The World’s Premier Business and Leadership Platform
Since 2004, the World Business Forum Madrid has brought together thousands of senior executives from across the globe to learn directly from the world’s most influential business thinkers.
We focus on the most relevant topics for today’s leaders–from innovation and strategy to culture and performance–empowering organizations to thrive in an era of constant change.
World Business Forum Speakers 2026
Palacio Municipal de IFEMA
17 & 18 November 2026
Also included in your WOBI Membership
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and Leadership
Access hundreds of hours of exclusive Masterclasses, Book Summaries, Podcasts, and more through the WOBI App. Continuously updated to keep your ideas fresh and relevant!
Also included in your WOBI Membership
Year-round Networking Opportunities & Access to WOBI’s Community of Global Executives
Attend Exclusive Content & Networking Events throughout the Year and become part of WOBI’s Global Community of 10,000+ Leaders.
Also included in your WOBI Membership
All World Business Forum
On Demand
Watch full sessions and highlights from all this year’s
World Business Forums from around the globe.
*Enjoy full access to all sessions on-demand for 30 days after the event concludes.
Why Leaders Choose WOBI
LEARNING
Absorb wisdom from world renowned business thought leaders.
A curated program that tackles today’s most pressing leadership challenges head-on.
INSPIRATION
Supercharge your organization.
Walk away with transformative ideas and the inspiration to turn them into reality.
NETWORKING
Expand your inner circle.
Rub shoulders with over 2,000 decision-makers, innovators, and industry leaders.
JOIN WOBI
Gold
1.595€+IVA
$2.500+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
PLATINUM
1.895€+IVA
$3.000+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Gold
Per access 1.395€+IVA
$2.500+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
PLATINUM
Per access 1.695€+IVA
$3.000+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Gold
Per access 1.295€+IVA
$2.500+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
PLATINUM
Per access 1.595€+IVA
$3.000+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Gold
Per access 1.095€+IVA
$2.500+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
PLATINUM
Per access 1.395€+IVA
$3.000+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Lunch Buffet on both event days
Platinum lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Corporate Access
50 gold
35.000€+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Private lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Signed book from one of our keynote speakers
100 Additional Virtual Accesses for your team
Private lunch with speaker
Meet&Greet with speaker
Corporate Access
50 Platinum
50.000€+IVA
Offer Valid Until December 19th
What’s Included
Access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
Watch World Business Forums Worldwide On Demand
300+ hours of WOBI’s digital content
Exclusive networking opportunities
Welcome Kit
Attendee Certificate
Simultaneous translation
Coffee Break
Networking Cocktail
Private lunch on both event days
Preferential Seating
Signed book from one of our keynote speakers
200 Additional Virtual Accesses for your team
Private lunch with speaker
Meet&Greet with speaker
Supporting Sponsors
Supporting
Academic partner
Partners
Carl Lewis
One of the greatest Olympians of all time
Recognized as one of the most successful athletes in history, Carl Lewis is a track and field legend, world-record breaker, and ten-time Olympic medalist (with nine golds and one silver). Named Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, Lewis redefined consistency and longevity by sustaining peak performance over many years, competing in five Olympic Games. An eight-time world champion, he set the then–world record in the 100m at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo at the age of 30 – an age considered past prime for sprinters and long jumpers. Beyond his sports career, he founded The Carl Lewis Foundation in 1984 to support disadvantaged youth and continues to dedicate his influence to business, education and social impact initiatives.
The “I Can Do That” Mindset
- Talent is just the start: What it takes to develop a champion mindset, overcome the odds and sustain success over the long term
- The “I Can Do That” Mindset: Developing the mental strength to give you the edge when the pressure is on
- Staying motivated: How to maintain the desire to keep setting the bar higher year after year
- Don’t focus on being at the top, but on being better: Lessons from an Olympic champion in driving continuous improvement
Chris Barton
Founder & Former CEO of Shazam
Chris Barton is the founder of Shazam, the groundbreaking music recognition app that changed how people discover music, and was acquired by Apple in 2018 for around $400 million. A passionate innovator who believes technology can achieve the impossible, Barton spent eight years at Google, where he was the first employee focused on mobile, creating from scratch the carrier partnership framework for Search and Android. He then joined Dropbox as one of its first employees, helping to build their mobile business and expand the platform globally. Barton is also an active investor and adviser in various startups, holding 12 patents for inventions developed at Shazam, Google, and Dropbox. He is now the founder of Guard, a venture using AI to make digital experiences safer and smarter.
