Global Washington presents the fourth in a series of lectures and panels on information and communication technology and global development
Date: Thursday September 29, 2011
Session 4: Perspectives on International Development at Microsoft
Cost: $15 Non-members, FREE for members
Registration Required: Global Washington website
Speakers:
• Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director of Global Community Affairs. Microsoft Corporation
• James Bernard, Global Director, Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Program
• Will Poole, independent Social-Technologist
• Kentaro Toyama, Visiting Scholar, School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley
Recent rhetoric in global development suggests that programs are not worth doing unless they are financially self-sustaining. True or not, the excitement has caused multinational corporations to reconsider engagement in international development. Corporations, however, are rarely the monolithic entities that they appear to be on the outside. Various forces within a single company push and pull in different directions, each with their own motivations and objectives.
This panel explores some of the points of engagement that Microsoft has had with international development, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages that a large corporation can bring to development activity. Though the details are specific to one company, some of the lessons generalize to other large corporations and may inform organizations working with them. Panelists include present and past employees of Microsoft, who bring varied perspectives on this topic: Akhtar Badshah, Sr. Director of Global Community Affairs; James Bernard, Global Director of Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Program; Will Poole, previously Corp. VP of the Unlimited Potential Group; Kentaro Toyama, previously Asst. Director, Microsoft Research India.
More information and speaker bios
Space is limited! Register today!
