RP to host C-Level Summit

C-Level, a network of international business leaders, will conduct an executive summit in the Philippines to coincide with the annual e-Services Philippines BPO conference and exhibition. The Summit will take place February 15-17. e-Services Philippines takes place February 16-17.

Up to 50 senior executives from international information and communications technologies (ICT) firms will converge in the Philippines February 15 - 17, 2006 to meet with local executives in a networking conference called the C-Level Summit: Philippines, announced Felicitas Agoncillo-Reyes, Philippine Department of Trade and Industry assistant secretary.

The C-Level Summit will coincide with the 6th annual e-Services Philippines (ESP) conference and exhibit February 17-17, said Agoncillo-Reyes, who is also the executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), DTIís export promotion arm and organizer of ESP 2006.

C-Level is an international business networking organization. Its membership is composed of C-level executives (e.g. CEO, CTO, CIO, CFO, etc.) primarily in ICT-related sectors. ìThe group hosts business summits for members approximately three times a year.

We bring together decision-makers from the best companies across the globe in an exclusive setting to foster business development and best practices,î said Arie Bulahan, principal of WTP Capital, LLC, a C-Level member, and convener for the C-Level Summit: Philippines.

ìThis year, we chose to host a summit in Manila in conjunction with CITEM because of the natural synergies between our organization and the e-Services exhibition and conference initiative,î Bulahan explained.

A ìby invitationî event, C-Level Summit Philippines will be attended by approximately 50 senior executives from firms that meet a stringent set of criteria, including size, reputation and service-level quality. Top executives from NeoIT, MicroStrategy, Unisys, and other top ICT firms from around the world are expected to attend the event, according to Bulahan.

ìWe were very excited to invite C-Level to hold their summit in the Philippines so that members can see firsthand what our local ICT companies have to offer,î said Agoncillo-Reyes. ìDTI and CITEM have worked hard to promote our local ICT talent and capabilities to the rest of the world. Now that the C-Level Summit is underway, we see that our recent efforts are paying off,î Reyes added.

Aside from the networking summit, C-Level is also working with CITEM and the ESP Secretariat in developing the program for the ESP 2006 CEO Forum and inviting well-known resource speakers such as Avinash Vashistha, managing partner of California-based outsourcing consultancy firm neoIT and author of Offshore Nation.

ìOur tie-up with C-Level supports the principal objective of ESP 2006, which is to draw global attention to the Philippines and strengthen our image as a world-class IT and IT-enabled services outsourcing hub,î said Agoncillo-Reyes. ìWe are looking forward to forging a stronger and more strategic partnership with the organization beyond ESP 2006.î

ìIf the event is successful ó and we anticipate it to be very successful ó we plan to undertake a larger event in the Philippines next year,î Bulahan said. ìAlready, we have coordinated with the Philippine Ambassador to the United States with assistance from CITEM, and are facilitating a networking dinner at the end of January to be attended by senior executives from some of the largest ICT companies in the world, including BAE Systems, SRA International, Siebel, and Tata.î

ESP 2006, dubbed the regionís premiere IT and outsourcing show, and the C-Level Summit: Philippines will take place at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel. For more information, contact 831-2201 locals 212 and 251, 832-5044; fax 832-3956 or 834-0177.