Grant McKibbin puts the puzzle together
Grant Mckibbin image
Grant McKibbin is a busy man. As Head of Membership at the World Economic Forum, his is a demanding job at the best of times. He has been with the World Economic Forum for over 12 years and his current duties and responsibilities will certainly allow him to conclude that the world’s complexity and synchronicity cannot be solved independently.
It requires the congregation of distinguished and knowledgeable leaders and decision-makers. Like pieces of a puzzle, the key is identifying them and fitting the disparate pieces together into a harmoniously intellectual structure. This is the calling that the World Economic Forum has taken upon itself in its quest to decipher some of the world’s most pressing political, social and economical issues. A major piece of this puzzle is the companies and people who make up the Forum’s membership, who collectively represent the bigger picture. It is therefore crucial that the puzzle be accurately pieced together “by ensuring the membership structure is both industrially and regionally representative, identify the gaps and fill them”, thus facilitating its members to join forces in making the world a better place.
But this is difficult when the pieces of the puzzle are relentlessly changing; however, Grant McKibbin ceaselessly participates in the process of analysing and moving the pieces around ensuring everyone fits in.
By invitation only
In order to coordinate and fine-tune his remit, McKibbin participates in the Membership and Partner Committee, a multidisciplinary internal body that meets weekly to review the criteria of World Economic Forum membership. Identifying which companies and executives are to be invited to the Annual Meeting in Davos is a task that demands careful consideration.
Although the 1,000 members are mostly the world’s foremost corporations, McKibbin and his colleagues do not let figures and statistics alone rule. They go a step further by taking into account other factors that add value to a company, such as their leadership or corporate citizenship credentials. “These are the aspects that you won’t find by simply picking up a newspaper and reading about them,” McKibbin comments.
Distinguished selections are made based on tangible and non-official aspects as well. As McKibbin puts it, “We have managed to attract a very good representation from the first one hundred companies off the Forbes List. Our challenge now is how best to engage the next generation of MNCs that show potential.”
Nothing is set in stone
It adds a seal of exclusiveness when your company has been discerningly hand-picked and is being recognized for its non-statistical traits as well. McKibbin is composed yet perceptive in regards to membership recruitment. “In the current environment, nothing is set in stone,” he says. “For example, in the past eighteen months certain industry sectors have suffered, the aviation, travel and tourism industries being among those. These businesses could easily be marginalized.”
But McKibbin remains pragmatic in his approach. “Allowances must be made to include these weakened industries at the table”. In a manner of reconciliation, McKibbin looks at how to sensibly engage these. He speaks with hesitancy of pro-actively ceasing a company’s membership. He is a man of integrity: “Rather the question should be how best can we partner with them as they look at navigating out of the current economic situation.”
China’s red-carpet welcome
Membership must also reflect the universal scale of the Forum. It is for this reason that one must take seriously global economic adjustments such as the shift towards Asia. In the past, the decor of the organization has been predominately North America and Western Europe. The Forum wants to freshen up the Anglo-Saxon wallpaper of the club with some Chinese incense. The World Economic Forum is accordingly “strengthening Asian, and specifically Chinese, representation as one of the key strategies for this year.”
McKibbin talks with efficacy about the provisions that are being made to accommodate Chinese participants: “They will be allowed to bring along personal interpreters so they are not just sitting in an environment that is foreign and uncomfortable for them. Thus we can make sure that they are integrated into the process, that their opinions matter in the discussions and, ultimately, that their voices be heard.” China thus looks set to receive a red-carpet welcome.
The World Economic Forum has been holding regional meetings in China for 30 years and, since 2007, has held its “Summer Davos” gathering, the Annual Meeting of New Champions, which have been a “fantastic step in raising brand awareness in the region,” McKibbin says. “It is important to ask how to identify these future partners, which isn’t always easy.” Particularly when one is exploring new territory. In such situations “one has to rely on open knowledge, key ambassadors and experts as guides to identifying the right companies and people.” These “intelligence servicemen” are the “first and foremost people who know us well, what we can offer and see themselves as part of the process,” he adds.
Davos – The way out of the storm
Once your company has met the criteria and been granted an invitation, McKibbin is the man who will cater to your needs. It is not just about building up an attractive entourage of powerful people, but also creating an impeccable environment for them to work in, which means having a good programme. It is after all the “core of the Annual Meeting.”
In the face of the economic crisis, the quality of the agenda last year took on increased significance. To illustrate what makes a successful programme, last year’s meeting could almost be seen as a refuge, a place where disconcerted CEOs daunted by the blunderings of the world economy could come and find respite and “gain invaluable insights”, from other top leaders.
The Annual Meeting is ultimately a huge chunk of time out of a CEO’s calendar and McKibbin is ardent that it “must be felt by all that this is time well spent and productively used.”
People power
Asked about the upcoming year, McKibbin talks with restrained optimism. The air at Davos will be filled with a “renewed enthusiasm”, but again we are working on fragile grounds. “Many of the issues from a year ago still linger”. Nevertheless McKibbin remains cautiously optimistic. In his 12 years at the World Economic Forum he has seen how the institution has grown to become a crucial multistakeholder platform and the Davos Annual Meeting as the place to “really identify and navigate key challenges of the upcoming year.”
Whereas before the Forum was primarily perceived as a single event adorned in networking, today it has become the foremost organization in building and energizing leading global communities, all pieces of the puzzle that of course includes contacts forged at the numerous regional meetings too. “Davos is only the start and end of a long process.” McKibbin states.
His importance cannot be underestimated, as member companies are at the heart of all activities. Through his vigilance, McKibbin attracts and maintains top-quality membership. In the end, there is a symbiotic relationship between having accomplished people and a compelling, rich programme.
Article by Paula Svaton
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