Corporate Ambassadors Program

"Kuwait Corporate Ambassadors Program - November 2008"

As part of their membership in the MENA Businesswomen’s Network, the Kuwait Economic Society convened U.S. and Kuwaiti business leaders to discuss leadership and risk management in light of the current global financial crisis during their two day Corporate Ambassadors event in Kuwait City. The event, titled “Strategic Risk Management: Navigating the Global Financial Crisis” focused on various issues relating to risk management including transparency, corporate governance, stakeholder engagement, and corporate social responsibility.

Event participants were welcomed by H.E. Deborah Jones, U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, who encouraged them to “let your entrepreneurial spirits soar when they want to stay safely in the nest, to have a vision and imagination and tenacity to see opportunities where others see only risk, to retain the creative optimism that is the core virtue of every successful entrepreneur.” Dr. Rola Dashti, Chairperson of the Kuwait Economic Society also gave opening remarks in which she encouraged the government, private sector and civil society to work together on a comprehensive response to the financial crisis. These remarks were followed by a lively panel discussion on leadership and risk management featuring U.S. Corporate Ambassadors A. Christine Eppstein, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McGuireWoods Consulting and Rochelle Costrell, Associate Director of the Garrison Financial Institute at the Walton College of Business. They were joined by prominent Kuwaiti finance experts Dr. Mohammed Al-Zuhair, Assistant Professor of Finance and International Business at Kuwait University and Abdulla Al-Othman, a mathematical finance and operations research consultant. Led by Dr. AdbulHameed Hussein, Associate Research Scientists at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, the panel addressed issues ranging from credit default swaps and their impact on the financial markets to the importance of transparency in stakeholder relations.

The second day of the event featured interactive workshops led by the two U.S. Corporate Ambassadors. Rochelle Costrell’s workshop, “Risk Measurement” addressed the concepts of “leverage” and “margin” and how it affects financial risk for individuals and corporations. She also explored statistical and other methods used to measure financial risk. A. Christine Eppstein’s workshop “Using Corporate Social Responsibility to Manage Reputation Risk” focused on helping participants develop and assess their company’s CSR strategy and engage stakeholders before a crisis occurs.

The timeliness of the topic chosen by the Kuwait Economic Society resulted in extensive coverage in the local media and excellent attendance of KES members and the general public.

Strategic Risk Management: Navigating the Global Financial Crisis
Event Summary_ English
Event Summary_ French
Agenda
Quick Reference Sheet
GRI Application Levels
Indicator Protocols
Dow Jones Sustainability World 80 Index
Dow Jones Sustainability World Index
Workshop Outline
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