GBTA Announces Michael Porter, the Leading Authority on Competitive Strategy, as a Keynote Speaker at the 2012 Masters Program

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association, the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter will be a keynote speaker at the 2012 Masters Program taking place at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, D.C., February 6-7, 2012. Professor Porter, one of the world's most influential thinkers on competitive strategy and international competitiveness, will speak widely on these topics at the Masters Program.

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"Mr. Porter is considered one of the utmost authorities on competitive business strategy and I am excited to listen to his global perspective on business and government. Our attendees will be able to bring the knowledge they gain from Mr. Porter and other speakers back to their companies, ensuring they retain a competitive edge," said Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA.

Professor Porter leads the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, created jointly by Harvard University and Harvard Business School to further his work. His work forms the foundation of Harvard's required course on strategy and he leads Harvard's executive education programs for CEOs of billion-dollar and larger corporations. He is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at the Harvard Business School.   

Professor Porter has written 16 books and more than 100 articles. In his most recent book, Redefining Health Care: Creating Positive-Sum Competition to Deliver Value, the internationally renowned strategy expert reveals the underlying—and largely overlooked—causes of the current health care crisis and lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining health care competition based on patient value.

Professor Porter's seminal book, Competitive Strategy, is in its 58th printing and has been translated into 17 languages. His second major strategy book, Competitive Advantage, is in its 34th printing.  He served as advisor on competitive strategy to many leading U.S. and international companies, to community organizations, and to numerous foreign nations and groups of neighboring countries.

Professor Porter also plays an active role in U.S. economic policy with the Executive Branch, Congress, and international organizations. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council on Competitiveness, with ideas that have touched many, and he is considered one of the most influential economic experts of our time.

The GBTA Masters Program is an annual event that provides executive-level attendees with the opportunity to hear from some of the most respected world class leaders while learning about the strategies and business philosophies that have made them and their organizations successful. To register to attend the Masters Program, visit gbta.org/masters. 

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premier business travel and meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA's 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit gbta.org.

SOURCE Global Business Travel Association