The first edition of the Global Technology Forum, organised by the AEC, will bring together over 70 senior executives and experts in Madrid and San Lorenzo de El Escorial from October 7 to 9 to discuss technology, economy, and geopolitics.
The Spanish Association of Consulting Firms (AEC) presented the programme for the first edition of the Global Technology Forum this Monday, which will take place on October 7, 8, and 9 in Madrid and San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The meeting will gather more than 70 senior executives, institutional leaders, and experts to position Spain at the centre of the international debate on technology, economy, and geopolitics, according to the organisation.
The inaugural day will be held at the Ramón Areces Foundation in Madrid and will feature an address by the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. The sessions on the 8th and 9th will move to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, where the participation of the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the mayor of the locality, Carlota López Esteban, is expected at the closing.
Confirmed speakers include the executive vice president of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen; the deputy secretary-general of the OECD, Yasushi Masaki; Nobel laureate in Economics Philippe Aghion; philosopher and former minister Luc Ferry; the secretary-general of UN Tourism, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais; former vice president of the European Commission Josep Borrell, and former NASA astronaut Janet Kavandi.
They will be joined by executives from companies in banking, technology, energy, telecommunications, defence, health, logistics, mobility, real estate, and consulting. Institutional representatives will also participate, including the president of the European Space Agency, Juan Carlos Cortés; the executive director of Capitalisation of the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), José Marino García; the digitalisation advisor of the Community of Madrid, Miguel López-Valverde; the president of the APD, Laura González-Molero; the managing director of the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain, Javier Pérez de Vargas; the president of Cepyme and vice president of CEOE, Ángela de Miguel; the president of Ametic, Francisco Hortigüela, and the president of the Association for the Acceleration of Artificial Intelligence, Ismael Faro.
Under the slogan 'Geopolitics and Technology: The New Frontiers', the programme will combine keynote speeches and round tables around four thematic axes. The first will address innovation as a driver of economic growth and how to turn technological advances into productivity and competitiveness. The second will focus on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and edge computing, paying attention to their business applications and their impact on business models, automation, and employment.
The third block will discuss geopolitics, cybersecurity, and defence, analysing the role of technology in European strategic autonomy, dual-use capabilities, protection of critical infrastructures, and space challenges. The fourth axis will focus on technological governance, ethics, and people, with special attention to changes in sectors such as banking, insurance, health, and public administrations.
Cutting-edge technologies are changing the rules of business competition while geopolitics redefines economic relationships," noted the president of the AEC, José María Beneyto, who added that "understanding both processes together is essential to anticipate their effects and make better decisions.
Information about the programme and speakers has been disseminated by Infobae. The organisation has not specified whether the sessions will be open to the general public or if they will require an invitation, although the participation of high-ranking institutional officials and executives suggests a professional format. The forum will be held in Madrid on October 7 and in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on the 8th and 9th.
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