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The boss of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, will attend the new government’s flagship investment summit next month amid suggestions that it is struggling to attract large numbers of high-calibre international business figures.
Sky News has learnt that Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chairman and chief executive, will attend the 14 October gathering, which will be held at a prominent central London venue.
Mr Fink, who was also present at a similar event organised by the Conservatives in 2021, will be among the most influential global bosses to attend.
Among the others who have agreed to come are Margherita della Valle, the Vodafone chief executive, Hemant Taneja, CEO of technology investor General Catalyst, and John Graham, who runs the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, one of the world’s largest pension plans, Sky News understands.
David Solomon, boss of the Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs, will also be there.
The emergence of some of those attending comes as Labour battles suggestions that it will struggle to draw the 300 industry leaders it pledged in early August.
Sources said that fewer than 150 companies had confirmed their bosses’ attendance, with just over three weeks until the event takes place.
Roughly 100 ministers, metro mayors, officials and other government-connected figures are also expected to be present.
One insider insisted this weekend that “quality is more important than quality” and said the government remained on track to have 300 people at the summit.
That figure may ultimately be reached but comprising both the government and private sector delegations.
They questioned, however, why a formal numerical target had been set publicly when the summit was being staged at such short notice.
“It’s made us a hostage to fortune,” said one.
The event, which Labour vowed during the general election campaign to hold within 100 days of coming to power, is being seen as a key test of its economic credibility.
Whitehall…
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