Optimism and Opportunity in Change and Uncertainty

by Olivier Campenon*

If change is the one constant in our lives that we can’t prevent – no matter how hard we might sometimes try – it’s the uncertainty that can be grabbed for all its worth and squeezed for the opportunities it throws up. The change for the better has taken off across the region over the past few months; we have all been witness to it. And before the age of  uncertainty settles in, I believe this is the right time to look at the options it presents.

This summit in particular seems to me to be full of uncertainty on the one hand; there are more open questions at the moment than answers. There is a strong sense of an unfinished job hanging in the air. Yet at the same time, there is an overwhelming feeling of focus to do the right thing to get the countries across the region on a path to success.

From personal experience, when things get into a whirlwind, one way to get things into perspective is to focus on the basics. A clean sheet of paper with a line in the middle and pros and cons jotted down on respective sides of the line. Plus a good dose of pragmatism; blue-sky dreaming, new cities and the rest that comes with it, are all out. Painstaking work to put legal framework, job opportunities and peace for the region are the task of the day. A house is only as good as the fundaments that it has been built on; the opportunity to put a new order in place is immense and the scope of opportunity for young people to get involved in shaping their own future is equally large – and important.

Business and IT industry can play a particularly constructive part. Investment into infrastructure remains one of the key components of development and integration of the economies into the global marketplace. However, with educated young populations across the region, the opportunity that presents itself is much wider. Services that can be built on top of modern infrastructure open not just new jobs, they open new windows into the world, they open new horizons.

I am and remain optimistic. After lingering in the twilight for decades, what better prospect but that of some sunshine; something the region has never been short of in the literal sense – now it’s time it shine some light on its future as well. That’s a comforting thought as I head back to Paris for grey autumn skies.

*Olivier Campenon is BT Vice-President, EMEA and will be attending the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation.