| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC September 27, 2002 Helsinki Women Business Leaders Summit Launched on September 25-27 in Finland
Fifty of America’s outstanding women business leaders joined their counterparts from Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, and northwest Russia at the Helsinki Women Business Leaders Summit. The summit provided an opportunity for participants to exchange business practices, build management skills and develop business partnerships among Baltic Rim, American and business leaders. U.S. Ambassador to Finland Bonnie McElveen-Hunter hosted the summit along with U.S. embassies in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry in Finland. Ambassador McElveen-Hunter believes that "economic development not only creates jobs and prosperity, it creates strong partners, allies, and friends. This summit, a public-private partnership, is the transatlantic link at its most productive." The Helsinki Summit featured speeches by Finland’s President Tarja Halonen and Latvia’s president Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Panel discussions covered accessing capital, secrets for success, "Failing forward: surviving my biggest mistakes," and moving from "success to significance." VIP receptions and gala dinners rounded out the program. Summit participants included American, Finnish, and Baltic women CEOs whose business endeavors span the retail, hospitality, IT, communications, public relations, service industry, health, and manufacturing sectors. The U.S. Department of State, the Government of Finland and other public and private entities sponsored the Summit. Following the Helsinki Summit, Baltic Rim businesswomen will travel to the U.S. on November 11 to visit their CEO partner companies and experience first-hand how their counterparts conduct their business -- management styles, business skills, and the American business perspective. The U.S. visit also includes a two-day educational component at Georgetown University with special events scheduled on Capital Hill, and at the White House and State Department. |
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