Action alert! ET WLF Curtains rise today in Delhi

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Key points

• Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2026Prime Minister Narendra Modiet wlf 2026 pm modiAI in businessEconomic Timeseconomic times world leaders forumnarendra modi.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will headline the Economic Times World Leaders Forum this Friday.
• Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, will share his perspective on building Indian businesses for the world.
• The Prime Minister, leader of the fastest-expanding major economy, takes centrestage against the backdrop of an era of profound change.
• ET WLF, India's premier global business event, hosts a formidable line-up this time, including former UK prime minister Boris Johnson.

ET World Leaders Forum: Action alert! Curtains rise today in Delhi; PM Modi to address global leaders.

ET World Leaders Forum: Action alert! Curtains rise today in Delhi; PM Modi to address global leaders. ET BureauLast Updated: Aug 21, 2026, 05: 30: 00 AM IST.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will headline the Economic Times World Leaders Forum this Friday. Global business leaders and policymakers will gather for two days of discussions. The forum will explore AI, geopolitics, and demographic shifts impacting global business. India's role in the evolving global economy will be a central theme. Discussions will focus on shared futures and navigating a changing world order.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will headline The Economic Times World Leaders Forum as top business leaders from throughout continents assemble in the Capital on Friday, for two days of crackling conversations in a world being rapidly reshaped by unpredictable geopolitics, technology, shifting power equations and India's increasingly muscular role in driving the global economy. The Prime Minister, leader of the fastest-expanding major economy, takes centrestage against the backdrop of an era of profound change. AI is rewriting conventional business models, geopolitics is redrawing trade routes, global capital is looking for new destinations, and demographic trends are transforming the way firms do business: US ambassador Gor to chart road map for India-US ties at ET WLF.

In this backdrop, ET WLF 2026 – themed Shared Futures: Secure, Intelligent, Resilient – kicks off by bringing together a glittering galaxy of global business leaders, policymakers, investors and thinkers. ET WLF, India's premier global business event, hosts a formidable line-up this time, including former UK prime minister Boris Johnson. Live Events.

Other major names at the event include Anthony Capuano, president and chief executive of Marriott International; Manny Maceda, chairman of Bain & Co; Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital; Anu Aiyengar, global chair of investment banking and M&A at JPMorgan; Kevin D Strain, president and chief executive, Sun Life; Baroness Sharon White of La Caisse; Sir Ron Kalifa of Brookfield; David Bach, president at IMD Business School; Vivek Lall, chief executive of General Atomics Global Corporation; Yuvraj Narayan, group CEO of DP World; and Hans Christian Dall Nygård, head of private equity at SPEC Finance, alongside senior leaders from Dubai, the US and other global markets.: ET World Leaders Forum: EAM Jaishankar to speak on India's foreign policy against the backdrop of global tensions India's global ambitions will have a disproportionate share of the conversations that are projected to assist shape policy responses beyond New Delhi. While US Ambassador Sergio Gor will speak on how India-US ties can evolve from a strategic partnership into a broader global power partnership, external affairs minister S Jaishankar will share his views on how India can navigate the new global power game and shape its place in a changing world order. Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, will share his perspective on building Indian businesses for the world. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, president and chief executive of Dubai Chambers, will explore how the India-Dubai relationship is creating a new geography of global business, trade and investment. Top Indian business leaders – including Puneet Chhatwal of Indian Hotels, Preeti Lobana of Google India, Suresh Sethi of Visa and Jayen Mehta of Amul – will talk regarding the changing Indian consumer, rising aspirations and the new India blueprint. In another interesting conversation, Uday Shankar, vice chairman of JioStar, will examine the changing economics of media and sport. On the first day, chief ministers of Bihar and Chhattisgarh, Samrat Choudhary and Vishnu Deo Sai, respectively, will outline industrial ambitions as the fight for investment intensifies. The evening of day one will additionally bring one of the forum's defining conversations, 'The Great Rewiring: How AI, Geopolitics and Demographic Shifts Are Redrawing the Map of Global Business, ' featuring Capuano, Maceda, Bach and Lall. Notably, the day ends with the Prime Minister's speech, in which he will probable share with the audience his vision and blueprint for India's march toward becoming a developed economy. On day two, the technology track will bring founders and investors from the global tech ecosystem to India, with conversations on AI-native firms, cybersecurity and the next generation of intelligent systems. From AI to capital, Dubai to Delhi, geopolitics to the boardroom, ET WLF will bring together the individuals helping create the new world economy. Add Now!

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Taken together, the developments around action alert! ET WLF Curtains rise today in Delhi point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.