Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear to speak at two World Economic Forum sessions, promote state overseas

Piper Hansen, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jan 18, 2026

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will attend the World Economic Forum next week in Davos, Switzerland, “to support future investment, job-creation and economic development opportunities in the commonwealth,” his office said Friday afternoon.

The governor is heading back to Europe following the state’s second-best year on record for new private sector investments, resulting in $10.5 billion in project investments and 185 new-location and expansion announcements that are estimated to create nearly 9,600 jobs.

It’s the second year in a row Beshear will attend the forum. He will be joined by members of his administration who are scheduled to meet with 260 business leaders and 16 companies with existing Kentucky facilities that employ more than 13,600 workers. The team is also expected to meet with eight companies with prospective Kentucky projects that include nearly 650 proposed jobs.

One of the companies on the meeting schedule is DHL Group. The mail, delivery and logistics company broke ground in 2024 on a new, $292 million aviation maintenance facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The DHL Express project is expected to create 300 jobs and complete construction sometime this month.

Participation at the conference gives the state’s leadership the opportunity to build on Kentucky’s international presence, which includes 524 foreign-owned facilities that employ more than 110,000 people, Beshear’s office said.

Beshear’s appearance is notable, as his name has been floated for several months as one of many considered by leaders in the Democratic Party to be a 2028 presidential contender.

The forum is also one of the first events Beshear will attend as chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a position in which he will play a crucial role in fundraising, messaging and coordinating party strategy.

The World Economic Forum is an invitation-only conference that brings together business and government leaders for international networking. This year’s annual meeting has the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” meant to focus on collaboration, resilience and competitiveness, sustainability and more.

“The World Economic Forum presents a unique opportunity to meet with business leaders from around the world at one location — an opportunity that otherwise would not be possible,” Beshear said. “I am excited to show the world that our New Kentucky Home is the best place to invest, do business, live and work as we build on our record-breaking success.”

The conference begins Monday, Jan. 19.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Beshear is slated to appear on a panel of U.S. governors, alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is a Democrat, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is a Republican. The three will discuss the role states play in American competitiveness and future growth.

Then, on Thursday, Beshear will be one of four speakers during a session called “Can We Save the Middle Class?” According to the conference program, the 45-minute session will attempt to answer, “How will AI impact middle-class economics and where are economies focused on growth from the middle out despite the odds?”

The Kentucky governor also attended the 2025 World Economic Forum, where he spoke on a panel alongside Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the success of then-newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, American politics and touted Kentucky to international leaders in attendance.

Beshear called his last trip to Europe in October “one of the most effective” economic development trips yet.

While in Ireland, Beshear met with Tate, a company specializing in the interior infrastructure of data centers already set to invest more than $61 million in a large Barren County facility that will support 400 jobs.