Dear Readers

With this seventh edition of Forum 2020, our publishing efforts come to a close for this extraordinary and difficult year. Thank you for your continuing interest in, and engagement with, the diverse range of thought leaders and experts we have presented in these pages.

When we first set out on this undertaking back in March, I wrote that “we wanted this year’s Forum to both acknowledge and reflect the changes that are unfolding” in an uncertain world. I hope we have succeeded in that by outlining different views of the pandemic’s unique and continuously evolving impacts on many sectors of our economy.

I also had hoped that, by now, we would have a clearer understanding of “what the world will look like on the other side of the pandemic.” Although those hopes may have been proven overly optimistic, I do want to acknowledge the remarkable efforts being made by our clients and colleagues to adapt and continue on under such unprecedented circumstances. In many cases, we see our relationships only growing stronger as we work through trying times together. 

We truly have valued the opportunity to engage with you over these many months, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue as the new year unfolds.

Best wishes,

— Martha S. Samuelson, CEO and Chairman