Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk, sponsored by the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance, St. Edward's University in partnership with World Affairs Council Austin
The 21st century global economy is characterized by unprecedented interdependence, complexity, opportunity and risk. Our forum supports students of St. Edward's University and Austin-based entrepreneurs in recognizing both the vast opportunities and daunting risks involved in global investment and to successfully and responsibly navigate the global economic and political landscape. We seek to serve as a bridge between academic experience and the professional world of global investment, finance and geopolitical risk providing unique insights for students preparing for future careers with the hope of advancing responsible and ethical participation in global business, economic development and policy.
Objectives:
-To contribute to responsible growth and development of Austin-based investment in the dynamic 21st century global economy;
-To explore strategies for developing models of investment in emerging markets yielding both profits and contributions to global and local sustainable development;
-To identify both opportunities and geopolitical risks for Austin-based investment in global emerging markets;
-To serve as a resource for knowledge exchange and sharing of best practices among the Austin based private sector, government and SEU students preparing for careers in global economics, finance, investment and international policy;
-To cultivate a sustained network among the Austin and St. Edward's University community interested in global investment, emerging markets and responsible sustainable global and local development;
Activities:
-Holding a monthly (first Tuesday of each month) roundtable meeting bringing together representatives of the Austin private sector, government, faculty and students of the St. Edward's community involved in international business and global studies to assess and discuss expert lectures/podcasts, case study experiences, publications on topics of global investment, finance, emerging markets and geopolitical risk; sessions will be held on the campus of St. Edward's University, and via zoom meeting and webinar or at local venues sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Austin
-Supporting the educational and professional development of SEU students concentrating in International Business and Global Area Studies through identifying potential internships and service learning opportunities in the private and public sectors in areas of global economics, finance, investment and policy
-Promoting the participation of the forum network in events such as the Austin-based Texas-EU Business Summit and other global business focused sessions at the local, national, international levels promoting global engagement of the SEU community
Sharyl Cross, Director, Kozmetsky Center
Mortada Mohamed, President, World Affairs Council of Austin
Ben Ramirez, Vice President, World Affairs Council of Austin
kozmetskycenter.org • (512) 233-1678
wacaustin.org • (512) 829-1473
Photo: Guest lecture with Dr. Lourdes Casanova, Director, Emerging Markets Institute, Cornell University hosted in cooperation with Martin Morales, Senior Vice President, BBVA
"The Way of the Laowai: The Importance of International Self Awareness for Business"
The Kozmetsky Center & World Affairs Council Austin launched our Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets & Political Risk on February 4, 2020 featuring a lecture event hosted at the BBVA conference center in Austin with the support of Senior Vice President Relationship Manager at BBVA, Martin Morales. We were delighted to join World Affairs Council President Mortada Mohamed, Vice President Ben Ramirez & their team to host Tyler Johnson, CSO of iQuate, Inc. & author of "The Way of the Laowai: The Importance of International Self Awareness for Business," 2019 to speak on "lessons learned" doing business in China as our featured speaker. The forum serves as a resource for knowledge exchange & sharing best practices among the Austin based private sector, government & St. Edward's University students & faculty working in global business, finance, investment, economic development & international policy--
Kozmetsky Forum featuring Rodger Baker, Senior VP for Strategic Analysis at Stratfor
The World Affairs Council of Austin has partnered with the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance at St. Edward’s University to offer a series of Forums on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk. On October 6, 2020 Rodger Baker, Senior Vice President for Strategic Analysis at Stratfor spoke for the Kozmetsky Center-World Affairs Council Forum on security and economic developments in the Indo-Pacific region. Rodger Baker leads Stratfor’s strategic thinking on global issues and future trends. As Stratfor’s senior analyst, Mr. Baker guides the company’s analytical process, to include the development of international analyst teams to refine their understanding and application of Stratfor’s proprietary methodology grounded in the study of applied geopolitics and intelligence analysis.
Please see PPT Slide Presentation here:
Country Brief: Brazil
On November 3, 2020, the Kozmetsky Center joined the World Affairs Council Austin for our speaker forum series on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets & Geopolitical Risk bringing an outstanding program focused on Brazil to the SEU student & Austin community. The country team of the US Embassy in Brazil offered a series of briefings on Brazil's short- & long-term economic prospects, US-Brazilian trade & investment & professional employment & internship opportunities available to SEU students with the U.S. State Department.
Please see PPT Slide Presentation here:
The Kozmetsky Center and World Affairs Council Austin were pleased to sponsor the final session for the Fall 2020 semester focused on Africa with Melissa Sanderson in our forum series "Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets & Political Risk." Melissa Sanderson previously served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Vice-President of Global Operations Freeport McMoRan, Inc. She currently chairs the Arizona District Export Council, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and is President of Mel Sanderson Consulting offering support for expanding business operations and investment throughout the continent of Africa. Melissa Sanderson reflected on the importance of cross-cultural communication and commitment to fostering a working environment of diversity and inclusivity as critical factors for success in both diplomatic service and global business.
