20th ISPI EMEA Annual Conference

Performance Improvement and Sustainability

September 30, October 1, 2, 4 and 5 - 2021 - 2nd Virtual Event

Senior Executive Panel

One of the perennial highlights of ISPI EMEA conferences is the Senior Executive Panel. Participants in the conference will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with a panel of senior executives with diverse backgrounds in a special 90-minute session. During this highlighted event, participants will hear directly from experienced senior executives about the challenges and opportunities facing organizations today, with a focus on “Performance Improvement and sustainability” and their thoughts on how we as performance improvement professionals can potentially contribute to organization results in a meaningful way.

Questions to guide this discussion will be created from ideas suggested by conference registrants in advance of the conference and at the conference through our Discussion Space, which will be available 24 hours a day during the entire period of the Conference, and will be staffed with a Coordinator during conference hours. There will also be time within the session for questions and comments directly from session participants, as well as the Panelists themselves.

2021 SENIOR EXECUTIVE PANELISTS

Aleksi Aleksishvili

Chairman of the Board and CEO at Policy and Management Consulting Group

Aleksi Aleksishvili Chairman of the Board and CEO at Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG), has 20 years of experience working in the public finance and economic development policy sector as a high-level government official and government adviser. Having served as Minister of Economic Development (2004-2005) and Minister of Finance of Georgia (2005-2007), he is one of the leading architects of Georgia’s crucial reforms in economic policy, fiscal, budget and financial, tax and customs policy reform, business climate improvement and doing business environment.

Subsequently, Georgia was ranked by the World Bank “Doing Business” survey as the world’s #1 reformer country in 2005-10. During this period (2004–2007), Georgia improved from 132nd place to 18th in the ranking of “Ease of Doing Business” by the World Bank. Mr. Aleksishvili conducted Tax and Customs reforms: reducing the number of taxes from 22 to 7 and reducing the national tax burden from 45% to 27% of GDP, while increasing tax compliance rate from 13% to 25% of GDP. He introduced one of the simplest tax systems in the region. Foreign Direct Investment increased from 250 m USD in 2004 to 2,100 m USD in 2007. GDP growth rate was more than 9% each year.

Mr. Aleksishvili has accumulated exceptional knowledge of and experience dealing with development challenges. As the Chairman of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (UN CSD) (2005-2006), he dealt with issues related to energy, climate change, air pollution and industrial development, work which was acknowledged as being successful by the Commission and UN General Assembly.

Mr. Aleksishvili is a member of the Caucasus and Central Asia Advisory Group (CCAG) of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD). He has advised numerous governments of countries such as Albania, Mongolia, Kosovo, Mozambique, Iraq, Moldova, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan to enhance their public finance management and business enabling environments by providing valuable assistance and conveying his specialized experience of a transitional country.

Elton Black

Director, Thrive Consulting Group

Dr. Elton Black from Windhoek, Namibia, brings a unique perspective on leadership, entrepreneurship and Kingdom-focused business. He is a Consultant, affiliated with the Thrive Consulting Group. Using his knowledge of human biological systems, management science and practical theology, he probes the interface between science, management and theology; unearthing new insights from their overlapping zones.

He is an experienced medical practitioner, entrepreneur, executive, consultant and preacher. Elton holds an MBChB from the University of Stellenbosch Medical School, MBA – Cum Laude from the University of Stellenbosch Business School and MTh from the University of Wales School of Theology. Elton completed his MBA and MTh simultaneously. He was selected to represent the University of Stellenbosch Business School at the 2012 AMBA Global Business Schools competition.

He is establishing the first completely digitized private hospital on the African continent. Elton is a sought-after healthcare and financial services executive and management consultant, having advised many leading Namibian private and public sector organizations. He is founder of Clinico Health Group, a diversified health services group company. Elton served in a leading role in the establishment of multiple New Testament churches and Bible schools in South Africa and Namibia. He is an author, song writer, guitarist and recording artist.

Karin Koritz Russberg

Vice President Global HR & Sustainability at Vitrolife

Karin Koritz Russberg is Vice President Global HR & Sustainability at Vitrolife a company whose business contributes to helping people to fulfil their dream of becoming parents. Karin joined Vitrolife in April, 2020.

