Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson touched down in Zurich and made his way to Davos, Switzerland, this Monday to join the world's movers and shakers at the annual World Economic Forum. His mission: push Dallas to the forefront of global conversations and ensure the city's interests, including those of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, are heard loud and clear during crunch talks on key international issues.
The mayor wasted no time getting down to business, attending an evening reception and dinner hosted by none other than Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and Bill Browder, the financial brains behind Hermitage Capital Management and a staunch advocate for putting the squeeze on human rights violators through sanctions.
The dinner was a who's who of the business and political world with guests like Atul Arya, Chief Energy Strategist at S&P Global Commodity Insights; Andrew L. Cohen of J.P. Morgan; investment guru Joshua S. Friedman; Howard M. Meyers from Quexco, Inc.; and Jose Minaya, the top dog at Nuveen, as reported by the City of Dallas.
Among the notable interactions, was Mayor Johnson's chat with Rostyslav Shurma, Ukraine's Deputy Head of the Presidential Office. The pair chewed over Dallas' hardline stance on Russia, following the city council's unanimous vote to condemn the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine - spearheaded by Johnson himself -, and the cutting of sister city ties with Saratov. Discussions with Shurma even ventured into the potential for a new city-to-city relationship, paving the way for connections between Dallas and a Ukrainian counterpart.
Don't think Mayor Johnson is just there for the canapés and networking. He's got a packed schedule with back-to-back interviews and meetings on Tuesday, aimed at keeping Dallas on the global agenda.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}