Bulletin

Issue: March/April 2007

News

Global Finance Conference

The President of China’s Economic Cooperation Center, Mr Cao Baijun, and former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, La Trobe University Adjunct Professor Mike Moore, were the keynote speakers at the 14th Annual Global Finance Conference in early April.

Held in Australia for the first time, the conference was hosted by the Faculty of Law and Management for leading finance professionals, educators, and policy makers.

Conference organiser, La Trobe Law School Head Professor Gordon Walker, said it was attended by nearly 200 delegates, and papers were presented by speakers from more than 37 countries.

Mr Cao Baijun, whose centre fosters business co-operation between China and the rest of the world, spoke on China’s future economic reforms. The theme of Professor Moore’s presentation was the impact of globalisation with reference to the rise of China.

The two other keynote speakers were Dr Geof Stapledon, Managing Director, Institutional Shareholder Services, Australia, who spoke on governance and investment issues related to listed infrastructure funds, asking: ‘Do they turn governance on its head?’ and Dr Don Brash, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Leader of the National Party, who addressed Foreign Direct Investment from the host country perspective.

Professor Walker said conference subjects ranged from banking, insurance, multinational finance, interest rates, corporate governance, financial crises management to currency issues, emerging markets, privatisation, ethics and social responsibility and legal and regulatory issues.

The conference also offered a Mandarin language session, dealt with interest-free banking and Islamic finance and featured a legal and regulatory stream.

Accredited by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute for its members world-wide, it was held under the auspices of the Global Finance Association. The Association solicits innovative ideas and research studies in global finance and related disciplines.