Nerio Alessandri, president and founder of equipment giant Technogym, will address global leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, today (20 January) and highlight the potential of wellness to transform society.

This year’s gathering of the global elite is themed “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution” – chosen to reflect the profound political, economic, social and technological forces that are transforming our lives, communities and institutions.

Delivering a speech during the “Health Is the Bottom Line” session, Alessandri will seize the opportunity to underline the role wellness can play in slashing health bills, driving the global economy and fostering greater social cohesion.

“Wellness is a social opportunity for everyone,” said Alessandri. “An opportunity for governments to reduce health service costs, for companies to stimulate their members to be more creative and productive and for all citizens to improve their health and daily lifestyle.”

Alessandri will stress the need for an urgent prioritisation of wellness, at a moment when for the first time in the history of our planet, the number of people who are overweight has exceeded the number of people who are undernourished. The wider session will foster discussion on how investments in a healthy workforce can show large and quantifiable returns in terms of motivation, wellbeing and productivity.