ALTIMO FOUNDATION

Q2 2008

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Mike Moore: We shall absolutely succeed

Q: Mr Moore, tell us a little about your background and why you feel you are suited to the role of Altimo Foundation’s Chairman.

A: I have a wealth of partnership experience having served as Prime Minister of New Zealand and as Director General of the World Trade Organisation for several years. Partnership, as you know, both with people, organisations and communities sits at the heart of the Foundation’s way of working. I have also held numerous positions on internationally focused boards, such as the UN Commission of Legal Empowerment of the. Importantly, however, I have an idea of how to transform our aims into action. I have significant experience in advising governments and other businesses on how to embrace the opportunities offered by a globalised economy. I look forward to doing the same with the Altimo Foundation.

Q: How do you envisage your role?

A: I see it as an holistic role, advising on international corporate responsibility strategies and relationship development and in bringing people and ideas together. A significant part of the role will be in representing the Altimo Foundation globally. It will also be important for me to facilitate introductions at the appropriate level in the international businesses and social and cultural organisations.

Q: What kind of impact do you hope the Foundation will have?

A: I hope it will, in its own way, redress the disconnect between the pace of globalised trade between the East and West and the historically poor level of cultural understanding between these regions. The Foundation will also fund and support social sponsorship and research projects in the fields of culture, science, education, sport, healthcare and business, which otherwise could not continue.

Q: How do you hope members of communities in which the Foundation acts will view the Foundation’s work?

A: I hope they will view it warmly and, in the case of INSEAD, view their personal achievements with pride. The Foundation should increase people’s quality of life by funding a higher level of education than they could afford without the Foundation’s support.

Q: What is the Altimo Foundation’s strategy?

A: We hope to fund a few major projects each year that we can commit to in detail and follow in terms of sustainability. We will do this in countries and with communities which stand to benefit from greater relations between East and West. Our expertise, as you know, is communication and we will focus as a Foundation on this skill. We aim to foster better cultural understanding between peoples of East and West.
We will carry out a number of projects focused on science, education, the arts and broader culture in meeting this aim.

Q: What do you think the place of organisations such as the Altimo Foundation is in a globalised world?

A: They are an extremely important part of civil society. Organisations like ours are the bridge between corporate and business worlds, fostering links, understanding and cooperation between different levels of society. We in particular hope to be small and independent enough to be innovative, flexible, independent, and effective in reaching our goals. We feel we can be most efficient by working at the micro level in areas where we know our targets, and where we have skills and expertise.

Q: Will you succeed?

A: Absolutely we shall. We are applying very specific skills, commitment and financial funding to problems and places we know well. We are confident that we will have a positive impact on the places where we are engaging, and we are very excited to be embarking on this journey today.

A Part In Making 36th Istanbul International Music Festival A Reality

Old and New, East and West come together in a celebration of musical excellence.

In June 2008, the courtyards and grounds of Istanbul’s Archeological Museum played host to an unforgettable evening of musical entertainment as a celebration of classical and contemporary music kick-started the 36th International Istanbul Music Festival, sponsored by the Altimo Foundation.

Under the direction of Lukasz Borowicz, and led by Leonid Chizhik – widely acclaimed as the greatest Russian Jazz Pianist of the Cold War period – the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra delighted the audience with scores as diverse as George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris,” the “West Side Story Suite, Symphonic Dances,” “Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite, No.2” and a memorable performance of Mozart’s “Fantasy Variations on a Theme.”

At a reception to welcome the assembled audience of prominent persons and press, Altimo Foundation CEO, Kirill Babaev, delivered an opening address in both Turkish and English. During that welcome, Mr Babaev said: “This is not the first time the Altimo Foundation has sponsored cultural events in Turkey. Late last year we were proud to be associated with a celebration of Melevi culture, sponsoring an exhibition entitled “Dervishes of Sovereignty, Sovereignty of Dervishes, the Melevi Order in Istanbul” at the Istanbul Research Institute. Tonight, we are proud to introduce a little Russian culture to these Turkish shores in the shape of Leonid Chizhik: one of Russia’s most famous jazz pianists and most accomplished musicians.”

Altimo Foundation Chairman, Mike Moore, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and former Director General of the WTO, added his welcome to the assembled guests: “My first duty is as Chairman of the Altimo Foundation and I am very excited by what we as a Foundation can achieve. The importance of communication between the cultures, particularly East and West, has never been so important. I am particularly pleased to be associated with an evening such as this which celebrates musical excellence – a means of expression that transcends cultural boundaries.”

Finally, Leonid Chizhik shared his feelings with the guests: “The impulse and approval are very important things for an artist. We look for the appreciation of our audiences as a means to spur us on to better things. I have derived particular strength on this occasion from the enthusiasm and passion of the Altimo Foundation.”

The First Altimo Foundation Scholarship Project In Vietnam Completed

To coincide with the establishment of the Altimo Foundation, the Foundation has commenced an education programme in Vietnam in partnership with the Vietnamese Government in order to help it harness the potential of its young people. The first Annual Altimo Foundation Scholarship for Emerging Markets began in early 2008, with the first tranche of Altimo students due to start their courses in September.

