Davos 2019: CEOs see Asia rising in the face of global slowdown

Confident of rise in consumer demand despite cut in IMF's growth forecast

The World Economic Forum's (WEF's) annual meeting saw most of the discussions revolving around the rising importance of Asia and the role technology is playing for a young demographic. 

Even though the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced its global growth forecast to 3.5% for 2020, most corporate leaders were confident about consumer demand rising from Asia. 

Alan Jope, chief executive officer of Unilever, saw Asia as the key engine for growth. “The Generation Z in India, Bangladesh is among the key consumers for us in the future.” 

The consumption growth in the Asian markets will have to be managed differently. Several key