“The scale and size of the challenges the world faces today, like poverty, inequality, and climate change, require all of us to join forces and develop new solutions, many of which can be enabled or accelerated through digital technology. As we aspire to live our mission to create opportunity for everyone, everywhere, we look forward to partnering with governments, industries, and civil society on the UN’s 17 SDGs by contributing our creativity, expertise, and know-how to unleash the power of digital technology.”
As Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith leads a team of more than 1,900 professionals across 120 nations. He has spearheaded the company’s work on critical issues at the nexus of technology and society - including but not limited to: cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, human rights, immigration and philanthropy.
Smith also coauthored the bestseller Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age with colleague Carol Ann Browne. The work urges both the tech sector to assume more responsibility and global governments to move faster to address the new challenges that technology has introduced. To this end, Smith has testified before the U.S congress and other governments numerous times. Consequently, The New York Times has called Smith “a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large” and The Australian Financial Review has described him as “one of the technology industry’s most respected figures.”