Agenda
7:30am – 8:00am — Registration, Networking, Continential Breakfast
8:00am – 8:10am — Welcoming Remarks
8:10am – 8:30am — Keynote
Antwaun Griffin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
8:30am – 9:30am — Panelists
John P. Ferriter, Lead Communications Specialist, Office of External Relations, Inter-American
Development Bank
Manish Kothari, President, Sheladia Associates Inc.
Alessandro A. Pio — Resident Director General, North American Regional Office, Asian Development Bank
Americo A. Tadeu — Advocacy Center, U.S. Commercial Service
Scott Bozek - Advisor & Director of Business Liaison, Office of the U.S. Executive Director, World Bank Group
9:30am – 10:00am — Discussions and Networking. Roundtable discussions and networking led by bank representatives.
- Engage and educate companies about international commerce opportunities;
- Provide expertise to advance best business practices and;
- Advocate for regulatory change to assist U.S. business success in global commerce.
To attain its objectives, a series of four GTI Forums will take place from October 2012 – June 2013 at Johns Hopkins University – Montgomery County Campus. Each 2-hour forum begins at 7:30 AM. The forums offer networking, expert presentations and round table presenter-led discussions.
About the Forum
The Commerce Department’s liaison officers at the five multilateral development banks help U.S. companies compete for procurements at those institutions. Each year, the largest multilateral development banks (MDBs)—the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development—provide about $50 billion in public- and private-sector development financing to emerging markets. Those development projects result in thousands of procurement contracts for everything from consulting services to the supply of manufactured goods. Although the potential for U.S. exporters, lenders, and other businesses is enormous, many U.S. firms miss out on those lucrative opportunities because they lack the necessary information about the projects and are unfamiliar with the tendering procedures of the MDBs.
