programme - CFO Insight

14
17 OCTOBER
Concluding Keynote Speech 5.00 p.m.-5.30 p.m.
Modernising Economies in Emerging Europe and Beyond
What is the best way to modernise an economy? Can governments support private enterprise in their efforts to leap ahead, or are they just
messing with the creative forces of free markets? Is there a danger of monocultural modernisation in which most countries follow the same old
recipes? And what constitutes a modern economy in the first place, given the renaissance of manufacturing and the disgrace that the tertiary
sector has fallen into lately? Conor Lenihan has been striving to foster the modernisation of countries for many years. His experience and insight
into the workings of different European economies will enrich any CFO’s understanding of their own corporate challenges and strategies.
SPEAKER
Conor Lenihan,
Vice President for International
Partnership Development,
Skolkovo Foundation,
Russia
Before joining the Skolkovo Foundation, Conor
Lenihan has served in several ministries of the
Irish government.
In 2007 he became Ireland’s first Minister for Integration
and led a government initiative to deal with
the large volume of immigration into Ireland. Up
until March of 2011 he was Ireland’s Minister for
Science, Technology & Innovation where he created
a single budget line for science and technology funding
as well as participating in the country’s Innovation
Task Force. He participated in trade and investment
missions and was a member of the Cabinet
Sub-Committee on Economic Recovery.
Prior to his election to parliament in 1997, he was a
senior executive with an Irish-owned mobile operator
and subsequently worked as an advisor to O2.
In the 1990s he launched two FM radio stations,
one in Dublin and the other in Prague.