World economic thinkers and business leaders examine disruptive undercurrents at play around the world on September 19-20 at the 13th Global Business Forum in Banff

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Sept. 16, 2013) - More than 200 senior business executives, academics, economic opinion leaders, authors, diplomats and government officials from around the world will address and discuss many of the most intrusive and unexpected economic, political, technological, military and environmental challenges facing our world's economic order at the 2013 Global Business Forum (GBF 13), which takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada on September 19 and 20, 2013.

"GBF 13 has again gathered an insightful and authoritative line-up of speakers and moderators who will offer keen insights into our world's economic state, and the disruptive forces we can expect to see unfold," said GBF Co-chair Hal Kvisle, President and CEO of Talisman Energy Inc.

"Our presenters not only describe the problems; they present solutions to avoid past pitfalls, and more importantly, insight on how to manage the ever-changing new challenges in this unpredictable world," added GBF Co-chair Douglas H. Mitchell, National Co-Chairman of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.

With the theme of Disruptive Forces in the Future Economic Era, the GBF 13 agenda is aimed at providing insight into the forces that will likely have a substantive impact on the global economy. How does North America's new energy abundance reset global energy politics? What are China and Russia thinking about the rest of the world? What are the principled leadership paths? Which technologies and innovations will most impact how our world works and advances?

Forum session topics:

• Disruptive Forces in the World
• The New Energy Abundance
• China's and Russia's Perspective
• Environment, Politics and Green Reality
• Technology and Communication
• Offensive Shareholder Activism and Leadership - A Principled Path
• Innovation - A Creative and Disruptive Force

The GBF 13 program includes more than 25 distinguished speakers including:

• William Atwood, Executive Director, Illinois State Board of Investment
• Dan Conaghan, author The Bank, Inside the Bank of England, and Director of Global Counsel Advisory Limited
• Dr. Nassif Ghoussoub, Scientific Director, Banff International Research Station, Mathematics Professor and Governor, University of British Columbia
• David Gordon, Global Macro Analyst, Eurasia Group
• Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs
• Yousuf Habib, independent global oil consultant
• Ashley Haynes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, GE Oil and Gas
• David Hobbs, Head of Research, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies & Research Centre
• General Raymond Johns, retired 4-star U.S. Air Force general
• Nitin Kawale, President, Cisco Systems
• Richard Kruger, Chairman, CEO and President, Imperial Oil Ltd.
• Bjorn Lomborg, author The Skeptical Environmentalist, and Adjunct Professor at Copenhagen Business School
• Frank Luntz, communications strategist and public opinion pollster
• James Manyika, Director, McKinsey Global Institute
• Thomas O'Neill, Director, BCE Inc., Scotiabank, Nexen Inc.
• Phil Parr, President and CEO, Hitachi Consulting Global
• Susan Puglia, Vice President, IBM Academy of Technology and University Relations
• Brigadier General Thomas Putt, MSM, CD2, Legion of Merit, Canadian Army
• Thomas Sanderson, Co-director and Senior Fellow, Transnational Threats Projects, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
• Yermolai Solzhenitsyn, Director, McKinsey Russia
• Jackie Strum, Vice President of Technology & Manufacturing Group, General Manager of Global Sourcing & Procurement, Intel
• Ken Taylor, Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Iran
• Walter Van De Vijver, President and Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Holdings
• Yuen Pau Woo, President and CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation

Moderators include Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Diane Francis of the Financial Post, Robert Maybery, Principal, Maybery and Company, Peter Tertzakian, Chief Energy Economist & Managing Director, ARC Financial and Real Money host Ali Velshi of Aljazeera America.

Media are invited to attend; however, preregistration is required for admission to GBF 13. Interviews with speakers may be arranged by appointment. Media feeds and a media workroom are also available. To register, please contact Alan Boras at (403) 444-1498, or by email at aboras@national.ca.

About the Global Business Forum

The Global Business Forum is recognized as one of the world's premier business and economic policy gatherings. It is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, funded by the contributions of major Canadian corporations, that invites prominent international business executives, academia and government leaders to actively discuss critical global economic issues and reach creative, practical solutions for the benefit of all citizens. Founded in 2000, the Global Business Forum is held annually in Banff, Alberta, in the majestic Canadian Rocky Mountains.