Belarusian Professors Visit Kennesaw State Business School

Left to right: Sheb True, professor of marketing and director of the International Centre in the Coles College of Business; Dr. Shebeko; Dr. Kashtanova and Yelena Epova, partner at Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, an Atlanta CPA firm.

Two Belarusian professors representing universities in Belarus and Germany visited Kennesaw State University recently to explore opportunities for academic exchange.

Elena Kashtanova, a life sciences professor from Anhalt University, which has campuses in the German cities of Bernburg, Dessau and Köthen, came to Atlanta to teach students in Kennesaw’s Coles College of Business as part of a faculty exchange program. 

Dr. Kashtanova said a total of 40 to 60 students have participated in exchanges between Anhalt and Kennesaw, which assisted Anhalt in establishing its first MBA program. 

Since then, the relationship has flourished, to the benefit of students in both institutions.

“We saw that we can use Kennesaw State University, and the University System of Georgia in general and our contacts with economies throughout Eastern Europe … to create exchanges,” she said, adding that Anhalt has about 80 corporate partners in that region.

Anhalt’s relationship with the university system goes back to 1995 and has been strengthened by the establishment of the Georgia WebMBA, a program enabling professionals to get an MBA while maintaining their busy work schedules.

The Georgia WebMBA is offered through a consortium of five universities: Georgia College & State University, Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, University of West Georgia and Valdosta State University.

Sheb True, a professor of marketing and director of the International Centre in Kennesaw’s Coles College, told GlobalAtlanta that students from all five universities visited Anhalt last October and that 17 German students will soon visit Georgia.

Konstantin Shebeko, rector of National Banking University of Belarus, visited Atlanta at the invitation of colleagues at Kennesaw State, although for a shorter period than Dr. Kashtanova. 

Mr. Shebeko’s university, one of Belarus’ oldest banking education institutions, saw particular promise in the technology Kennesaw State has to facilitate remote learning through online communication.

“The world has become smaller and smaller; my cell phone does work here, my credit card works here, so the technological background for cooperation already exists,” Dr. Shebeko said through Dr. Kashtanova, interpreting.  “So we (can) create new possibilities for the education of (our) business elite, to make better business worldwide and realize the possibilities the global economy offers.”

 The professors visited other universities as well as the offices of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP, an area accounting firm with multilingual staff. Yelena Epova, one of Habif's partners, has extensive experience with Russia's tax system.

 

Coke CEO Gives Glowing Review of Successor

Neville Isdell

Muhtar Kent

Coca-Cola Co. CEO Neville Isdell offered a sparkling review of his appointed heir in a recent speech on business in Russia hosted by the Southern Center for International Studies at the Atlanta History Center.

The company announced in December that Mr. Isdell will step down effective July 1, 2008, and be replaced by Muhtar Kent, current president and chief operations officer, as part of a broad leadership succession plan.

When Southern Center President Peter White praised Coke’s achievements under Mr. Isdell and asked for an assessment of Mr. Kent, Mr. Isdell was quick to share the limelight.

“The growth we’re talking about, Muhtar has been president during that time as well,” said Mr. Isdell, who met Mr. Kent in Turkey in 1988.

In what was a brief aside in a detailed presentation on Russia, Mr. Isdell painted Mr. Kent as a competent international businessman whose skills are well fitted for the task of leading the world’s largest beverage company.

Mr. Kent, a native of Turkey, is “truly a global citizen” who has lived in India, Iran and Pakistan and “speaks a number of languages fluently,” Mr. Isdell said.

Mr. Isdell, who led Coke’s entry into the Russian market in the mid-1990s, said Mr. Kent played a similar role in reintroducing Coca-Cola to 23 Eastern and Central European countries after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Mr. Kent will continue as president of the company after he formally adds the CEO position in July.  After that date, Mr. Isdell will remain chairman of the company’s board until July 2009.

Georgia Hires First International Business Concierge

Nico Wijnberg

The Georgia Department of Economic Development has hired the state’s first international business concierge to assist with welcoming businesses to the state.

Nico Wijnberg, a Netherlands native, will work with foreign executives locating businesses in Georgia including getting drivers’ licenses and finding real estate.

The department’s Deputy Commissioner for Global Commerce Heidi Green said that Mr. Wijnberg will work to “raise Georgia’s profile among international businesses,” and “roll out the welcome mat to companies and executives that are new to Georgia and the U.S.”

Mr. Wijnberg previously worked for the Dutch Federal Department of Economic Development as a Russia and Central Asia specialist.

He has a masters degree in international affairs from the University of Groningen and speaks Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian.

ACVB President Announces Retirement for Year’s End

Spurgeon Richardson

The president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau announced his retirement at the end of this year in a Feb. 29 press release; barely two months after a new chairman of the board of directors entered his post.

Outgoing President Spurgeon Richardson highlighted Atlanta’s growth as an international city during his 17 years as bureau president.

“Atlanta has grown to be a world-class city and together we’ve grown Atlanta’s hospitality industry right alongside that,” he said.

Former bureau chairman Michael Robison, chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Lanier Parking Systems Inc., is to form a committee to search for Mr. Richardson’s replacement.

The other major leadership change took place in January, when Steve Smith began a two-year term as chairman after six years as a board member.

Mr. Smith is also Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.’s vice president of government and community affairs, a post that brings him into contact with many public officials involved in the metro area’s hospitality industry.

Delta Makes Maintenance Promotions, New Hire for Customer Service

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. announced three internal promotions and a new hire to senior positions in its maintenance, operations and customer service divisions in a press release March 5.

Tony Charaf has been promoted to president of Delta TechOps, the airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul division. 

Delta CEO Richard Anderson said that that division made $375 million in revenue last year, calling the division a leader in the “growing global MRO market.”

Management of day-to-day maintenance is to be overseen by John Laughter, who has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president of maintenance operations.

Neil Stronach was promoted from vice to senior vice president of operations control, giving him responsibility for flight scheduling and maximizing flight capacity.

Delta looked outside the company to hire Gil West as senior vice president of airport customer service, giving him oversight of more than 15,000 employees in more than 300 airports.

Mr. West was president and chief operations officer of Greensboro, N.C.-based Timco Aviation services Inc. and has held positions at several major U.S. airlines.