It’s the U.N.’s Week, but Executives Make It a High-Minded Mingle
“If you collide enough of the people that care about these issues, they start remembering that this is real and it’s happening.”
Ms. Keller and the B-Team steered clear of making any tangible promises on Monday,
but others were more than happy to use the collective attention of the global press corps to announce grand new projects.
The Bloomberg event on Wednesday, hosted at the opulent Plaza Hotel, drew some of the biggest names in town, including the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau; Mr. Ma of Alibaba; the PepsiCo chief executive, Indra K. Nooyi;
and Mr. Clinton himself, who delivered the opening remarks.
Last year former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton announced they would end it as she campaigned for president,
prompting Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, to step in with his own global forum.
For those who fancy themselves important actors on the world stage, the gravitational pull to New York City this week is strong,
and each year, more new events are added to an already overstuffed schedule, providing more excuses to show up, and adding a few more black S. U.V.s to the crowded streets.
I would be recruiting.”
Ajay Banga, the chief executive of Mastercard, said he was using the day to speak with peers about the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals, a set of targets meant to improve quality of living for people around the world.
Mr. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, said that if he were a head of state, “I’d want every smart person coming into my country.”
“Smart people create jobs,” he said onstage, in an allusion to immigration policy.
