Ken Speaks at Dubai Forum

Ken Costa spoke at the first Wharton Global Alumni Forum in Dubai on the 12th March. The 2009 Dubai Forum’s theme was “At the Crossroads for Global Economic Change.”

Ken was a member of a panel (pictured far right) which discussed, 'The Impact of the Financial Crisis on the Middle East.'

AME Info, the region’s leading business website, reported:

"Mr Ken Costa, Chairman, Lazard International, observed that unusual means are needed to manage the crisis with the critical priority to be accorded for 'restoration of confidence. He said that the GCC region came into the crisis on a much stronger note, and coordinated initiatives are now needed to restore confidence in the banking sector for economic growth. "

The Khaleej Times, one of the leading English newspapers in the UAE, noted:

"Ken Costa, Chairman of Lazard International, said the GCC is in a much stronger position than some other parts of the world but that it suffers from a “fear factor” and lack of confidence.

“Once you have succeeded in taking coordinated action to boost confidence, it will turn the situation back,” Costa said.

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. Wharton runs three Global Alumni Forums annually as a service to the school’s alumni.