Global Summit

Join The Consumer Goods Forum’s Co-Chairs – Frans Muller of Ahold Delhaize and Dirk Van de Put of Mondelēz International, alongside Wai-Chan Chan of The Consumer Goods Forum, as they showcase key achievements from the past two years and inspire the industry to accelerate progress across all dimensions of sustainability. Frans and Dirk will share key insights on how organisations can enhance their impact through collaborative action and innovative approaches to tackle today’s most pressing challenges.

Join Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, as she inaugurates the 2025 Global Summit to set the agenda with her inspiring vision for a sustainable future. Renowned for her passionate advocacy for financial inclusion and sustainable development, Queen Máxima’s insights will offer a unique and compelling perspective on global challenges and driving impactful change. Her presence underscores the growing recognition of the industry’s crucial position in shaping a more equitable and sustainable future, making her keynote a truly unmissable moment for leadership.

In a world shifting away from the take-make-waste model, the future of the circular economy hinges on collaboration – where industries, consumers, and policymakers work together to redefine value, turning waste into wealth and challenges into opportunities. This session will explore industry trends and growing interdependence between key sustainability topics such as food waste, plastic waste and climate change.

Brands have always evolved alongside human desires, but artificial intelligence (AI) is now reshaping how consumers discover and engage with them. Amazon overtook Google in product search, TikTok is rising fast and ChatGPT is becoming a powerful force in consumer decision-making. As AI enables more intuitive, human-like interactions, it challenges traditional brand-consumer relationships. Do brands still matter? Who owns consumer loyalty in an AI-driven world? Despite these shifts, brands remain essential—but companies must reinvent themselves. Generative AI can help by transforming consumer engagement, redefining industry economics and revolutionizing workforces, unlocking an estimated $1.2 trillion in value by 2038.

As consumer expectations for personalization and convenience reshape the FMCG landscape, the traditional retail playbook is no longer enough. In this session, discover how Ferrara – home to beloved brands like Jelly Belly and Nerds and sister brand to Ferrero in Europe – accelerated digital transformation through a direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy that strengthened brand equity, increased customer lifetime value, and unlocked agile go-to-market capabilities.

We’ll unpack the strategic decisions behind Ferrara’s shift, supported by key data from the 2025 Emarsys Consumer Products Engagement Report. FMCG leaders will walk away with a clear understanding of how digital engagement can fuel sustainable growth, create defensible differentiation, and future-proof their brand in an increasingly competitive environment.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, consumer behaviour is shifting in unexpected ways. What are people buying (or not buying), and how are businesses adapting to stay relevant? This session brings together industry leaders to share how they’ve reshaped their strategies to meet changing demands, from pricing and product innovation to brand messaging and loyalty. We’ll dive into the latest consumer insights – what trends are keeping CEOs up at night, and what surprises have reshaped their approach? Join us to hear from CEOs across various regions and diverse consumer habits.

Sustainable growth is no longer a choice—it’s a necessity. This session explores how businesses can drive long-term success by integrating sustainability into their core strategies. From innovative business models to responsible sourcing and circular solutions, industry leaders will share insights on balancing profitability with positive environmental and social impact. Join us to discover how companies are turning sustainability into a competitive advantage while meeting evolving consumer and regulatory expectations.

In today’s rapidly evolving consumer landscape, leading brands are leveraging AI to drive innovation and redefine consumer engagement and growth. This I-Talk will explore how Google Cloud’s cutting-edge AI solutions are enabling consumer brands to move beyond traditional approaches and accelerate innovation that delights consumers and transforms brand experiences. We will delve into practical applications of AI, including how brands can harness data to deliver actionable insights, accelerate product development and create more personalized consumer connections. Through real-world examples and a forward-thinking perspective, we will uncover how AI-powered transformation is not just a future trend, but a present-day necessity for brands seeking to lead in the consumer industry and drive sustainable growth. 

Sustainability goals mean little without execution. This session explores how businesses can embed sustainability into core strategy—leveraging innovation, a future-back approach, and deep customer insight to drive real impact.

We’ll outline practical steps to turn long-term commitments into measurable action while balancing growth, responsibility, and customer loyalty. A1RWATER’s breakthrough technology, which generates mineral-enriched drinking water from air, illustrates how companies can transform sustainability challenges into market opportunities—proving that innovation and impact go hand in hand.

In an era of heightened global uncertainty, shifting alliances, and economic volatility, businesses must navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. In this session, Fareed Zakaria will explore the key trends shaping international relations, the risks and opportunities they present, and strategies for resilience.

Transfers: from the Nhow Hotel commencing 18:00