Upcoming Events

2012

PSLO Environmental Mission to Washington D.C.

May 22-24, 2012

The GHP invites you to join the PSLO Network for a program focusing on environmental sector opportunities and projects in Water & Sanitation, Urban Development and Agriculture at the International Financial Institutions, such as: the World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Caribbean Development Bank

This three-day program is designed to provide opportunities to initiate dialogue with project officers responsible for current and pending environmental sector projects, in addition to provide an understanding of requirements for engagement. Attendees will include consulting firms, individual consultants, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, design firms and producers, and developers and prospective sponsors of private sector projects from multiple countries.

Participants will participate in unique programming with the development community to:
- Learn what types of projects are being planned and financed
- Focus on opportunities in environmental sub-sectors including Water & Sanitation, Urban Development and Agriculture
- Learn which technologies, products and services are attractive to regions in emerging markets
- Discover how projects are initiated and developed
- Meet key contacts to stay informed for future projects
- Dialog with attendees and representatives from multiple participating countries

For additional information, please contact Jessie Yu at jtan@houston.org or at 713-844-3662

PSLO Mission to Indonesia & Vietnam

October 2012

For additional information, please contact Jessie Yu at jtan@houston.org or at 713-844-3662.

Past Events

2011

World Bank Group PSLO Mission to Colombia

November 8-11, 2011

Colombia is Houston's 7th largest trade partner with bilateral trade worth $8.2 billion in 2010. The Greater Houston Partnership and the World Bank Group Private Sector Liaison Officer (PSLO) Network led companies on a mission that will included country meetings with business and government representatives, in addition to presentations with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) such as: The World Bank Group and The Inter-American Development Bank. The mission was designed for small to medium sized companies interested in the Colombian market.

Final Agenda and Available Presentations:

4th Annual PSLO Energy Mission
"Integrating Sustainable Energy in Global Development"

Washington D.C. - October 23-27, 2011
New York City - October 28, 2011

The PSLO Network invited companies to attend the annual joint mission focusing on the energy sector opportunities at the International Financial Institutions specifically designed to provide an opportunity for the private sector to:

Initiate a dialogue with the project officers responsible for energy sector projects;
Understand the project requirements, constraints and their level of competitiveness in accessing bank projects and bank-financed projects in the energy sector;
Inform staff of the capabilities and interests of international firms in the energy sector.

Companies joined the mission with goals of:

Learning what types of projects the International Financial Institutions are financing in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors;
Identifying specific opportunities to market your company's products and services;
Discovering how projects are initiated and developed;
Finding out how your firm can stay in the loop for future projects.

For additional information and presentations, please visit http://www.houston.org/psloenergymission.

Africa's Future and the World Bank's Support to It

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown

With Africa facing an unprecedented opportunity to transform itself and improve the lives of its people, the World Bank is responding with a new, ambitious strategy which could help African economies take off, the way the economies of Asia did 30 years ago.

Please join the Greater Houston Partnership welcome Vincent Palmade, Lead Economist in the Private and Financial Sector group of the Africa region of the World Bank. Vincent joined the World Bank in 2004 as Lead Economist for FIAS, the foreign investment climate advisory service of the World Bank Group. Prior to joining the World Bank, Vincent worked for twelve years with McKinsey and Company where he was a Partner of the McKinsey Global Institute (McKinsey’s economic research group). Vincent’s work focuses on the strategy and institutional issues related to private sector development. Vincent graduated from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

To view Vincent Palmade's presentation, please click here.

Supporting Energy Investments in Emerging Markets: How the Energy Sector Can do Business with the World Bank Group

Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Natural resource industries are important for many of the world’s poorest countries. They are a key source of jobs, economic opportunities, investments, revenues to government, energy and other benefits for local economies. However, concerns about investment environments and perceptions of political risk often inhibit foreign direct investment in developing countries. Please join us in welcoming representatives from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) who will discuss business opportunities for companies in the energy sector with the World Bank Group.

Federica Dal Bono, Senior Business Development Officier, Operations, MIGA - MIGA addresses concerns of foreign direct investment in emerging markets by providing political risk insurance (guarantees); insuring new cross-border investments; mediating investment disputes to keep current investments intact and remove possible obstacles to future investment; disseminating information on investment opportunities; and offering investors’ protection against noncommercial risks.
Jan Wehebrink, Principal Investment Officer, Oil and gas Department, IFC - IFC’s mission is to foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment (debt and equity), mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.

