The Presidents' Conversation was conceived to bring together like-minded vice-chancellors and presidents in a forum for peer-to-peer discussion about a range of challenges and opportunities relating to universities and the digital economy.

The concept of a global conversation of this type was suggested by Professor Mo Qayoumi, who hosted the inaugural conversation at San Jose State University in Silicon Valley in his (then) capacity as university president. That conversation was based on the theme 'the role and relevance of universities in the digital economy,' a title reflecting high levels of uncertainty whether universities had a sustainable future and would remain relevant.

At the conclusion of that prototype event, plans were developed to host a second conversation, this time hosted in Australia with a larger group of leaders from around the world.

The 2016 Presidents' Conversation was held in Brisbane and was hosted by Professor Peter H?j, Vice-Chancellor at The University of Queensland, and co-chaired by Ken Boal, Vice-President of Cisco (Australia and New Zealand) and President of the Business/Higher Education Round Table (B/HERT).

Check out this infographic that outlines key insights from the event, and read the full report here.