Explosive growth in the middle class, rapid urbanization, digitization and automation, the energy transition, and evolving geopolitics — these all present unique challenges for today’s businesses, said Jonathan Fantini-Porter, senior vice president of social impact in the Americas at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

It’s against this backdrop that public and private sector leaders are grappling with questions of longevity, opportunity, and continued growth. With this in mind, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Devex convened over 400 practitioners from the fields of tech, policy, and finance last month in Washington, D.C., for the Global Inclusive Growth Summit. The sessions and conversation centered on what it takes to create and lead economic growth, how to future-proof an organization’s mission, and the role of innovative leadership in shaping a better future.

“The key is the shared urgency around how we future-proof inclusive growth … and the importance of cross-sector collaboration at scale,” said Fantini-Porter. “Siloed solutions just aren't enough in this context that we're living through at this point.”

Taking that conversation beyond the summit, Fantini-Porter talks to Raj Kumar, Devex’s president and editor-in-chief, in a special podcast episode about how businesses — especially small businesses in rural areas — can create resilience in their communities and support economic opportunities for all.

This special episode of This week in Global Development was sponsored by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.