Guangzhou is my second home: Fortune Chief Content Officer

Alan Murray, Chief Content Officer of Fortune magazine

“Guangzhou has become my second hometown,” said Alan Murray, Chief Content Officer of Fortune magazine in an exclusive interview with Southern Daily ahead of the 2017 Fortune Global Forum to be held in Guangzhou.

During the interview, he introduced the new opportunities under the new economic pattern.

“The history of city’s opening up is the biggest fortune, and the strongest bond between China and other places of the world,” Murray noted.

According to him, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area is expected to be the next successful bay area after New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo.

As a major city of the region, Guangzhou will further promote the growth of Fortune Global 500 companies, encourage foreign investment, and foster innovative companies in a bid to become a role model for the global economy.

The holding of the forum signals that Guangzhou is open for the world, the chief content officer said. He hopes that the CEO of each major international enterprise will learn about the city and China during their stay here. Fortune Brainstorm TECH will also be a new window for the world to learn about Guangzhou’s and even China’s innovations.

“Guangzhou and Guangdong have always been China’s frontline of trade with the world, and the China Import and Export Fair is an indicator of international trade,” Murray stressed, adding that Fortune magazine is glad to see the Fortune Global Forum to be launched here.

As the south gate of China linking the country with the world, Guangzhou is an ideal place to hold the forum, Murray said. Over the past hundreds of years, the city has been at the center of the world trade, representing China in global commerce.

Openness and innovation are Murray’s impressions about Guangzhou, and what impressed him the most is the innovative achievements of local enterprises that he has observed in the city over the last year.

The density of Fortune Global 500 companies in Guangzhou also caught Murray’s eyes. Statistics from the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce show that the city is currently home to 297 Fortune Global 500 offices, with a total of 921 established projects.

He believes these enterprises still have huge expansion and growth potential here. “Fortune Global 500 companies especially appreciate the city’s human resources, habitability, and openness,” he said.

From economy to lifestyle, Murray has high expectations for the city, and he believes that Guangzhou should expand its influence as a trade center and set new goals to become a hub for international shipping, aviation, and innovation.

“Openness and Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy” is the theme of this year’s forum. It has a special meaning for a forum that serves as the most clear and direct window for global economy trends.

“There is growing skepticism about globalization, but we believe that the forum in Guangzhou will prove the importance of global commerce and the profound changes being made in global commerce by technological innovation,” Murray noted.

Murray thinks that openness and innovation are what Guangzhou needs to maintain its leading position among Chinese cities. He also thinks that the city will still be open and innovative in the next decade, which will be further enhanced by the Fortune Global Forum.

“I believe that the principals of the Fortune Global 500 companies are also willing to come to the city and witness its innovation and development,” Murray noted,adding that the world is going through all kinds of changes, especially technological ones.

He said companies should understand the impacts of change, and they must be open, inclusive, and innovative to deal with them.

Murray thinks that the 2017 Fortune Global Forum to be held in Guangzhou will further narrow the distance between the city and the leaders of major international enterprises.

Guangzhou is expected to use the platform to announce its openness for these companies. By August 23, 2017, a total of 129 Fortune Global 500 enterprises and 30 leading companies have confirmed their participation.

The innovation revolution, the future of globalization, 21st century leadership, and sustainable development will be the focus of the forum.

“All the above trends have changed how enterprises think,” said Murray, adding that the forum is a platform where entrepreneurs can gather and discuss their measures and ideas.