JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are among the top names from political leaders, business executives and technology companies to attend the (WEF) annual meeting.
The US president, , will also attend in person for the first time since 2020, having last year delivered an online speech days after returning to the White House, causing turmoil at the forum. This time, according to the WEF, it will bring the “largest” American delegation to date.
Denmark and the others who will not be in Davos
Davos organizers point out that around 3,000 leaders from various sectors are expected, along with a “record” 400 politicians, 850 top business executives and 100 technology pioneers. However, officials from Denmark, which is at the center of the international crisis that has erupted over Trump’s demands for Greenland, will not attend.
According to a WEF spokesman, Danish officials, despite an invitation, decided not to attend because of developments over Greenland, underscoring the potential tension of the meeting, days after Trump announced new tariffs on European countries resisting his bid to acquire the island.
Officials from China, Brazil and India are not on the attendance list, while the presence of the leaders of Great Britain and Italy has not been officially confirmed, although it is reported that they will attend.
The celebrities present
Among the leaders of major economies, Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to attend, while representatives of six G7 countries are also expected to attend.
This year’s meeting, “A Spirit of Dialogue”, has an agenda focused on five areas: geopolitical environment, artificial intelligence, climate and nature, new sources of economic growth and “people and preparedness”.
However, the focus will be on who will attend.
Trump’s delegation is expected to include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner. The President is scheduled to address Davos on Wednesday.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Roche VP Andre Hoffmann were announced as interim WEF co-chairs in August, as WEF founder Klaus Schwab – who will not attend, despite having led the organization for decades – stepped down in April following an investigation into mismanagement.
Along with Nvidia’s Huang, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Anthropic’s Dario Amotei and DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis are on the WEF attendance list. Sarah Fryar, CFO of OpenAI, will also participate, while CEO Sam Altman will not attend.
What will the Forum be about?
Top topics for markets include US moves to acquire Greenland, political unrest in Venezuela and Trump’s threat to use force against Iran. Investors will also watch for announcements from artificial intelligence companies, updates from central banks and news about businesses diversifying outside the US.
Who will not attend
Although the WEF says “around 65 heads of state” are expected, along with the likes of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, some big names are not on the list.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not scheduled to deliver speeches.
Although Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected to attend, a large Chinese delegation will be in Davos, including Vice President for Trade and Finance He Lifeng, who is expected to deliver a speech on Tuesday.
Saudi Crown Prince and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who exercises de facto power in his country, is not on the WEF’s list of participants. However, several of the country’s ministers, including Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, are scheduled to make international media appearances during the event.
In this context, it is noted that the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he will not attend, after the collision of two express trains in the southern part of the country on Sunday, which claimed the lives of at least 40 people, while on the contrary, a surprise participation is expected in Davos by the far-right British leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, who made a political career on his opposition to the “elite”.
