Garry Kasparov, chess grandmaster, former world chess champion, pro-democracy leader, global human-rights activist, and business speaker, will be a special guest at the ABSL Summit 2022: Facing a Challenging Future. 

The ABSL Summit is one of the most important events in Central and Eastern Europe, analyzing global trends and their impact on economic and social development. The main themes of this year’s ABSL Summit will cover building strong and sustainable businesses in the face of geopolitical, economic, and social changes. Garry Kasparov, along with representatives of the world’s largest companies, national and global administrations, academics, and other guests, including world-renowned experts like Al Gore former US Vice President and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, will discuss breakthrough global solutions, cutting-edge ideas and concepts that form our perception of the world we want to live in.

Our special guest at the ABSL Summit 2022 is Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion who is now a human rights and political activist. Janusz Dziurzyński, President of ABSL, emphasized that: Garry Kasparov challenges his audiences with a blend of inspiration and insights that can only be delivered by a top performer. The charisma and bold perspective that have made Kasparov such a great figure in chess also make him a provocative speaker. Now, more than ever, business needs to learn how to think about the unknown, and how to look into the future. Scenario planning, known from the game of chess, works exactly like this. It helps deal with uncertainty. Every good chess player thinks several steps ahead in scenarios.

At the ABSL Summit, Kasparov will give a speech called Check Europe or Checkmate already. He will shed light on global issues, especially in times of geopolitical turbulence, based on his great knowledge of the realities of this part of the world. He outlined Putin’s moves seven years ago in his book titled Winter is Coming. Using the metaphor of chess, the question is whether there is still room to maneuver, or whether we are facing checkmate. Garry Kasparov will also explore the rich territory of chess as an analogy for business strategies. In chess, one of the most valuable tools – an invaluable tool, in fact – is the ability to predict and analyze, both the current situation, and its shifting dynamics, and after-the-fact analysis to see what went wrong. Politicians and managers, as well as master chess players, should think multiple steps ahead in order to be prepared for various scenarios – Garry Kasparov explains.

The organizer of the conference, which is to be held between May 30 and June 1, 2022 in the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra concert hall in Katowice, is the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL). The City of Katowice, one of the five most important centers of the business services sector in Poland, will host the event.

Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice, said:  Katowice is a perfect example when it comes to how to act in the unpredictable world of business and politics, and how to manage changes so that long term benefits can be achieved. Katowice faced such a challenge three decades ago when we had to decide on the directions of development and reconcile them with environmental protection. Recently, change and uncertainty have been the only constant features of the reality in which we live and to which we have to adapt. Distinguished speakers at the ABSL Summit 2022 will certainly offer us interesting plans of action to counter global issues both on a local and strategic level. 

The modern business services sector is a pillar that stabilizes the Polish economy. During the pandemic alone, a total of 13,500 new jobs were created in the centers, while the whole sector employs more than 355,000 people.