 |
Press Release
Middle East and North Africa Region Business Leaders form Alumni Network, Launch Website
Site provides forum, resources, and profiles of alumni of the U.S. State Department-funded Middle East Entrepreneur Training program
June 11, 2007
Since 2003, over 250 of the Middle East and North Africa’s prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs have taken part in intensive three-week training and networking programs in the U.S. sponsored by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the U.S. Department of State. Today, alumni of the Middle East Entrepreneur Training (MEET) program will continue to share ideas and make contacts through a new website (www.meet-alumni.org) devoted to the success of their companies and careers and the development of strong economies throughout the region. The website launched in English, and Arabic and French versions will be available in the very near future.
“The website will allow MEET alumni to resume the many lively discussions and promising business relationships that began during the training programs,” says Ray Smilor, Executive Director of the Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego, which developed and implements the MEET program through funding from MEPI. “The alumni events we’ve held in the Middle East and North Africa region are very fruitful, so we knew there was a need for a forum that would build on the great outcomes this program has produced.”
MEET targets entrepreneurs, senior executives, younger managers, and especially women in growth companies from 16 Middle Eastern and North African countries and territories to participate in advanced business training and networking activities. The program features interactive sessions led by university faculty and business leaders, networking opportunities, and site visits to area companies. At the end of the program, participants are matched up with companies in their respective fields for two-day exchanges.
“The MEET training program takes these leaders out of the office and into a group of other dynamic businesspeople. That environment allows them to think about their work in a new way, and to learn from their peers throughout the Middle East and North Africa,” says Egyptian-American businesswoman Mona Yousry, who manages the MEET alumni network for the Beyster Institute. “They leave with a fresh perspective and lots of ideas, but it’s vital to keep the conversations and relationships going in order to truly apply new ideas back home. This website will help to do that through blogs, message boards, success stories, business contacts and other resources. In addition to learning from their peers, they’ll be able to promote their companies and seek out new business partnerships.”
MEPI is a presidential initiative created in 2003 to support economic, political and educational reform efforts in the Middle East. More information is available at www.mepi.state.gov.
The Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego focuses on training, education and consulting to advance employee ownership and entrepreneurship. The Institute actively assists individual companies in creating or enhancing employee ownership and participation programs, and is extensively involved in promoting entrepreneurship and regional economic development worldwide. The Beyster Institute serves as the key center for entrepreneurial thought and activity at the Rady School and is the only such university-based center to integrate both employee ownership and entrepreneurship. Visit www.beysterinstitute.ucsd.edu for more information.
|
|
