Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay will attend World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, scheduled to be held from Jan 18 to 22 next year, sources told TOI. The visit follows an invitation from WEF president and CEO Alois Zwinggi and managing director Maroun Kairouz.The event will bring together representatives of more than 100 govts, 1,000 leading global companies, international organisations, civil society, academia and media to exchange views and develop global solutions.“For Tamil Nadu, the chief minister’s participation in the 2027 meeting could signal a change in the state’s Davos strategy, with political leadership taking a more prominent role in investment promotion and industrial policy discussions by deputing the CM to attend,” said an official.Tamil Nadu has maintained a visible presence at Davos in recent years, with former industries minister T R B Rajaa representing the state on more than one occasion. At the 2024 WEF meeting, the state delegation held more than 50 meetings with global leaders, investors and industry partners, covering sectors including automobiles, electronics, renewable energy, global capability centres, healthcare, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.The state also participated in 2025. The delegation promoted the ‘Bullish on Tamil Nadu’ campaign and highlighted the state’s manufacturing base, electronics and automobile sectors, renewable energy potential, skilling initiatives and plans to build a technology-ready workforce. Tamil Nadu was among six Indian states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh were the other five — that participated in the event.The move comes amid intensifying competition among states to attract capital and position themselves as hubs for emerging sectors. TVK govt has announced plans to unveil a new industrial policy as part of its ambitious target of creating a 1.5 trillion-dollar economy by 2036, with investment, exports and technological advancement being key growth drivers.
