My Dear Friends and Family,

This coming August in the city of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the Leon H. Sullivan Summit will gather a remarkable group of world leaders, chief executive officers, pioneers, and regular, everyday people just like you and me. In fact, the Sullivan Summit is often referred to as “The People’s Summit” because, unlike every other Summit of nations and world leaders, anyone can attend the Sullivan Summit to participate in dialog with the men and women who are shaping the policies and practices that will give rise to Africa’s future.

Together we will examine how the world is becoming ever more rapidly digital, mobile, virtual, and personal; yet remote and impersonal. Our greatest challenge as members of this globalized society – what do these changes mean for our leaders and what will they mean for people like you and me? And perhaps most importantly, how can we protect the infirmed, the poor, the defenseless, and the isolated from a society moving faster and faster away from their grasp?

Technology and globalization have created a phenomenon that is accelerating profound shifts in the way we communicate, conduct business, govern, innovate, and become competitive. At the Ninth Leon H. Sullivan Summit, we will learn from each other about managing change, and we will explore how the public and the private sectors can manage a changing society while not leaving our most vulnerable members behind without hope and without a way to rise.

At the Ninth Leon H. Sullivan Summit we will benefit from the collective wisdom of our leaders and our peers as we innovate in these uncertain times. The leaders of Africa, and indeed the entire world, are all challenged to use the capabilities of this age to drive a world economy that will benefit all.

There is a Continent waiting to be developed! Join us on the most exciting journey of this Century, the journey of Africa Rising.

See you in Malabo.

One love,