Davos 2025: Five ways to stand out with your thought leadership

In January, businesses will jostle for attention at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum — which is set to be dominated by geopolitics, artificial intelligence, purpose, climate and resilience. Will yours stand out? 

Here, our expert editors explain how to approach these themes so that your business leads the conversation at Davos 2025. 

1. Political risk: all awareness and no action  

Businesses are used to dealing with isolated instances of political instability. But political volatility in liberal democracies and strategic competition between the US and China are new, and suggest a structural shift in the global order. 

Today’s thought leadership tends to look at how businesses can build their awareness of political risk in order to understand their exposure. 

But, there’s less focus on what comes next. This gap between awareness and action is fertile ground for thought leadership because integrating intelligence into strategic decision-making is not easy. For example, businesses’ geostrategic and political risk experts are not necessarily connected to decision-making centres of power (business unit leaders and boards). And complacency — or fear of over-reacting — can mean that decision-makers ignore political risk intelligence.

So as geopolitical tensions grow, we expect businesses’ response to political risk to be a critical topic at Davos. Businesses can lead on this by assigning responsibility for political risk to an internal influential executive. Other ideas include ‘war-gaming’ different scenarios and strategies to expose weaknesses in contingency plans, as well as collaborating with peers as companies seek the knowledge they need to move ahead with confidence. 

Peter Elkins, Group Editor, Leadership & Strategic Innovation

2. Sustainability: the rising pressure of regulations  

The next five years will be critical if businesses really want to meet 2030 net zero targets. But our recent media analysis revealed that the increasing complexity of sustainability reporting is leading to confusion and scepticism, and more and more businesses are walking away from their climate pledges. 

But governments are feeling the pressure to make progress on climate agreements, so new regulations and legislation continue to shift the business landscape and its various targets. From renewable energy auctions to biodiversity net gain – these initiatives are likely to increase, which means that now is the time for businesses to do more, review their strategies and look closely at what others are doing. 

Against this backdrop, at Davos we expect to see an emphasis on how businesses can make their net zero efforts more transparent. Brands will only become credible in this area when they start with an honest appraisal of their progress and the challenges they face. 

We also hope to see more about innovation. Businesses that align themselves with emerging or evolving trends such as the global push towards more formal carbon markets and the evolution of the circular economy will be seen as champions of change. This will give them the power to build their brand reputation and materially influence the sustainability agenda. 

Laura Adcock, Group Editor and Head of Climate & Natural Capital

3. Corporate purpose: time for a rethink?  

The values and priorities of younger generations are continuing to shape the future of work, which means businesses need a corporate purpose. To attract, retain and motivate talent in today’s competitive labour market, businesses must take an integrated approach to employee wellbeing and development. 

A recent Deloitte survey shows that three-quarters of Generation Z and millennials see the organisation’s community engagement and societal impact as an important factor when they’re considering a role. But less than half of them believe that business in general is having a positive impact on society. 

At Davos, we expect to see discussion about this divide and the challenge it creates for businesses. With Gen Z set to account for a quarter of the workforce by next year, businesses have no choice but to support their corporate rhetoric with tangible action, whether that’s inclusive representation or career transparency.   

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are not new in thought leadership. To grab a share of voice here, businesses will need to think and communicate beyond their environmental and social mission statements. True corporate purpose is embedded into the organisation, shapes the way people operate and creates a sense of belonging. And businesses that show they’re committed to this won’t just stand out — they will also be rewarded with a workforce that can guide them through a transforming world. 

Hannah Freegard, Managing Editor and Head of Future of Work & AI

4. AI: find your niche in the hype cycle

After two years of nonstop AI buzz, businesses are on a mission to find original ways to talk about it. Our recent news tracking analysis shows there’s a ‘uniformity trap’: too many AI campaigns are telling the same stories, which dilutes their impact. 

To stand out, businesses need unique insights and detailed, actionable data. That means finding the area of AI that’s most relevant to their business, rather than jumping on trends that might be peaking but are likely to decline. For long-term impact, businesses must find their niche.  

Our analysis shows, for instance, that AI governance is a relatively untapped area that’s experiencing significant growth. The first wave of AI implementation is behind us, and businesses’ plans to adopt and use AI are outpacing their abilities to do so. This is increasing demand for effective governance. 

Thought leadership can have real value here. With 97 per cent of businesses feeling pressure to deploy AI-powered technologies, executives need to avoid making hasty investment decisions. Instead, they need to know how to address the challenges ahead, including high upfront investments, getting employee buy-in, and AI’s impact on greenhouse gas reduction targets. Understanding these issues and how to tackle them will enable these businesses to seize the opportunities of AI ethically and for the long term. 

Ben Bschor, Group Editor, Leadership & Strategic Innovation

5. Agility: it starts with leadership 

Agile workforces are becoming the norm in an unpredictable world, and recent disruptive events have given businesses the chance to stress-test how well they work. 

The results? Agile working has many advantages, but not every executive fully understands it. And as McKinsey explains, building agile organisations, or “collaborative networks of self-managing teams that operate in rapid cycles”, has to start at the very top. 

Agility is as much about tools and processes as it is about solid change management. Some people will struggle with the organisational shift, but everyone needs to move in the same direction for it to work. 

So we expect the role of leadership to be a big part of the agile debate at Davos. As Forbes calls “adaptive leadership” its number one leadership trend, we’re seeing an urgent need for executives to step up and figure out what agile can really do for their organisations. And leaders will need a platform where they can be open about the challenges they face. 

Thomas Sturge, Group Editor, Leadership & Strategic Innovation

The content agenda at Davos 2025 will be a packed one, and these five topics are likely to feature near the top. To stand out, work out where you can excel — and then communicate your expertise in a bold and refreshing way. Remember, it’s better to lead part of the conversation than just contribute to all of it.