Touching down in Santiago de Chile

This week we have a special treat for our readers.  All week long we will be covering Gabor’s high-profile visit to Chile — ranging from multimedia interviews to private and public events on the theme of Defying Conventional Wisdom and Blue Ocean Strategy.  Gabor’s visit is in partnership with business bureau, Chile’s boutique provider of innovative concepts and events. 

It is no coincidence that Gabor’s recent arrival is happening in tandem with Chile’s pivotal Presidential elections, where Innovation has become a focal issue in one of the only global economies to weather the recent global financial crisis (see PDF report The Chilean Economy in the Current Global Financial Crisis).  For an enlightening overview of the current social and political landscape, and why the emphasis on Innovation, we bring to you a recent article entitled “Healing Chile’s Malaise.”

From BusinessWeek:

Chile has come a long way since 1990, when democracy was restored after 17 years of military rule. The economy has been one of the world's fastest-growing, inflation is a distant memory, the poverty level has fallen to 13% from 45%, and per capita gross domestic product has quadrupled, to US$10,100...

Many Chileans feel a certain malaise. They know their country is one of the most prosperous in Latin America due to fiscal discipline and the profound free-market reforms of the past 30 years. But Chile's explosive, Asian-style growth of the 1990s has given way to expansion averaging just 3.5% annually this decade. And despite efforts to diversify, volatile copper earnings continue to account for more than half of total exports. So Chile's leaders are seeking to reduce that dependence and nurture a knowledge-based economy via better schooling and more innovation.

While Chile ranks well on innovation vs. its Latin American peers, the government and business leaders know it must do more.

[Image via Vantage World Travel.]