News & Updates

Dear Council on Competitiveness Members and Friends, For four decades, an extraordinary group of members and leaders have defined, strengthened and stretched the Council on Competitiveness—a tradition that continues as we welcome our next Chair. The Council’s Board and Executive Committee have unanimously elected Mr. J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. […]

Washington, DC, August 28, 2025 — Today, the Council on Competitiveness (Council) will announce Mr. J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO, IFF, as its next Chair. The announcement comes in advance of the Council’s September 17-18, 2025, Executive Committee and National Commissioners Meeting in Lafayette, IN, which is themed around the future of the bioeconomy, and will bring […]

AI, biotech, quantum, and other breakthrough technologies are reshaping the global economy — and the race to lead them is intensifying. While the United States invested a record $940 billion in R&D in 2023 (approximately 79 percent of which was conducted by business), other nations are moving fast to scale innovation and claim leadership in […]

The Council on Competitiveness is deeply saddened to mark the passing of John Young, Founder of the Council on Competitiveness and former CEO of Hewlett Packard, a visionary leader whose manifold contributions have ignited U.S. competitiveness for four decades. As Chairman of President Reagan's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness — tasked with exploring ways to strengthen the competitive […]

The Council on Competitiveness is honored to announce the addition of nine of its members to its Executive Committee. Each has committed considerable energy and insight in support of the Council’s mission over the years, and we look forward to the new ideas and initiatives they will help forge in the future. The Council's nine […]

Today, the Council on Competitiveness and 51 of its members—including CEOs, presidents, and leaders from business, academia, nonprofits, the nation’s top laboratories, and labor organizations—are calling on President Trump and Members of Congress to back A Renewed Call to Action to ignite a new Golden Age of American innovation. The statement with the full list of endorsers […]

Are we harnessing the full potential of the country’s energy resources? The Council on Competitiveness’ Competing in the Next Economy report lays out a bold, game-changing strategy—focused on a “Win-Win Energy Agenda” that could redefine U.S. leadership on the global stage. In its 4th of 7 strategic pillars underpinning our nation’s path to competitiveness, the […]

Last week, Dr. Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan announced his departure from the National Science Foundation after nearly five years of transformative leadership that spanned both the Trump and Biden Administrations. From day one, Panch focused his tenure on a strong commitment to expanding the U.S. innovation economy to more people and places. “Innovation Anywhere, Opportunities Everywhere” […]

​The San Antonio Report interviewed University of Texas at San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy and Council CEO and President Deborah Wince-Smith during the he Council's first Competitiveness Conversation of 2025, "A Texas Competitiveness Conversation: Fortifying the Future — Innovation in Critical Infrastructure Security." This Conversation highlighted San Antonio's crucial role in the nationa's cyberdefense research, and Dr. Eighmy […]

The Council's latest edition to its Competitiveness Conversation Across America, "A Texas Competitiveness Conversation: Fortifying the Future — Innovation in Critical Infrastructure Security," was featured in San Antonio's local news station, KENS 5. While interviewing the Conversation co-hosts, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) President Dr. Taylor Eighmy and Council President and CEO The Hon. Deborah […]