26.03.2008

Source: Finansavisen (Norway)
Date: 26.3.2008

In the fight for important markets as Vietnam is Altimo now strengthening its social profile with the previous WTO Executive Mike Moore. Moore, who is also previous Prime Minister of New Zealand and has held various UNassignments, is engaged as Chairman of the Board of the non-profit organization Altimo Foundation. There, he will take part of the management of social investment activities on emerging markets.

So far, Altimo has been going heavily for social activities in Vietnam, a market where only one inhabitant out of five owns a mobile handset, and where a range of the leading global mobile operators want to enter. Altimo, Vodafone, France Telecom, Deutsche Telecom and not at least Telenor have shown a great interest in establishing themselves in Vietnam.

Good relations with the authorities are crucial to get admittance to Vietnam. That is were Altimo’s non-profit organization comes in. A range of social and cultural activities has already been carried out. Vietnamese students get scholarships for studies in Paris and Moscow, Altimo Foundation has financed a visit in Hanoi by Russian ballet dancers from the Bolshoi and Stanislavski Theaters, and Vietnamese Puppet Theater has been performed in Moscow on Altimo’s account.

– By engaging Mike Moore, we hope that Altimo Foundation will become an internationally acknowledged institution, says Kirill Babaev, executive in Altimo and in the foundation. He has no doubts about the benefits of the charity.

– It is unquestionably important to profile Altimo in Vietnam as a company with large social responsibility. The ties between Vietnam and Russia are strong, Babaev says.