<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>ANTIGUA FORUM PROJECT, JAN16-19, 2014, Antigua, Guatemala</strong>
<em> -A unique and highly leveraged enterprise in the world of ideas and public policy -</em>
<a href="https://antiguaforum.ufm.edu/index.php/About_Antigua_Forum" target="_blank">https://antiguaforum.ufm.edu/index.php/About_Antigua_Forum</a></p>
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<strong>INNOVATION &amp; ENTREPRENEURSHIP- The foolproof ingredients to economic success</strong>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Elena Panaritis</strong> joined entrepreneurs in reform who, like entrepreneurs in the market, constantly look for ways to improve the lives of others through innovation &amp; entrepreneurship reputably the key ingredients to economic success. Both types of entrepreneurship involve creating a conducive environment allowing us to tap into the endless opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship within a crisis. In both cases, success depends on imagination, timing, creativity, and a keen awareness of the market at hand.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tune in to listen to Elena explore some inspirational turnaround stories both on a national and entrepreneurial framework from New Zealand, Chile and the US and learn about the foolproof ingredients of economic success and resilience. Throughout the course of these interviews Elena effectively spells out some of the golden rules of reform distilled from the combined wisdom and experience of the participants and clearly illustrates that while the domain is different, the issues are not dissimilar.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">However talk about the need for reform is one thing; the courage, the determination and the skill to press ahead is another. Having been through the fire of structural reform herself, Elena met with two extraordinary female politicians, ‘change makers in action’ who shared their story on the how they were able to effect extraordinary and unprecedented change to their countries, particularly NZ and Chile. Indeed both Ruth Richardson and Ena von Baer share a prominent track record for initiating and managing successful structural reform.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ruth Richardson</strong> Former Minister of Finance, NZ</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ena von Baer</strong> Journalist, political scientist and senator, Chile</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The event series kick off interview is with the remarkable Ruth Richardson. Ruth established her reform reputation during her tenure as New Zealand's Minister of Finance from 1990 - 1993 and is considered the principal architect of New Zealand's second wave of reform. Since her exit from politics she has met extensive international demand to learn from the radical NZ reform model.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tune in for Ruth’s insider account re the institutional framework for the conduct of fiscal policy (the Fiscal Responsibility Act 1994), which is since widely regarded as setting international best practice, and is a cornerstone of New Zealand's economic framework.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is of interest to watch Ena’s vivid narrative on the ‘’Miracle of Chile” , the neoliberal and free market reorientation of the economy of Chile in the 1980s and the benefits of economic liberalism. Indeed she highlights the importance of how the free markets worked their way in bringing about a free society.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Elena also met with the young albeit inspiring founders of FundElevator who ardently claim that ‘changing the World’ doesn't have to be hard, naive, or impractical. Mickey and James don't believe in waiting on the world to change but rather becoming the change we wish to see in the world. Indeed they urge us to take action as there is nothing stopping each and every one of us from making a real and lasting impact on our world and the lives of others.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Mickey Costa</strong>    Co Founders of FundElevator.com, USA
<strong>James Schulae
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER BIOS</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ruth Richardson</span>
Combining political, economic, strategic and presentational expertise and drawing upon her noted success in NZ turnaround story, Ruth Richardson offers an insight into the positive development of economies at all levels.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ruth Richardson is best known as New Zealand’s Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993. She spent her early career advising NZ Government on law reform and later worked for NZ Federated Farmers helping them become a leading advocate of structural reform and the deregulation of the NZ economy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As Minister of Finance Ruth inherited an economy in a deep recession, a budget forecast to blow out massively and a credit downgrade from an international credit rating agency. Within six weeks of taking office, she presented to Parliament "The Economic and Social Policy Initiative", outlining specific initiatives and policies to reverse the previous downward trend in the economy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ruth was responsible for the privatisation of many previously government owned organisations and New Zealand certainly reaped the rewards of her well designed programme of economic reforms. She pioneered the concept of a fiscal responsibility law, introducing NZ’s Fiscal Responsibility Act that has become a world-wide benchmark. In 2011 Ruth launched the Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet), a group which aims to commercialise the ideas that brew in laboratories and lecture rooms to get them making money out in the real world.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ena von Baer</span>
Member of the Chilean Senate; former minister of communications to president Sebastian Piñera; former head of political and social program at Liberty &amp; Development Institute; political scientist and former journalist.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">James Schuler, USA</span>
Co-founder and CTO of FundElevator.com, a crowd-sourcing platform to support causes and politicians; creator of Eligible, a platform to help healthcare companies engage in financial transactions; Y-Combinator graduate; Peter Thiel “20 Under 20” Fellow 2013</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mickey Costa, USA</span>
Co-founder and CEO of FundElevator.com, a crowd-sourcing platform to support causes and politicians.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>NEW ZEALAND</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ruth Richardson was appointed New Zealand Minister of Finance in November 1990. She inherited an economy in a deep recession, a budget forecast to blow out massively and a credit downgrade from an international credit rating agency.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">During the remarkable reform era in New Zealand from the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's, Ruth established her reform reputation. As New Zealand's Minister of Finance from 1990 - 1993 she was the principal architect of New Zealand's second wave of reform, complementing the first wave of reforms initiated in the mid 1980s by New Zealand's other well-known Minister of Finance, Sir Roger Douglas.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tune in to explore her institutional framework for the conduct of fiscal policy, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 1994, which is widely regarded as setting international best practice, and is a cornerstone of New Zealand's economic framework.</p>