Starting from Zero: The Shazam’s Journey to Transform Ideas into Innovation
- The Start from Zero framework: Discover four unconventional ways of thinking used by history’s greatest innovators like Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, and Leonardo da Vinci – to systematically disrupt industries and challenge the status quo
- Bring “impossible” ideas to life: Harness technology to imagine the future, challenge conventional limits, and turn bold, ahead-of-its-time ideas into reality
- Turning obstacles into breakthroughs: Eliminating friction and prioritizing effectively to drive bold innovations that impact billions and enhance customer interactions
- The mindset to create the next great companies: How to convert bold visions into game-changing products that redefine industries, inspired by Shazam
Amy Gallo
Coach and leading expert in conflict resolution and workplace dynamics
An authority on relationship management, healthy disagreements, and gender dynamics, Amy Gallo’s work is focused on teaching leaders evidence-based frameworks that improve high performance and drive excellence at work. A Contributing Editor at the Harvard Business Review, where she has written hundreds of articles, she is also the author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People). Gallo also co-hosted HBR’s popular Women at Work podcast, and has taught at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Managing Difficult Workplace Relationships
- How to manage conflict and change in ways that spark innovation, collaboration, trust, and engagement
- Why healthy disagreements are essential for high-performing teams – and how to foster them effectively
- A four-step framework for conflict resolution: key strategies to turn friction into fuel for growth
- How to build psychological safety through care, consistency, and candor, creating a space where everyone feels safe to speak up and learn
Zack Kass
Former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI
Zack Kass has over a decade in AI leadership, most recently as Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI where he spearheaded sales and partnerships, turning research into deployable business solutions. An expert in the transformative possibilities that Artificial Intelligence brings, Zack Kass is a futuristic leader who helps organizations including Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Samsung, navigate the evolving landscape of this technology in the business world. He has also served as an advisor and VP of Revenue at Lilt, as well as VP of Sales and Customer Success at Figure Eight.
AI Strategy Simplified
- AI Strategy Simplified: Demystifying AI’s complexity with an actionable roadmap for its implementation
- Redefining Intelligence: Preparing for a world where intelligence is unmetered–and rethinking what it means to be human in the process
- Beyond the hype: Turning AI’s ethical and societal dilemmas into strategic value
- A world of opportunities: A pragmatic guide to future-proofing your business by fostering resilience, adaptability, and innovation
Daniel Goleman
Renowned psychologist and leading authority on emotional intelligence
Daniel Goleman is a world-renowned authority on emotional intelligence, whose contributions have had a transformative impact on the field of psychology and the business world. Psychologist, science journalist, and author, he has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times as one of the most influential thinkers, and is the author of bestsellers including Emotional Intelligence (1995) and Focus (2013). More than 30 years after its publication and more than 5 million copies sold, Emotional Intelligence has revolutionized corporate leadership and has generated thousands of academia research studies examining EI’s role in various contexts., . Goleman has received numerous journalistic awards for his writings, including two Pulitzer Prize nominations.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Unlocking Human Potential
- Understanding emotional intelligence as a key driver of effective leadership and high-performing teams
- Developing self-awareness, self-regulation, and resilience to thrive in complex business environments
- Leveraging empathy and social skills to build strong and meaningful relationships and achieve impactful results
- Aligning personal purpose with organizational goals to maximize impact, motivation, and results
Rita McGrath
Leading innovation and strategy expert and professor at Columbia Business School
Prof. Rita McGrath is widely recognized as a global authority on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. Consistently ranked among the top 10 management thinkers globally by Thinkers50, she is also a recipient of their #1 award in strategy. As a consultant to CEOs, her work has had a lasting impact on the strategy and growth programs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. She is the author of five books including the best-selling The End of Competitive Advantage and Discovery Driven Growth, cited by Clayton Christensen as creating “one of the most important management ideas ever developed”. She is also the founder of Valize, an innovation platform whose mission is to help organizations build lasting innovation capability as the basis for long-term shared prosperity.
Strategies to Drive Innovation and Growth
- The New Strategy Playbook: Navigate shifts, rethink growth, and reinvent your approach
- Innovation in Action: Turn ideas into results with tools your team can apply immediately
- Spot Early Signals: Detect trends and changes before they disrupt your business
- Break Down Barriers: Align teams, foster collaboration, and accelerate execution
Erin Meyer
Leading expert on creating cultures of high performance, professor at INSEAD and bestselling author
A professor at INSEAD and a leading expert on creating cultures of high performance, Erin Meyer is a bestselling author who helps companies develop organizational cultures that foster both flexibility and innovation. She has worked with organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Toshiba, KPMG, and L’Oréal, among others. A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Meyer is the author of The Culture Map, and co-author, alongside Netflix’s co-founder, Reed Hastings, of the New York Times bestseller No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention.
Creating a Culture of Performance
- The Culture Map: A framework for decoding cross-cultural differences to lead diverse teams with greater awareness, empathy, and effectiveness
- The core principles of a corporate culture that balances freedom and responsibility to achieve lasting results
- Identifying and adapting leadership styles across cultures to strengthen collaboration and communication in global contexts
- No Rules Rules: Lessons from Netflix on building high-performing, flexible, and innovative teams
Marcus Collins
Award-winning marketer and expert on brand strategy
As the Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York, and a marketing Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Marcus Collins bridges the academic-practitioner gap for blue-chip brands and startups alike. His acclaimed book For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be examines the influence of culture on consumption and unpacks how everyone from marketers to activists can leverage culture to get people to take action. He is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award, and a recent inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. In addition, he led iTunes + Nike sports music initiatives at Apple, the McDonald’s cultural resurgence and Google’s “Real Tone” technology launch, plus he served as Head of Digital Strategy for Beyoncé.
The Future of Brands
- Why culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing behavior and what this means for brands
- The six levels of brand power, from simple awareness to ideology, and how brands evolve through them
- How empathy enables leaders to understand customers beyond data and influence behavior authentically
- From Beyonce to the Fortune 500: Practical lessons from the field on why the strongest brands don’t just follow culture – they lead it
Offer Valid Until December 19th
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