In-person Keynote : The Next Big Arenas of Industrial Competition in 2026: Shaping the Future of Chinese and Global Growth - 8 October - Ghent

During this expert keynote, Dr Karel Eloot, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, Greater China, will provide insights into the industries that are expected to shape the next phase of global growth and industrial competition, with a particular focus on the evolving competitive positions of China and the United States.

The McKinsey Global Institute has identified 18 future arenas of competition, ranging from AI services and semiconductors to cloud technologies, advanced industries and space. Since 2022, an “AI foundation” group of industries spanning semiconductors, cloud services and AI software has added approximately $500 billion in revenues and $11 trillion in market capitalisation.

At the same time, a group of nine major “omniscalers” is investing heavily across multiple arenas, generating more than $700 billion in operating cash flow and investing over $800 billion in R&D and capital expenditure in 2025.

Companies headquartered in the United States and Greater China currently account for around 90% of the market value of these arenas. While US companies continue to lead in 14 of the 18 arenas by market capitalisation and in ten by revenues, Chinese companies are rapidly gaining ground.

The keynote will provide CEOs, business leaders and policymakers with a valuable perspective on the growth industries of the future and on how shifting competitive dynamics between the United States and China are reshaping global industrial leadership and competitive advantage.

Programme is as follows:

16:30 – 17:00 | Registration and networking

17:00 – 17:05 | Welcome and introduction by Ms Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director, Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce

17:05 – 17:50 | Presentation: “The Next Big Arenas of Industrial Competition in 2026: Shaping the Future of Chinese and Global Growth”

Dr Karel Eloot, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, Greater China

17:50 – 18:15 | Questions and answers

18:15 – 19:00 | Networking drinks

The programme will conclude with networking drinks, offering participants the opportunity to exchange views with the speaker and fellow business leaders on the implications of these emerging arenas for companies operating in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Practical information:

Date: 8 October 2026

Time: 16:30 – 19:00 CEST

Location: Cercle Royal La Concorde, Kouter 150, Ghent, Belgium

About the speaker

Dr Karel Eloot is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, Greater China. He leads the China People and Performance Practice and co-leads McKinsey’s Global Metals & Mining Practice, and is an author of McKinsey’s annual Global Materials Perspective. Since joining McKinsey in 1997, Dr Eloot has advised organisations across a broad range of sectors, including advanced industries and electronics, energy and materials, technology, and private equity. He is the founder of McKinsey’s Industrial IoT Hub, the Digital Capability Center jointly established by Tsinghua University and McKinsey in Beijing, and McKinsey Transformation in China. Having lived in China for almost 30 years, Dr Eloot brings extensive first-hand expertise on China’s economic, industrial and technological transformation and its implications for global companies.