Vitrolife was founded and has its Head Office in Gothenburg, Sweden, with additional locations and production facilities in more than ten countries world-wide. Founded in 1994 Vitrolife was one of the first companies providing IVF laboratories with high quality ready-to-use culture media. Today, Vitrolife is a leading-edge medical device company, and they believe that it is Vitrolife’s employees that create their leading position in the market In July 2021, Vitrolife announced the acquisition of Igenomix, a global leader in women’s health and reproductive genetic testing services for IVF clinics and by this assumes a leading position in its industry globally. Closing of the deal is subject to regulatory approvals and expected to take place in Q4 2021.

In her company profile, Karin says, “Our company [Vitrolife] culture and our brand are strongly connected; Together – all the way. This way, we make a difference for clinics and their patients and for each other. Together is the value that most of all guides work in the Group, every day.”

Immediately prior to Vitrolife, Karin served as Director HR & Sustainability at Semcon from August 2017 until April 2020.

Semcon is an international information technology and services company that believes, “People first. Then technology.” They turn technology into excellent user experiences by combining digital edge and engineering expertise. Click here to visit the company’s website. It is important to note that Semcon has a clear focus on Sustainability. Click here to learn about their perspectives and approaches.

Karin has a career history characterized by working for and supporting organizations with a stated and central focus on sustainability, not just considering critical work processes and achievement of company business goals and objectives, but also sustainability at the level of the environment and a commitment to Society, as a corporate global citizen.

In that regard, before joining Semcon, Karin held several senior HR positions within the Volvo Group for more than 20 years, among others as HR Director International Division for Volvo Trucks for 7 years and, as Vice President HR, Aftermarket and Soft Products, then as Director Global Talent Management at AB Volvo. When visiting Volvo websites, as you can do by clicking on Volvo Trucks or Volvo Group the organization’s commitment to sustainability, up to and including the level of society and our shared world, is very prominently defined.

In her current position with Vitrolife, Karin has direct responsibility for the organization’s human resources and, importantly, for sustainability, which is described for the company as a whole under a heading of, “Focus on long-term value creation,” and contains the following conclusion.

“The work on sustainability secures the Group’s long-term competitiveness, profitability and responsibility and builds on transparent and reliable relations with the Group’s stakeholders, such as shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers and society at large.”

Shirley Zinn

Author of "Swimming Upstream", and Non Executive Director on multiple Boards

Dr. Shirley Zinn is a coach, mentor, and entrepreneur who has served on the boards of several major companies, trusts, charities, and universities. She is the former Group Head of Human Resources at Woolworths Holdings Limited. Prior to this, she was the Head of Human Resources of Standard Bank South Africa and Deputy Global Head of Human Resources for the Standard Bank Group. She also registered her own company: Shirley Zinn Consulting that provides consulting and advisory services in HR, Transformation, Leadership and Education.

Shirley serves as Executive Director on the Board of Boston Consulting Group, and is, currently, an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Boards of JSE-listed SANLAM Limited and SANLAM Life Insurance Limited, MTN-SA, Afrocentric, AdvTech, and Spur Corporation. She also serves on the Boards of LRMG Performance Architects and NPI.

Beginning her career as a secondary school teacher, she progressed through several positions with increasing responsibility and impact, including the role of Regional Human Resources Director for Middle East and Africa for Reckitt Benckiser, a global FMCG company listed on the London Stock Exchange, before receiving an appointment at South African Revenue Service (SARS) as General Manager for Human Resources.

After SARS, Dr. Zinn held a number of influential, impactful positions, both jobs and professional organization roles, more than we are able to summarize here, but we suggest that you do an internet search to learn more about this very special senior executive. Regarding awards, to mention only a few of the more recent ones, in 2012, she was listed in the Top 30 Wonder Women in South Africa, by Wits Business Journal, and awarded Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government for 2016, by CEO Global. In 2018, she was Continental Winner in the Business and Professional Services Sector, also by CEO Global.

In 2015, Dr. Shirley Zinn published her inspiring autobiography, “Swimming Upstream,” which has officially achieved best-seller status.

2021 SENIOR EXECUTIVE PANEL MODERATOR

Lisa Giacumo

Associate Professor of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning at Boise State University

Lisa Giacumo Lisa is an associate professor of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning at Boise State University. Her research interests focus on the use of instructional design and digital tools for global training initiatives and PI. She has worked internationally as an instructional designer, trainer, and manager for businesses, universities, non-profits, NGOs, and the US Department of Defense. Lisa has presented at AECT, Humentum/LINGOs Global Learning Forum, ISPI, and ISPI EMEA.

lisagiacumo@boisestate.edu