Leading Thinkers and Business Experts Tackle World's Most Pressing Challenges at 12th Global Business Forum in Banff, Sept. 20-21

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2012) - More than 200 leading business executives, authors, researchers, academics, diplomats and government leaders from around the world will address and discuss many of the most urgent and topical economic, business and environmental challenges facing humanity at the 2012 Global Business Forum (GBF 12), hosted by the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada on September 20 and 21, 2012.

"GBF 12 has again assembled a dynamic and insightful roster of speakers and moderators - prominent thinkers, researchers, authors and commentators who will articulate their astute and discerning vision and understanding of the current challenges facing nations, communities and people," said GBF Co-chair Douglas H. Mitchell, National Co-Chairman, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.

"Our globally-focused forum in Banff offers a distinct and unique opportunity to hear and discuss innovative and unfettered ideas by foremost thinkers and distinguished leaders. This vigorous idea interchange probes meaningful solutions to our world's critical human development impediments and will help define the path for achieving economic vitality in an uncertain world," added GBF Co-chair Hal Kvisle, President and CEO of Talisman Energy Inc.

Themed Finding Opportunities for Growth and Prosperity in Changing Times, the agenda for GBF 12 aims to spark discussions that strike a beneficial balance between energy, economics and the environment; the political and economic dynamics of Canada-U.S. trade and diplomatic relations; green enterprise and the interconnection between water and food; inter-generational management in the workplace; corporate and government leadership; and the troubling undercurrents of Europe's financial crisis.

The GBF 12 agenda includes more than 25 distinguished speakers and moderators, including globalization expert Ian Goldin, director, Oxford Martin School, Oxford University; diplomats David Jacobson - U.S. Ambassador to Canada and Gary Doer - Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.; generational and millennial workforce expert Lynne Lancaster; author of The Decline and Fall of Europe Francesco Bongiovanni; Boom, Bust and Echo author David Foot; Exxon Mobil Corporation Senior Vice President Andrew Swiger; energy economist, historian and author Peter Tertzakian; electricity CEOs Dawn Farrell of TransAlta Corporation, Thierry Vandal of Hydro-Quebec and Tom Mitchell of the Ontario Power Corporation; as well as world experts in water, education, finance, Chinese and Indian politics and economics. Moderators include CNN's Ali Velshi, Diane Francis of the Financial Post, the Calgary Herald's Deborah Yedlin and CTV's Olympic host Brian Williams.

Forum session topics:

• Intersection of energy and economics - Is it a one-way street?
• The world financial crisis - What is the worst-case scenario?
• The water-energy-food nexus - What comes first - water, energy or food?
• Global trends in education and workforce productivity - Can your organization survive?
• The Canada/U.S. relationship - How is it working?
• Leadership - What is it?

Forum sessions and keynote addresses are open to the media, and interviews with speakers can be arranged by appointment. Media feeds and a media workroom are available; however, media registration is essential for admission to the Global Business Forum. To register, please contact Grady Semmens at 403-920-6551, or by email at grady_semmens@transcanada.com.

About the Global Business Forum

The Global Business Forum is recognized as one of the world's premier business and economic policy gatherings. It is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, funded by the contributions of major Canadian corporations, that invites prominent international business executives, academia and government leaders to actively discuss critical global economic issues and reach creative, practical solutions for the benefit of all citizens. Founded in 2000, the Global Business Forum is held annually in Banff, Alberta, in the majestic Canadian Rocky Mountains.