International Curriculum

Global Business Forum

The Global Business Forum (GBF) is an engaging MBA class and discussion forum where professionals from around the world share their insights into the complexities of doing business globally – differences encountered, obstacles overcome, advantages discovered, and solutions developed.

The GBF is intentionally designed to connect students directly with global business leaders. Students are offered opportunities to lead Q&A discussions, summarize presentations for speaker follow-up, and engage in 1:1 meaningful conversations with speakers.

Who can participate in GBF?

MBAs, graduate students from other UW departments, faculty, and staff are welcome to participate. Enrollment for credit in the Global Business Forum (IBUS 500) during two academic quarters, for Full-time MBAs and Evening MBAs, is a requirement for the Global Business Program Certificate.

GBF schedule

The Global Business Forum takes place Mondays, 5:00-5:50 PM. Each quarter offers diverse discussions under a uniting global business theme. Christina Fong is the lead faculty for GBF.

Autumn 2026: Global Approaches to Sustainability and Climate Change

The Fall Speaker Series explores the global leadership capabilities required to confront the defining environmental challenges of our time. As the urgency around climate change accelerates, we will bring together leaders from across industries and geographic regions to examine how they are driving collective action through data, AI, automation, and cross-sector innovation. Speakers will share how they approach decision-making, forecasting, and resource allocation to build organizations that balance performance across people, planet, and profit. We will also examine how business leaders leverage frameworks and financial tools to mobilize capital and scale impact. Throughout, the series emphasizes collaboration across borders, industries, and governments as essential to delivering meaningful, lasting change.

Winter 2027: The Global Business of Space: Strategy, Partnerships, and Commercialization

We will explore the global nature of the space industry, highlighting how international collaboration, complex supply chains, and cross-border partnerships shape one of the world’s most advanced sectors. Through insights from industry leaders, students will examine how governments and private companies work together to manage high costs, share expertise, and drive innovation. The series will also address the growing commercialization of space, including emerging business models services, systems, and data analytics. By connecting space to broader themes like geopolitics, regulation, and global markets, we hope to equip students with practical frameworks for operating in complex international industries.

SPRING 2027: Doing Business with Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a strategic and economic linchpin in the global order, sitting at the crossroads of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and linking major markets in Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. The GBF will host executives who have worked in Southeast Asian countries (e.g., Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or have built and maintained significant relationships with companies in these countries to share their experiences. We will explore how companies in this region are responding to macroeconomic shifts to identify and leverage new opportunities. Executives will be asked to compare and contrast their experiences in Southeast Asia with business experiences in the US and other countries to identify practices, approaches, and frameworks that facilitate strong and sustainable partnerships.

Previous Global Business Forum Themes