Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser, highlighting the importance of leadership responsibility at an international level. The 2nd Forum opened with a keynote by the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations H.E. Vardinoyiannis who talked about Philanthropy and creating change, Geir Lippestad, the defense lawyer for the Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik who shared his experience about the impact of terrorist activities in Norway, Professor Tu Weiming, Stephen Cole, Ali Aslan, Hani Masri. Among the GTF 2013 speakers in Athens were the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna V.
In 2013 Global Thinkers Forum organized its annual event and the GTF 2013 Awards for Excellence in Athens, Greece under the theme ‘Leadership & Collaboration'. Ĭolumbia University Professor Saskia Sassen discussed her theory of the ‘Global Street’ and the city as a space where 'the powerless can make history'. Speakers and audience at GTF 2012 discussed issues such as the Arab Spring and the role of women in social transformation. GTF was incubated at Oxford Said Business School as an initiative to create new thinking and effect positive change for the world. GTF convened some 350 international executives under the patronage of Queen Rania of Jordan and with the support of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.
The 1st GTF and inaugural GTF Awards for Excellence took place in Amman, Jordan (6-8 October 2012) discussing the role of the modern Arab woman, in the MENA region and globally. GTF was founded in 2012 by Elizabeth Filippouli.