The World Economic Forum held its annual meeting recently in the little Swiss ski town of Davos. There was plenty of snow this year, but no one focused much on hitting the slopes. This was one of the most anticipated Davos gatherings in years.

The reasons are obvious: There’s a lot going on in the world today and plenty of questions:

• How are businesses and countries balancing long-term globalization trends with the more recent populist pressures?

What were the reactions – and more importantly, what should business leaders globally make sure to understand? To find out, we spoke with David Novak, a partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and based in London.