Stephen McLennan and Gillian Brown, Ontario Teachers’ Co-Chief Investment Officers, opened the conference with a clear-eyed look at the forces shaping today’s investment landscape. Inflation, interest rates, geopolitics, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence continue to redefine markets, creating both complexity and opportunity.
Attendees echoed these themes, pointing to three factors most top of mind: persistent macroeconomic pressures, political uncertainty on a global scale, and the challenge of adapting to accelerating technology. While few expect these dynamics to fade quickly, the discussions emphasized that understanding them as enduring features of the business horizon is key to building resilience and unlocking long-term growth.
Those mega-trends were reinforced by R.P. Eddy, CEO of global intelligence firm Ergo, who described the current moment as a “geopolitical-technological supercycle.” His words carried a sense of urgency: “There are months when decades happen, and we’ve had 1,300 days of months where decades are happening.”
For many in the audience, the phrase captured the dizzying pace of change they are experiencing firsthand.