In line with the Altimo Foundation’s mission to promote mutually enriching cooperation between cultures and civilizations of the West and East, a number of Vietnamese students will be sent to leading Western educational institutions to study courses relevant to their planned careers in order to ensure that they will be highly employable.

The Altimo Foundation endeavors to select the best graduate students from Vietnam to send to INSEAD – the world famous business school in Fontainebleau, France which also has a subsidiary in Singapore. Scholars will be granted full scholarship for their ten month MBA courses in France.

At the same time, the Altimo Foundation is to send a number of Vietnamese students to Moscow’s leading technology university, MTUSI, to study economics and engineering as training for successful careers in the fast-growing telecoms sector of Vietnam. Five winners have been selected after a jury of distinguished individuals with a strong economics backgrounds carefully reviewed their theses. Four of the successful candidates come from the North with the last being a Southern representative.

Through this educational program, the Altimo Foundation hopes to enable an emerging market community like Vietnam to lead a better quality of life.

Winners Of The Altimo Scholarship Program Highlight Benefits Of The Altimo Foundation Initiative

Interview with Tran Thi Thu Hang – INSEAD program winner and Le Thanh Viet, MTUCI program winner

1. How did you know about Altimo Foundation Scholarship?

Tran Thi Thu Hang: I learnt of the Altimo Foundation totally by chance. I went to a ballet show in Hanoi performed by the artists from Bolshoi theatre (a very famous ballet theatre in Russia). The show was sponsored by the Altimo Foundation. In the speech from the representative of the Altimo Foundation, their MBA INSEAD scholarship was mentioned. Later on, I also came across the Altimo Foundation through reading newspapers when Altimo first announced the launch of the Altimo Scholarship in Vietnam.

Le Thanh Viet: Months ago, I found on Saigon Liberty newspaper a very good article about The Altimo Foundation’s Vietnam Scholarship Project. I thought that this would be an opportunity for me to acquire Russian telecoms knowledge and I have to take it. By doing this, it would help me to much broaden my mind with chance to study advanced technology and innovation in a famous and prestigious university. And now my dream comes true.

2. How the scholarship helps you in your study?

Tran Thi Thu Hang: Without the Scholarship I would not have a chance to study MBA in one of the top MBA schools in the world. I hope the INSEAD MBA will help me in my future career with the valuable obtained knowledge from this course.

Le Thanh Viet: I also learnt that Russia offers an excellent studying environment, especially on the technology industry which I am very keen on. I am looking forward to the day studying in this beautiful country as this is also a way to show my gratitude to my parents’ efforts in nurturing me.

3. How did you feel when you knew you are the scholar?

Tran Thi Thu Hang: I felt overwhelmed. That night I couldn’t sleep because I was so happy and also I knew that a new chapter of my life is approaching.

Le Thanh Viet: When I was informed the result, I was so happy and hope I can learn lots of thing in Russia. My family is very happy, too. My parents are so poor that they don’t think that I can study abroad. But finally, I get it, I can make it. I feel so proud of being awarded with this Scholarship.

The Altimo Foundation Supports Myanmar In Surmounting Storm Nargis’ Tragic Aftermath

The Altimo Foundation has made a donation to the Myanmar Ministry of Health in support of those people affected by Typhoon Nargis in Myanmar’s central provinces.

While handing over donation the Altimo Foundation CEO Kirill Babaev said: “We would like to express our deep moral support to all Myanmar people especially to those who has suffered because of this terrible catastrophe. The Altimo Foundation and Altimo stand ready to support any operations in response to natural disasters, such as Storm Nargis.

Altimo’s donation to the Myanmar Ministry of Health will be used to purchase medical equipment and essential relief supplies to support those affected by the storm and help them rebuild their lives.

Reaffirming its strong commitment to long term investment in Myanmar Altimo intends to continuously contribute to cultural, social and business live of this country.”

The Value Of The World’s Mobile Industry, 2008–2013

In April, the Altimo Foundation proudly published the results of a study entitled “The Value of the World’s Mobile Industry, 2008–2013” which assessed the value of the global mobile market by assessing the scale of all global mobile operators, be they private or publicaly held. The findings were the fruits of a partnership between the Altimo Foundation and academics from Cass Business School, Moscow’s New Economics School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The study highlighted the global mobile revolution taking place, with mobile operators from emerging markets now accounting for a bigger stake than ever before of the Global mobile market’s value.

The findings of the study reinforce the importance of the Foundation’s mission to promote the interaction and communication of values and cultures between West and East and also the Foundations geographical focus of Asia and the Far East. With so much potential for expansion of mobile communications in emerging markets, it is important to facilitate the transfer of business expertise between West and East in order for these opportunities to be realised.

The results demonstrate that penetration trends within emerging markets such as Vietnam, India and the Philippines are likely to continue to drive the capitalisation share for the emerging market operators, at a time when ARPU and penetration in the West stagnates.