, capital allocation, technological transformation, healthcare innovation and the future of economic opportunity.
Enquire about speaking & partnerships