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OPIC Announces Keynote Speaker for New Orleans Small Business Workshop |
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Carlos Mickan to speak on investment opportunities in emerging markets for SMEs in U.S. Gulf Region
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Carlos F. Mickan, Executive Vice President and CFO of Pan American Life Insurance Group, a leading provider of insurance and financial services for nearly half a million customers throughout the Americas, will be keynote speaker for a small business workshop hosted by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution.
The OPIC Expanding Horizons workshop, designed to equip small business owners in the U.S. Gulf region with information about OPIC products and services that can help them gain access to lucrative emerging markets overseas, will be held May 10th at the Sheraton New Orleans. Companies interested in attending should register online at www.rgameetings.com/opic.
Since its establishment in 1971, OPIC has committed more than $10.1 billion in financing and political risk insurance to projects sponsored by companies in the five Gulf states – Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas – supporting nearly 12,000 jobs in the region (data current as of September 30, 2011).
Mr. Mickan oversees all financial operations at Pan American Life Insurance Group and has more than 25 years of experience in Latin American and Asian markets and financial activities. New Orleans-based Pan-American Life Insurance Company, the Group's flagship member, has been delivering trusted financial services since 1911, employing more than 800 worldwide. The Group has branches and affiliates in Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and the Cayman Islands.
Prior to joining Pan-American, Mr. Mickan served as senior vice president and CFO of Principal International Inc. Earlier, he was Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for 12 international subsidiaries of Aetna International. He also served as CFO for Cigna Latin America and assistant treasurer for CIGNA Worldwide.
The Expanding Horizons workshop will outline for participants the innovative financial tools that OPIC has used for 40 years to help U.S. businesses successfully invest in emerging markets. Special emphasis will be placed on opportunities in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors, an OPIC priority.
Speakers will include senior government officials from OPIC, as well as from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, including the U.S. Commercial Service and the Minority Business Development Agency.
The event is the latest in a highly successful series that has educated nearly 1600 small and medium-sized business owners across the United States about OPIC products and services. Since 2006, OPIC has held Expanding Horizons workshops in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Houston, San Francisco, Boston, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, Orange (CA) and Raleigh.
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OPIC is the U.S. Government’s development finance institution. It mobilizes private capital to help solve critical development challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy. Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets catalyzing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, guarantees, political risk insurance, and support for private equity investment funds.
Established as an agency of the U.S. Government in 1971, OPIC operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to American taxpayers. OPIC services are available for new and expanding business enterprises in more than 150 countries worldwide. To date, OPIC has supported more than $200 billion of investment in over 4,000 projects, generated an estimated $75 billion in U.S. exports and supported more than 276,000 American jobs.
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