The Kozmetsky Center-World Affairs Council Austin Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets & Political Risk hosted an excellent session on China (February 2, 2021) with David J. Firestein, President & CEO of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations; Discussion focused on the role of China as simultaneously the "greatest competitor" & "indispensable partner" for the United States; Firestein anticipates a transition away from the prevalent focus on China as an "enemy" during the Trump era toward increasingly approaching China as a "formidable competitor" among the Biden foreign policy team; Firestein called for placing priority on crafting measures to enhance reciprocity in the US-China bilateral relationship #china #investment #globalbusiness #unitedstateschinarelationship #uschina #uschinatrade #chinatexas
On March 2, 2021 the Kozmetsky Center and World Affairs Council Austin hosted SEU '02 Alum Carlos Balderas Global Supply Manager at Tesla to meet for discussion with SEU students on the importance of developing a diversified internship portfolio to include global experience. Mr. Balderas offered several valuable suggestions emphasizing the importance of identifying areas of keen interest for professional development, cultivating professional networks, building cultural competence, utilizing social media as a resource for pursuing internship opportunities, and much more.
Kozmetsky Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk
The World Affairs Council of Austin has partnered with the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance at St. Edward’s University to offer a series of Forums on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk. Our September forum will feature Joseph Sadek, Research Manager in Financial Services at GLG (Austin) and former Executive Assistant, Kozmetsky Center.
Joseph was the 2016 Co-Chair of the Conference on Management Political Risk at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, and contributed to launching the Kozmetsky Center-World Affairs Council forum devoted to political risk. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from The Fletcher School, and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from The Ohio State University.
Joseph will share his perspective on the importance of political risk assessment in global business taking account of evolving major geopolitical trends.
For additional information on the event, see:
Kozmetsky Forum on Global Challenges in Carbon Footprint
On Tuesday October 5, 12:00 noon (CT) the Kozmetsky Center-World Affairs Council Austin forum welcomes Dr. Dhbia Al-Mohannadi, of Texas A&M University Doha to speak on the topic “Cayrbon Capture Technology.” Dr. Al-Mohannadi focuses on the systematic design of sustainable industrial parks under carbon dioxide limits, resource management, and climate policies evaluation. Her work deals with multidisciplinary problems that involve different decision-making processes, engineering and economics. She recently earned her PhD in Chemical Engineering at Texas A & M University completing her dissertation on “Systemic Methods for the Design of Industrial Clusters with Capped Carbon Emissions” and MA thesis entitled “A Systematic Approach to Carbon Footprint Reduction in Industrial Parks.” Dr. Al-Mohannadi was recipient of the Graduate Fellow Award, Qatar Research Leadership program (QRLP), Qatar Foundation and winner of Oryx GTL Qatar post graduate PhD student award future research leaders. The session will be moderated by Mr. John Bretz, energy consultant and former Vice-President of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Mr. Bretz holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, both from Tulane University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Asia Society, and currently serves on the Board of the Tulane Energy Institute
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Please see Slide Presentation here:
Kozmetsky Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets & Geopolitical Risks
The Kozmetsky Center & World Affairs Council Austin hosted an excellent session today with Levan Beridze Consul General of the nation of Georgia. Mr. Beridze offered a briefing on economic development & the potential for US/Texas-Georgia trade & investment. The discussion focused on features of the tax & investment environment, opportunities in tourism & high-tech, impact of the crisis in Ukraine for the regional & global economy & opportunities for study abroad. We look forward to continuing collaboration among the Texas & Georgia private sectors & fostering educational institutional collaboration & study opportunities bringing SEU students together with the academic & business communities of the Republic of Georgia.
Connecting SEU-Austin-Global Community: Developing a Diverse Internship Portfolio
We had a quite dynamic forum on October 4, 2022 with SEU Alum (Humanities 02) Carlos Balderas, Global Supply Chain Manager of Tesla. In a highly interactive session, Carlos had several questions for SEU students regarding their interests, experience and values that would be important in developing a broad global internship portfolio. Carlos inspired students attending the forum by reflecting on the experiences of SEU students interning for Tesla and government and non-government institutions and offered to support our students in building their Austin and global professional networks which will be invaluable for future internship and employment opportunities.
Market Opportunities in Southeast Asia
The Kozmetsky Center & World Affairs Council Austin hosted the final session this week for the Fall 2022 semester of our Global Business/Investment Forum with Francis "Chip" Peters, Senior Commercial Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Peters was delighted to speak to the group of SEU students and the Austin community (at 2:00 AM!) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He delivered an excellent overview briefing on U.S. investment and economic opportunities in Southeast Asia & Malaysia emphasizing the importance of understanding the diverse cultural and language mosaic of the region. Mr. Peters taught at SEU in the past and provided excellent suggestions for SEU students preparing for professional careers in global business and policy.
Texas-Europe Economic Cooperation: Trade, Investment, Technology
The Kozmetsky Center-World Affairs Council Austin forum brought together SEU students, our interns working with Tech Ranch Austin and Austin Center for Global Trade with the Austin business, non-profit and policy community onFerbuary 24 for a broad ranging exchange with Belgian Trade Commissioner Mr. Yves Dubus. The discussion included Texas-Europe trade & investment development, sectors for future Austin-Europe economic development, impact of the COVID19 pandemic on remote work options in Austin & beyond, consequences of recent geopolitical changes for global trade and investment, suggestions for students on educational development and internship opportunities supporting careers in global business and policy and much more. An informative & valuable professional networking opportunity for SEU students interested in global business & technology, regional/international studies & policy meeting professionals of the Austin community working in global business, technology and policy.
