Global Bankers Program Marks 42nd Year
Each August, Executive Education at the Foster School of Business welcomes a program to the UW that furthers opportunities for growth and success in international banking and finance. For 40 years, this program was called the Pacific Rim Bankers Program. In 2018, to reflect a wider and more inclusive scope, it became the Global Bankers Program.
The program was conceived in the mid-1970s by Dr. Kermit O. Hanson, then Dean of the School of Business Administration. PRBP goals were to:
- Examine issues of mutual interest to all Pacific Rim nations
- Improve participants’ abilities to handle banking and management problems
- Facilitate banking relationships between the U.S. and other Pacific Rim nations
As we move into the 5th decade of the program, we are placing more emphasis on innovative fields of study, such as disruption, emerging technologies, and interpersonal and cross-cultural communication.
The program spends one week in Seattle and one week in San Francisco. In Seattle, our work is classroom-based, with an emphasis on teamwork and collaborative projects. In San Francisco, we spend our days at Wells Fargo headquarters, focusing on team presentations and hearing from distinguished speakers, finishing with a visit to the Federal Reserve
The best way to communicate the benefits of the Global Bankers Program is with the words of recent graduates. Jimmy Lee of Wells Fargo (Hong Kong) called GBP “inspirational” and praised it for bringing together “banking professionals from around the world to share their experiences, pick up new skills and expand their network.” Vicente Miñana Rufat of Banco Galicia (Argentina) told us, “I found the program to be great, not only the content and the quality of the lectures, but the opportunity to meet so many interesting people from very different backgrounds.” “The experience from the program is really amazing to me,” says Shyh-Dyh Lin of First Commercial Bank (Taipei). “By group discussion, roleplaying or even playing games, students can immerse themselves into situations, learn experience from interaction with each other, and apply what we have learned from the class.”
Associate Dean of Executive Education and International Initiatives Jean Choy, who will be directing the program again this year, has many upcoming events related to the Global Bankers Program. From February 26th to March 7th, Jean will be in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea. During her trip she will be facilitating communication workshops (“Power to Influence”) and GBP alumni are invited to join. Workshops will take place in Jakarta on February 28th, Bangkok on March 4th, and Hanoi on March 5th. Please email [email protected] for more details.
Jean will also be speaking at an event for Wells Fargo, hosted by 2018 GBF alumnus Wayne Shah, on April 12th. Details to come.
The Global Bankers Program will be offered next from August 11 – 23, 2019. Details of the upcoming program as well as registration information can be found at https://foster.uw.edu/executive-edu/executive-programs/pacific-rim-bankers-program/.
