Andrea Zanon
Bio
Andrea Zanon is an international sustainable development and empowerment specialist who has dedicated his life to reducing poverty, promoting sustainability and empowering ambitious people
Stories (175/0)
Not all sovereign wealth funds are born equal: Let's look at the oil rich gulf countries
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) have become diversified investment vehicles that invest across equity and fixed income products, but also are active players in private equity and in early-stage tech companies. As we look at the global landscape for SWFs, it is not surprising that of the largest 10 SWF, with a combined $7.6 trillion in assets, 70 percent of these are from oil and gas producers.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Futurism
Gulf Country Massive Energy Revenues Will Result In More Investment In Football In 2023
Geopolitical tension caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine will continue to affect energy markets in 2023. Oil and gas prices will stay high transferring global wealth from consumers to energy exporting countries. Global Oil and natural gas companies such as Saudi Aramco, Qatar Energy, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company have experienced record revenues since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. These state-owned companies will continue to outperform the market and bring in stellar revenues as new supply is constrained by bottlenecks and regulatory changes. The biggest winners of the crisis are the Gulf oil and gas producers’, which control 38 percent of global oil reserves and 24 percent of natural gas reserves. According to the IMF, in 2022 alone Middle East and Central Asia energy producers have generated $320 billion more in revenue due to the geopolitical crisis. The cumulative surplus is expected to reach $1,4 trillion over the next five years.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
We Become the Average of the Five People We Spend Most Time With
Many of us perform jobs for extended periods of time that are not the perfect fit. We perform tasks we do not like, and that do not match our skill set. We often choose to work with people we do not like nor respect just because we need to pay bills and make ends meet. Oh, well that is part of life, and part of learning and growing. While we all must go through some of this in life, we all have a chance to stand up, make some firm choices to build our own future that is best for us and for our families. I say this as over seventy percent of Americans and Europeans spend most of their lives in jobs and careers they do not like, often because of job security, risk averseness, and overall lack of a plan. These career choices often are also the result of the wrong advice, often benign advice done by our parents or our teachers.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
Here is why Entrepreneurs should never let a good crisis go to waste
The Italian Renaissance philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 –1527), lived through dramatic crisis, conflict and societal changes that redefined the way leadership, politics and businesses dealt with new power dynamics. He is believed to be responsible for the famous quote “Never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis.” More recently, the Machiavelli quote was used by former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who said, “You never want a crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
Follow your expertise. Don’t follow the shiny trends!
In a post Covid world, it is hard to ignore the success of digital trends, investment platforms, and new video games. But if those type of businesses aren’t what you know best, they probably don’t represent career opportunities for you.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
Ambition is Your “Brain Horsepower”
Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” Despite this, in many countries, including my own, Italy, people consider ambition a negative trait as this is often associated with excessive power, arrogance, disrespect for the law and greed.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
While Climate Summit COP27 Will Under-Deliver, The Market Shifts Towards Sustainability Will Accelerate
Background November 2022 was named the month of sustainability given that the COP27 Climate Summit is taking place during this time. These high-level meetings, however, will not produce any breakthrough given the global recession, high inflation, and geopolitical tensions due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. There will continue to be momentum towards the 2050 decarbonization targets, but we will fall short of concrete implementation of the climate commitments to keep the temperature increase to 1.5 C.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Earth
COP27 Climate Summit: Some Key Statistics on Risk and Investment Trends
As Egypt hosts the most important sustainability event of the year, COP27, the Middle Eastern country is pushing hard on making the summit about decarbonization implementation as opposed to climate commitments. However, given the weak global economy, high inflation, and geopolitical instability, we should not expect many breakthroughs coming out of this year's summit. The over 100 countries participating will be negotiating the establishment of the Damage and Loss Fund (a fund to finance damage and losses suffered by most vulnerable countries), as well as the $ 100 billion yearly investment commitment for developing countries to address their climate adaptation and mitigation priorities. Nobody expects much progress on either front given the limited political capital of the largest polluting countries as well as the weak budget space to fill the climate financing gap.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Earth
The Magnificent seven Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds are going on the offensive
As already witnessed after the 2008 financial crisis, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) became more assertive during times of financial and economic difficulties. Their role has become more critical in stabilizing the international financial system during and after the recent financial crisis. Gulf SWF invested over 50 billion dollars to support banks and financial institutions in 2008, reducing the impact of the crisis, while propping up the US dollar value. A few of the companies the Gulf countries invested in during the crisis were global lenders Citigroup, Barclay, and sports assets Manchester City football team.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Futurism
Ignore Deadlines as They Are Completely Artificial
As we go through a third year of crisis, be it health, geopolitics or economics, we are all bombarded with digital stimuli and distracting information. We are also becoming more reactive in the way we process information and decide about general matters. This is in part explained by the enormous level of mental stress and financial changes we have all faced in the recent past.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation
Executive and Entrepreneurs: Here is How to Use Silence to Your Advantage
While silence can be awkward, learning how to use it at the right moment can be powerful. Conventional wisdom tells us that if you make your voice heard, be it in a classroom, in a board meeting or at a networking event, you are going to get what you want. One of the quotes that tends to resonate with my thinking is: “the loudest in the room is the weakest in the room”. And what I have learned in over 25 years as an entrepreneur and as I senior advisor is that decision makers appreciate quiet leadership as they often associate that with mature judgment. My advice today is going to be how to use silence to your advantage both in your personal and professional life.
By Andrea Zanonabout a year ago in Motivation