Wharton plans business conference series on Cuba

Wharton plans business conference series on Cuba
BY NANCY DAHLBERG NDAHLBERG@MIAMIHERALD.COM
12/30/2014 1:00 AM 12/30/2014 6:00 AM

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is the first out of
the gate to announce a high-level Cuba conference.

Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton School's online research and business
analysis journal, and The Lauder Institute at the University of
Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that Wharton will host a major conference
for senior U.S. executives to gain insight into the legal and business
challenges of doing business in Cuba as well as to formulate a strategic
roadmap for entry into the market.

The inaugural conference, titled the "Cuba Opportunity Summit," will be
in New York City on April 1 and is expected to attract about 200
senior-level executives. The conference, which is planned to be a
series, will be co-chaired by Faquiry Diaz Cala, president and CEO of
Tres Mares Group, a Miami-based investment firm, and Mauro F. Guillén,
director of The Lauder Institute, and a professor of management at the
Wharton School. They plan to hold a second conference in Havana later
this year, Diaz Cala said.

The conference series is targeted at U.S.-based and multinational
companies formulating their board strategies on Cuba, in the wake of
President Barack Obama's Dec. 17 announcement that the United States
will seek to forge diplomatic relations with Cuba. "The conference is
aimed at CEOs and boards of directors trying to get their hands around
the opportunities" and will likely include companies in the cruise
industry, home building, tourism, transportation, technology and
financial services, Diaz Cala said. For instance, "credit card
processing will be one of the first things allowed, which could be
pretty interesting."

Speakers for the April 1 summit, still awaiting final confirmation, will
include present and former U.S. government leaders, U.S. and
multinational business leaders and economists from Havana, Diaz Cala said.

Mukul Pandya, Knowledge@Wharton's editor-in-chief, will host the
conference. "President Obama's move to normalize relations with Cuba
offers an unprecedented opportunity for North American corporations.
Many firms will be considering how to gain a first-mover advantage in
this emerging market," Pandya said.

Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg.

Source: Wharton plans business conference series on Cuba | The Miami
Herald - http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article5140740.html