From Pop Culture to Systems Diplomacy: A Leadership Briefing for a Volatile World
10-Apr-2026
How culture, technology, and global systems are reshaping diplomacy, conflict, and the prospects for peace.
How should global leaders navigate a world where culture, technology, and geopolitical tensions increasingly shape the prospects for peace and stability?
Join the YPO Peace Action Network, in partnership with the Global Diplomacy Network, for an engaging ECODED fireside conversation featuring Fernando Garibay, Grammy Award–winning producer, academic, and systems diplomacy thought leader.
Fernando will share insights from his extraordinary journey—from growing up as the son of a farmer in Mexico to producing global artists such as Lady Gaga, and now leading the Garibay Institute, which explores how interconnected global systems influence diplomacy, leadership, and conflict.
Fernando will be joined by Ron Gunnell, President of the Garibay Institute and co-founder of Health Benefits America, a global benefits company that served more than 50 Fortune 100 companies before its acquisition by ADP. Ron also serves as a global envoy for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, where for more than two decades he has helped bring music and culture to audiences worldwide.
Together, they will explore how technological change, geopolitical tensions, media influence, and cultural forces interact to shape today’s global landscape—and how the widening gap between rapid innovation and human adaptation (“the delta”) can contribute to polarization and conflict.
Through stories from the worlds of music, global business, and diplomacy, the conversation will offer YPO leaders a fresh perspective on how interconnected systems influence global stability—and how trusted leadership networks like YPO can serve as bridges for dialogue, understanding, and peace.
Key Takeaways:
• Explore the growing gap between technological innovation and human adaptation
• Understand how culture, media, technology, and markets influence diplomacy and conflict
• Gain perspectives for navigating geopolitical uncertainty as global leaders
• Discover how trusted international networks can help foster dialogue and peace