Post date: February 26, 2002 — 9:30 a.m.
Beginning on February 27, Harvard Law School’s Program on International Financial Systems will hold a symposium exploring terrorism against international financial systems, international corporate disclosure standards, and pension reform. The two-day event, “Building the Financial System of the 21st Century: An Agenda for Europe and the United States,” will be held at the Rüschlikon Center for Global Dialogue, the conference center near Zurich of Swiss Re, the lead sponsor.
“This symposium will address key issues facing financial markets in Europe and the United States,” said Professor Hal S. Scott, director of the Program on International Financial Systems. “Given recent statements by European officials on the virtues of international accounting standards over generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, provoked by Enron, we particularly look forward to an interesting exchange on that subject.”
Keynote speakers will include Federal Reserve Board Governor Susan Bies; Andrew Crockett, general manager of the Bank for International Settlements; and Philippe Maystadt, president and chairman of the European Investment Bank.
Additional European participants will include John Fitzpatrick, chief financial officer, Swiss Reinsurance Company; Robert Diamond, chief executive, Barclays Capital; Chris Huhne, member of the European Parliament; and Jean-François de Caffarelli, secretary general, French Banking Commission.
U.S. participants include Ronald Logue, president, State Street Corporation; Charles Alexander, president, GE Capital Europe; Michael Klein, co-head of Global Investment Banking and vice chairman, Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, Citigroup; and Philippa Malmgren, special assistant to the U.S. President for economic policy.
“The symposium brings together senior people from the major groups involved with financial markets-bankers, regulators, lawyers, and scholars,” said Philip Wellons, deputy director of the Program on International Financial Systems and a principal organizer of the event. “They come with great experience in international finance, but very different perspectives, to look for solutions to major issues.”
The Harvard Law School Program on International Financial Systems was founded in 1986. It was established to conduct research linking law, economics, and finance. In the past 15 years it has published books, held symposia, and provided technical assistance to a variety of countries.