To view Federica Dal Bono's presentation, please click here.
To view Jan Wehebrink's presentation, please click here.

2010

Doing Business in 2010: Reform through Difficult Times

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Federal Reserve Bank - Brazos Room

Sylvia Solf is the Program Manager of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report, which provides objective measures of the business climate in 183 countries. Since the first edition eight years ago, the report has become both an incentive for reform and objective criteria for investment. The 2010 report adds access to electricity in the matrix of standards, in addition to such factors as ease of starting a business, dealing with permits, getting credit and trading across borders.

To view Sylvia Solf's presentation, please click here.

World Bank Procurement Seminar

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - Houston, Doubletree Hotel Downtown Houston

The World Bank generates billions of dollars in opportunities for suppliers of goods and services around the world each year through projects financed in developing countries. Government agencies in the countries that borrow from the World Bank are responsible for purchasing goods, works and services from consultants, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers of goods and services for bank-financed projects. Bank financed procurement is unique and business opportunities exist at every stage of the project cycle. The GHP will hosted a seminar aimed at providing information to suppliers, contractors and consultants that will enable them to participate in World Bank financed procurement featuring:

Nancy Bikondo-Omosa - Procurement Specialist, Procurement Policy and Services Group at the World Bank
David W. Fulton - Advisor & Director of Business Liaison, Office of the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank
Hilmar Zeissig - President & Lead Consultant, Houston International Business Corp.

Specialists from the World Bank focused on:

Business opportunities in World Bank-financed projects and in corporate procurement
How to identifying specific procurement opportunities in World Bank funded projects
The World Bank project development cycle
Procurement and Consultant policies, procedures and guidelines
The role of the Bank and the Borrowers in procurement

To view David Fulton's presentation, please click here.
To view Nancy Bikondo presentation, please click here.
To view Hilmar Zeissig's presentation, please click here.

World Bank Group: Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - Houston, Petroleum Club

Concerns about investment environments and perceptions of political risk often inhibit foreign direct investment in developing countries. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) addresses these concerns by providing political risk insurance (guarantees) insuring new cross-border investments; mediating investment disputes to keep current investments intact and remove possible obstacles to future investment; disseminating information on investment opportunities; and offering investors’ protection against noncommercial risks such as: expropriation, currency inconvertability, breach of contract, war and civil disturbance.

Our speaker was Mr. Antonio Barbalho, Global Head of underwriting for the oil, gas, mining, chemical, and energy sectors for MIGA, the political insurance arm of the World Bank Group. Antonio has extensive experience in the energy, utilities, and financial sectors where he held several senior positions including at Deutsche Bank and CERA. Antonio has advised major national and international oil and gas and energy companies worldwide with successful contributions to project development, project finance, initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, and trading.

This program is in collaboration with the Houston Chapter of the American Petroleum Institute.

Annual PSLO Energy Sector Mission
"Access to Energy for the World: Green Solutions to Global Challenges"

October 31 to November 4, 2010 - Washington D.C. & New York City, N.Y.

The Private Sector Liaison Officers Network organized the 3rd Annual Joint PSLO Energy Mission focusing on the energy sector opportunities at the International Financial Institutions specifically designed to provide an opportunity for the private sector to:

Initiate a dialogue with the World Bank (WB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Asian Development Bank (ABD) officers responsible for energy sector projects;
Understand the project requirements and constraints, the level of competitiveness in accessing bank projects and bank-financed projects and programs in the energy sector;
Inform staff of the capabilities and interests of international firms in the energy sector.

Companies:

Learned what types of projects the WB, IDB and ADB are financing in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors;
Identified specific opportunities to market your company's products and services;
Discovered how projects are initiated and developed;
Found out how your firm can stay in the loop for future projects.

The mission also included an optional program will included meetings with United States government and industry representatives highlighting opportunities and market trends in the energy sector, in addition to an option program at the United Nations in New York City. For additional details, please visit the 2010 PSLO Energy Mission webpage.