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Gates, Saunders among no-shows at summit

By Kim Tong-hyung It appears that the global conference of business leaders in Seoul next month will be losing some of its public relations (PR) luster after some of the big names were dropped from the roll call. The Nov. 10 to 11 Seoul Business Summit, which is to complement the Group of 20 summit scheduled for Nov. 11 to 12, will bring together 120 or more chief executive officers (CEOs) and influential business figures who will exchange views about the world economy and the private sector’s role in strengthening the global recovery. However, the highly-anticipated forum seems to be garnering just as much attention for those who won’t be there as those who will. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Visa Chairman Joseph Saunders, ArcelorMittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal and Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon were confirmed to have waived on their previous commitments. The absence of Gates is definitely a letdown for organizers who had been scrambling to give the forum a publicity jolt after being rejected by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and American investor Warren Buffett. Saunders and Mittal had bee

Global Best Brands in Korea (3)

The Korea Times is running a series of specials highlighting the country’s best global brands to celebrate its 60th anniversary, which fell on Nov. 1. The best brands were picked based on a survey of experts. This is the third of the series. ― ED. Samil PwC About the brand Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers (Samil PwC), the network firm of PwC here, is Korea’s No. 1 accounting and consulting company whose history dates back to the early 1970s. The Seoul-based company has clocked robust organic growth without any mergers or acquisitions during the past four decades to become a business bellwether. ``PwC’’ is the brand under which member companies of PricewaterhouseCoopers International operate to provide industry-focused assurance, and tax and advisory services to enhance the value of their clients. Samil PwC has been connected to the brand since 1971. CEO Name: Ahn Kyung-tae Career: Ahn joined Samil in 1975 and was named to the top position in 2003 after the retirement of Samil PwC founder Suh Tae-sik. Ahn has extensive experience in areas such as assurance an

A model holds boots from shoes manufacturer Crocs ...

Minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ...

G20 CEOs will promote free trade

By Kim Tong-hyung With stimuli winding down, all eyes are on the private sector to step in and pick up the slack in strengthening the global economic recovery. Corporate leaders appear ready to answer the call, but this will require governments to work closely with the business community to provide certainty and encourage international trade and investment, according to a senior official preparing a high-profile business summit linked to the Seoul Group of 20 meeting in November. Combating trade restrictions and protectionism is clearly among the biggest concerns of global corporate leaders right now as well as uncertainties in financial sector regulation, said Oh Young-ho, vice chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the commissioner of the Seoul G20 Business Summit’s organizing committee. The business summit is slated for Nov. 10 and 11 at the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in northeastern Seoul, ahead of the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12 at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul. “The Seoul business summit wil

Korea to infuse vitality into G20 Summit

Japanese Ambassador Masatoshi Muto said that Korea’s decisiveness and enthusiam will ensure that the Nov.11-12 G20 Seoul Summit will be a success. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Tae-hoon Japan’s top envoy here has expressed his confidence that Korea will breathe new vitality into the upcoming G20 Seoul Summit this month by sharing its exemplary experiences of overcoming financial crises and emerging as an “advanced country.” Korea, which rose from the ashes of the Korean War in the early 1950s, is known as one of the first countries to recover from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, and the global financial crisis that began two years ago. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently classified Korea as an advanced, current-account surplus economy, forecasting that its gross domestic product (GDP) will surpass $1 trillion next year to place the once-war-torn country as the 13th largest economy in the world. In an interview with The Korea Times, Japanese Ambassador Masatoshi Muto said Korea’s decisiveness and enthusiasm, which

Kim Young-kee, left, chief relations officer of LG Electronics ...

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group Vice Chairman Shin Jong-woon,

Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Kim Jong-chang

Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank Korea) Chairman and CEO