WOBI World Business Forum 2023 Wrap-Up

The tenth edition of the World of Business Forum Sydney was an inspiring and invigorating event – we hope you enjoy these key takeaways from our Head of Data Services, Mei Liew!

Hosted at the world-class International Convention Centre Sydney, WOBI’s World Business Forum drew speakers and attendees from a pool of top business minds across the globe.

The conference was an opportunity to learn from a huge variety of global business thought leaders—from former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi to Ted Talk luminary Amy Cuddy with her incredible Power Pose philosophy and powerhouse filmmaker James Cameron. 

It was impossible to attend every single session I really wanted to catch, of course—I’m working on it, but as yet I lack the ability to be in more than one place at the same time!

There was a lot of value to be gleaned from the sessions I did attend. Topics ranged from the intersection of sustainability and digital technologies, presented by University of New South Wales’ Barney Tan, to managing difficult workplace relationships with Amy Gallo. Marshall Goldsmith reminded us to maintain the quality of our relationships as a central tenet—and measurement—of success. The amount of information on offer was huge and the quality of presentations was universally high. 

I’m not exaggerating when I write that, right now, data underpins every single industry in the world.

But data governance and management, which are my own areas of expertise, are a specific skill set. The lessons of the World of Business Forum for me were much more general. 

My most important takeaway from the conference probably came from Indra Nooyi’s session, where she spoke about everything from teamwork and performance appraisal, how being a mentor and being mentored by others has impacted her incredible career leading brands worth billions, and balancing work with family life. 

Most importantly, she also reminded us to always focus on learning and to remain dedicated to the growth mindset, particularly where technological advancements are concerned. 

Overall, I emerged from the conference with a mandate to transform my personal strengths into characteristics that create strong business relationships and to lead from the front with courage and confidence. 

Having now returned, only a little dazzled, to my regular life back in our riverside office in Melbourne, I am left with echoes of inspiration I can’t wait to put into practice – like applying Indra Nooyi’s “dream big” mindset and pursuing a deeper understanding of emerging technologies as enablers.

The challenge, now, is to operationalise all these valuable lessons in my daily professional practice, with all the dedication and energy that that requires. Some will be easier than others, but we’re ready to get to work.