Wharton School Announces 2008 Global Alumni Forum Locations in Lima, Ho Chi Minh City and Cape Town

Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 7, 2007 -- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania announced that the 2008 Global Alumni Forums will be held in Lima, Peru; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Cape Town, South Africa.

The Wharton School’s Global Alumni Forums are held each year in different locations around the world identified as centers of economic importance and business growth. The forums are a valuable networking tool for alumni, and serve as a platform for the discussion of relevant topics in business. The Global Alumni Forums’ robust program of keynote speakers and panel discussions annually draws thousands of alumni from across the globe. All alumni are welcome at any or all of the three forums.

The Lima forum will be held from March 12-14, 2008, and will be headquartered at the JW Marriott Hotel. The chairman of the organizing committee is Raimundo Morales, WG’70, chief executive officer of Banco del Credito de Peru. The theme for the Lima forum is “New Directions for Latin America,” and the noted author Mario Vargas Llosa will deliver the keynote address.

The Ho Chi Minh City forum will be held on May 30-31, 2008, and will be headquartered at the Sheraton Saigon. The co-chairs of the organizing committee are Sesto Vecchi, W’57, of the law firm of Russin & Vecchi, and Thuy Dam, WG’96, country manager for Vietnam of ANZ Bank. The theme for the Ho Chi Minh City forum is “Vietnam – Star on the Rise.”

The Cape Town forum will be held on June 26-27, 2008, and will be headquartered at the Table Bay Hotel. The chairman of the organizing committee is Anthony Hamilton Russell, WG’90, owner and proprietor of Hamilton Russell Vineyards. The theme for the Cape Town forum is “The Importance of Leadership.”

Wharton School Dean Thomas S. Robertson will lead the delegation from Philadelphia to each forum. A number of Wharton faculty, including Professors Raffi Amit, Stephen Kobrin, George Day, Richard Herring, Kenneth Shropshire, Janice Bellace, Marshall Meyer, Philip Nichols, and Ian MacMillan, will participate in the forums.

Further information on the forums can be obtained through their websites, which are now open at 2008 Global Alumni Forums.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania -- founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school -- is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The school has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 8,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 82,000 graduates.