Ursula von der Leyen was selected for the BOSS 2026 cover

Why Ursula von der Leyen was selected for the BOSS Magazine 2026 cover. In the year leading into 2026, Ursula von der Leyen stood out as one of the most consequential political leaders shaping Europe’s direction in security, unity, and global influence. As President of the European Commission, she was widely associated with three headline-impact areas that likely drove her inclusion and cover selection:

1) Driving Europe’s biggest defense pivot in decades (“ReArm Europe”)
In early 2025, von der Leyen put forward the “ReArm Europe” initiative—an EU-level framework designed to unlock up to €800 billion in defense-related spending and financing, including €150 billion in EU-backed loans, alongside more fiscal flexibility for member states. The plan was explicitly framed as a response to heightened security threats and the need for Europe to strengthen its own defense capacity while sustaining support for Ukraine.

2) Sustained, structured support for Ukraine through long-horizon EU fundingBeyond emergency packages, the EU moved toward predictable, multi-year assistance architecture via the Ukraine Facility (up to €50 billion for 2024–2027)—a flagship instrument designed to support Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and modernization. As Commission President, von der Leyen has been the most visible political face of this approach in EU messaging and international advocacy. 

3) Recognition for “European unity” leadership at the highest symbolic level

Carney in Davos 2026: "The power begins with honesty"

Overnight in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered what I suspect will be recorded in future history text books as an era defining speech. It is profound, accurate, and very relevant to another "Middle Power" like Australia.

Here is the full text of that speech:

"It’s a pleasure – and a duty – to be with you at this turning point for Canada and for the world.

 

Today, I’ll talk about the rupture in the world order, the end of a nice story, and the beginning of a brutal reality where geopolitics among the great powers is not subject to any constraints.

But I also submit to you that other countries, particularly middle powers like Canada, are not powerless. They have the capacity to build a new order that embodies our values, like respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states.

The power of the less powerful begins with honesty.

Global Education Forum 2026 will be held in Davos

📍 Davos, Switzerland 📅 July 9–12, 2026

The world of education is undergoing rapid transformation — and the Global Education Forum 2026 invites leaders, innovators, and practitioners to address this change at one of the most important international platforms. After successful editions in London, Glasgow, Istanbul, and the Maldives, the forum returns to focus on the challenges and opportunities shaping education in the digital age.

📊 The Global Education Market: Scale & Trends

Education remains one of the largest global industries. According to recent research, the global education market is expected to exceed $10 trillion by 2030, driven by population growth, the demand for future-ready skills, and ongoing investment in upskilling and reskilling. Source: HolonIQ

📌 Market Segments: 

• EdTech (Educational Technology) — valued at over $214 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14–17%. ResearchNester
• Smart Classrooms and Digital Tools — projected to reach $688 billion by 2034, up from ~$180 billion in 2025. Fortune Business Insights
• Higher Education — valued at $728 billion in 2023, with sustained growth forecasted through 2033. Spherical Insights
• Online Learning — expanding from $325.7 billion in 2024 to potentially $800 billion by 2033. Lectera

Technology continues to drive education across all sectors — from early learning and K-12 to universities, corporate training, and lifelong learning.

Global Mentoring Programme 2026 announced the intake in 200 countries

How the Global Women’s Mentoring Program Emerged

From the Vital Voices initiative (1997–1999) to U.S. Department of State support and a worldwide network

Global mentoring for women did not appear overnight. It grew out of a public-policy idea in the late 1990s, evolved into an independent international organization, and later expanded through public–private partnerships that connected women leaders across countries and industries. Below is a clear narrative of how this global mentoring model formed—along with the people and formats that helped it scale.

1) The origins: a U.S. State Department initiative (1997)

In 1997, the U.S. Department of State launched the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. It is often described as an effort to make the promotion of women’s rights and women’s leadership part of U.S. foreign policy. In Vital Voices sources, this early stage is linked to the roles of Hillary Rodham Clinton (then First Lady) and Madeleine Albright (then U.S. Secretary of State).

Mark Carney became the face of BOSS Magazine 2026

Mark Carney was positioned as a defining “boss” figure of the year because he moved from global finance leadership into frontline national and international crisis management—and quickly set a clear agenda around economic resilience, geopolitical repositioning, and state capacity.

Over the past year, he:
Became Canada’s prime minister (March 2025) and immediately restructured government priorities, presenting himself as a technocratic crisis manager able to navigate a volatile relationship with the United States and global markets.

Led Canada’s G7 presidency in 2025, hosting the Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis and using the platform to frame Canada’s role in collective security and global economic coordination.

Advanced trade and investment diplomacy, including announcing a landmark trade agreement with Indonesia—Canada’s first bilateral deal with an ASEAN country—signalling a diversification and growth strategy.

Made a headline geopolitical argument on the world stage, with a high-profile address at the World Economic Forum that framed the shift away from a rules-based order and urged coordinated action by “middle powers.”

BOSS Magazine cover being dedicated to Global Business Week's Speakers 2025

The BOSS Magazine cover being dedicated to speakers of Global Business Week 2025 matters because it turns a one-week event into a lasting credibility asset—and it’s also part of the event’s official speaker value proposition (media exposure + featured story), not just a design choice.

Why the cover is dedicated to GBW 2025 speakers

It documents “who shaped the agenda.”
A conference is fleeting; a cover and feature package preserves the people and ideas that defined the year’s business conversation and signals who the organizers consider top-tier voices.

It’s a strategic PR mechanism built into the speaker package.
GBW promotional materials explicitly position a BOSS cover/feature as part of what keynote speakers receive—global recognition, personal-brand strengthening, and media coverage.

It reinforces the event’s status through a media partnership.When the magazine is listed as a media partner of the event, the cover becomes a “public seal” that the forum is not only networking, but also a media platform that amplifies its leaders internationally.