MWW Group Partners With World Business Forum to Host Global Thought Leaders and Business Executives in Panel on Sustainable Leadership

NEW YORK, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (www.mww.com), one of the nation's top ten public relations firms, announced today that it has partnered to host an exclusive VIP luncheon with the World Business Forum (WBF), the leading international symposium for the business community attended annually by more than 4,000 top executives from across the world.  The invitation-only event will feature a panel discussion examining sustainable leadership in rapidly changing times.  Participants include such luminaries as White House Advisor, best-selling author, and U.S. News & World Report Editor-at-Large David Gergen, CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Jim Quigley and Chairman and President of ING DIRECT USA Arkadi Kuhlmann. The public can follow the panel discussion via live video stream at www.mww.com and on Twitter at hash tag #WBF10.

As panel moderator, MWW Group President and CEO Michael W. Kempner will drive the conversation to uncover insights on leadership, challenges of today and the leadership imperatives of tomorrow, including the importance of trust and transparency, increased globalization, rapid innovation and the notion of leadership democratization.

"In this environment of constant economic, social and political change, business leaders are faced with unprecedented challenges and the need to make critical decisions under more rapidly changing circumstances than perhaps ever before. Working in tandem with the World Business Forum, we have gathered a tremendous panel of global thought leaders and business executives who will discuss what sustainable leadership looks like in this current cycle and why innovation, transparency and trust is needed now more than ever," said Kempner.

Added Kempner, "There is no event more prestigious or with a more influential gathering of global leaders than the World Business Forum.  We are proud and honored to have an opportunity to partner with WBF to address and examine this critical topic of sustainable leadership."

The sustainable leadership panel will take place during the 2010 World Business Forum on Tuesday, October 5 (12:30pm to 2:00pm) in the Time Inc. building at 1271 Avenue of the Americas, Room 2-61 – just across the street from the World Business Forum's main site at Radio City Music Hall.  The panelists will include:

• David Gergen – In addition to his role as editor-at-large at U.S. News and World Report, Gergen is a senior political analyst for CNN and has served as an adviser to four U.S. presidents. He is a professor of public service at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of its Center for Public Leadership.  In 2000, he published the best-selling book, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.
• Jim Quigley – Throughout his 36 years with Deloitte, where he currently serves as CEO, Quigley has taken on a number of leadership roles and built a distinguished track record of service to many multinational clients.  Additionally, he is U.S. co-chairman of the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) and a member of the board of trustees of the U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB). Quigley is also a member of the Council on Competitiveness and serves on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting (CIFiR).
• Arkadi Kuhlmann – Affectionately referred to as "The CEO of Savings," Kuhlmann is the Chairman and President of ING DIRECT USA, the retail bank that offers simple financial products direct to consumers over the telephone and Internet. Under Kuhlmann's leadership, ING DIRECT has grown to become the country's largest savings bank with more than $90 billion in assets, and has led more than 7.7 million customers back to saving money.
• Michael W. Kempner – In addition to serving as the founder, President and CEO of MWW Group, Kempner plays an active role in the management of many individual accounts. Prior to its sale to the Interpublic Group of Companies in 2000, he was responsible for building MWW into the 4th largest independent public relations firm in the United States. Kempner is currently leading MWW's corporate philanthropy efforts, including its $1 million commitment through the Clinton Global Initiative to provide public relations services to help solve some of the world's most pressing problems in global poverty, global health and climate change.

About MWW Group

MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations and "Aim High. Deliver" commitment to client service. For four years in a row, MWW Group was honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution. In 2008, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The American Business Awards and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News, in recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).

About the World Business Forum

The World Business Forum, organized by HSM Global, is the leading international symposium for the business community.  Held at the historic Radio City Music Hall ®, the 2010 World Business Forum will take place on October 5-6, 2010 and host an audience of over 4,000 top from around the world. Founded in 1989, HSM (www.hsmglobal.com/us) is a multimedia company specializing in management and leadership education. HSM brings together the world's top executives and thought leaders to analyze and debate the latest and most pressing issues in business, science, technology, and the economy.  Through conferences such as the World Business Forum and the World Innovation Forum, print, broadcast and online media, HSM generates new ideas and fresh thinking about the challenges facing business leaders today.  HSM believes that knowledge is the critical driver for change and development.

SOURCE MWW Group