The Decoupling Economy: Preparing for Geopolitical Tech Splits

About
Agenda

About

Global tech is being pulled in different directions. We unpack how this shift reshapes digital strategy, infrastructure and the critical decisions leaders must make about where, and how they operate.

HEAR FROM

Pari Esfandiari, President at Global TechnoPolitics Forum

Pari serves on the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), representing Europe, and is actively involved in UN initiatives. She is also a member of APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council and was previously a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

A serial tech entrepreneur and sustainable development executive, Dr. Esfandiari has founded and led ventures across gaming, communications, e-commerce, FinTech, sustainability, and smart cities.

With an extensive international background spanning the United States, Europe, China, and the Middle East, she brings a global perspective to the critical questions of how we manage systems and technologies that transcend national borders. She holds a doctorate in sustainability business from Oxford Brookes University and is an avid environmentalist.

Alex Krook, Associate at Formation Advisory | Policy & Engagement Lead for AIxGEO at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge

Alex has previously worked within the Alan Turing Institute’s Public Policy Programme, and has held a range of cross-sector roles in communications and engagement in the UK and internationally.
Agenda
08:45 Welcome and Introduction

08:55 Panel Discussion: Navigating the Decoupling Economy
- What does the “decoupling economy” mean in practice, and why is it gaining urgency now? Heightened focus on national security, data sovereignty, and technological independence is reshaping the way leaders allocate resources, form partnerships, and build resilience. Why is this shift gathering pace today?
- Are we seeing a lasting fragmentation of the global tech landscape, and who are the key blocs shaping it? As the global technology sector becomes more divided, established alliances are breaking down, and new power groups are emerging. Are we witnessing the rise of regions focused on protecting their digital borders, creating separate standards, and redefining the flow of data, talent, and innovation?
- How are geopolitical tensions influencing how businesses design and manage digital infrastructure?
- What role should digital sovereignty and techno-nationalism play in long-term business and policy strategy?
- Looking ahead, what signals should leaders watch to stay ahead of further geopolitical disruption in tech?
09:15 Virtual Roundtable Discussion
- What practical steps can organisations take to align digital decision-making with emerging risks and opportunities? How do we empower teams to innovate within new boundaries, maintain resilience, and capture competitive advantage amid uncertainty?
- How are your current digital infrastructure decisions shaped by geopolitics? Are you facing new complexities as global tensions redefine the rules around digital operations, data storage, and vendor selection?
- What compromises are being made between resilience, sovereignty, and agility? In a world where unexpected shocks and evolving regulations demand unwavering stability, how are technology leaders balancing the need to safeguard critical operations while enabling fast innovation and global reach?
- What shifts—policy, cultural, or technical—will be essential to adapt?
09:45 Key Takeaways
10:00 Close

For years, retail innovation has focused on efficiency—faster checkouts, cleaner interfaces, shorter paths to purchase. But in the rush to streamline, we’ve lost something essential: conversation. Forget chatbots. Forget dashboards. This is a conversation. And it’s quietly changing how retail works from the first “hello” to the final click.

Join fellow senior retail leaders for a dinner hosted in partnership with Rezolve Ai, and Microsoft. Together, we’ll explore how intelligent, conversational AI is reshaping digital commerce; not with noise, but with nuance. This is a shift from transactional UX to intelligent, contextual interaction powered by AI that works across the journey, not just at the edge of it.

We’re not talking about pilots or prototypes. We’re talking about what’s working:

AI that actually integrates
Advice that feels human
Support that sells

This isn’t a new channel. It’s a new layer woven across the entire retail experience: search, discovery, decision-making, checkout, service, and loyalty. We’ll unpack how forward-looking retailers use conversational AI not as a bolt-on feature but as a strategic layer that deepens product discovery, increases conversion, unlocks lifetime value, and reduces friction across the customer journey. All without rebuilding from scratch.

AGENDA

18:30 Arrival & Welcome Drinks
19:10 Move to Seats
19:15 Opening Remarks
19:25 Scene-Setter: What’s Actually Working in Retail AI

Why conversational commerce is not a channel- it’s a layer
What leading retailers are already doing differently
Why it’s not about building more AI, but activating the right one in the right place

19:35 Dinner & Moderated Discussion

How are you scaling AI into legacy architectures? What’s the integration challenge vs opportunity?
How do you maintain trust and tone when AI is customer-facing? What does “human” really mean in the context of digital experience?
What does intelligent, frictionless discovery look like in 2025?
What KPIs are you using to measure AI’s impact across CX, AOV, and LTV?
What resonates with your board when discussing these investments?

21:35 Final Thoughts & Takeaways
21:30 Close

HEAR FROM

Daniel M. Wagner

CEO & Chairman, Rezolve Ai

Daniel M. Wagner is an entrepreneur and technology pioneer, leading Rezolve Ai—a global force in Conversational Commerce and AI-driven retail. With four decades at the cutting edge of digital innovation, Dan is known for turning bold ideas into industry-shaping realities.

At just 20, Dan founded MAID, the world’s first commercial online information service, and by his late 30s, he had taken it public on both the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, becoming one of the youngest CEOs of a listed company. This early success established him as a digital commerce trailblazer.

Since launching Rezolve Ai in 2016, Dan has redefined retail technology, introducing Brain Commerce and expanding globally through partnerships with Microsoft and Google. Under his leadership, Rezolve Ai was named a “Next Big Winner” in AI for 2025 by MarketBeat.

Mark Turner

President, Global Commerce, Rezolve Ai

Mark is an expert commercial leader with 25 years of experience bringing technology to life for retailers, brands and financial institutions globally. Focusing on strategic partnerships, business development and M&A, Marks’ past successes include a leadership role, as Chief Commercial Officer, in the successful IPO of Attraqt (LSE: ATQT), a business Mark joined at its inception.