The 2001 FORTUNE Global Forum themed "Next Generation Asia" was held in Hong Kong on May 8 to 10. CEOs and top government officials from around the world gathered to discuss and debate key issues facing multinational corporations, with a special focus on Asia.

Global CEOs converged along with leading members of Hong Kong's business community and with Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

Forum participants came from all over the world, but shared the challenges inherent in running complex global corporations. This combination of shared purpose and geographic diversity generated productive discussion and fostered new business relationships. Previous FORTUNE Global Forums had been held in Paris, Shanghai, Budapest, Bangkok, Barcelona and Singapore.

"Hong Kong will be the perfect setting for heads of major international companies to talk about how quickly business is changing in Asia," said John Huey, managing editor of FORTUNE. "With Next Generation Asia as the theme, we'll focus not only on the leaders driving Asia into the next century, but also the styles and emerging trends shaping business in the Pacific Rim. The Global Forum will provide a unique interactive setting for the world's most important business leaders, including CEOs of the world's largest corporations and the hottest dotcoms--to talk face to face about these issues."

Hong Kong Global Forum activities took place at various venues in the heart of Hong Kong and had been centered at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Discussions at the Global Forum took place in four types of sessions: Plenary Sessions, Viewpoints, Tutorials, and Global Perspectives. Topics that were discussed were: emerging technologies; new leadership; Asian conglomerates in transition; youth culture; consumer trends; the outlook for capital markets and the rapidly evolving changes in China and beyond.

Major sponsors of the 2001 FORTUNE Global Forum were Arthur Andersen, Bank of China, British Telecommunications PLC (BT), Dell Computer Corporation, Goldman Sachs and Nortel Networks. Invest Hong Kong is the host sponsor of the FORTUNE Global Forum. Cathay Pacific Airways is the official airline of the FORTUNE Global Forum.