Graeme Leach's keynote covered how the period leading up to 2035 had been marked by tumultuous and far-reaching change, making it the defining decade of the 21st century. He explained that, apart from the two World Wars, no other decade in more than a century had matched its combination of massive positive and negative transformation.

Although the geopolitical influences driving this period were generally familiar, he noted that they were rarely examined in their full aggregate impact. He also highlighted that long-term cyclical forces, created by the accumulation of numerous short-term cycles, had been largely ignored despite their importance. To frame these dynamics, he introduced “The Great Race,” a proprietary Global4cast concept that illustrated how geopolitical and cyclical factors had interacted on a global scale.