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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Spencer King new IESC President The Board of Directors of the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) recently appointed Spencer T. King as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Referred by many in Sri Lanka as the "King of TIPS," he was the CEO of USAID's most successful private sector development program, the Technology Initiative for the Private Sector (TIPS), which operated in Sri Lanka from June 1991 to December 1998. During his tenure, USAID extended its assistance to the Sri Lankan private sector by extending the TIPS program through 2000. TIPS created employment, increased the international competitiveness of Sri Lankan companies and generated exports for both the U.S. and Sri Lanka. IESC is the largest not-for-profit business development organisation of its kind in the world. Founded in 1964 by US philanthropist David Rockefeller and then President Lyndon Johnson, IESC has been working to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized firms in the developing world and in emerging democracies using a pool of over 13,000 US volunteers. IESC extends its assistance to also strengthening governmental, non-governmental and business support organisations. Its public administration programs engender strong democratic practices. Sri Lanka received more than 400 US volunteer consultants during IESC's presence from 1984 to the end of TIPS program in 2000. Presently, IESC works in many countries in trade liberalisation and today manages programs in countries including Jordan and Morocco under a "Fast Track" mechanism to assist firms take advantage of the opportunities afforded through new Free Trade Agreements with US. Though the TIPS Program was designed to work with private sector firms, while in Sri Lanka, Spencer King worked closely with government agencies such as the Export Development Board and Department of Commerce. On industrial environmental pollution issues, he worked with the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and established an office of US-Asia Partnership Program in Colombo with funding from USAID. In early 1995, he was elected as the Vice-President of the American Chamber of Commerce, and from 1996 until he left Sri Lanka, was the President of the Chamber. During this period, the American Chamber of Commerce became an aggressive business organisation and conducted two US trade fairs including two American business delegations visiting Sri Lanka. The US Ambassador appointed Spencer King as a Director of the US Education Foundation (which administered Fulbright Commission too) and also as the Chairman of Overseas Security Advisory Council, OSAC. Spencer King is a strong believer in the importance of protecting Intellectual Property Rights of a nation which is vital for its international competitiveness. He worked very closely with the Director of National Intellectual Property Rights in helping automating certain functions and also worked with Sri Lanka Law College in commencing a Post Attorney Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights IPR. From Sri Lanka, Spencer King went to Egypt to manage a major private sector program for IESC and USAID. From his Cairo office, he functioned as the IESC's Regional Vice-President for Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In January 2003, Spencer King was appointed as Senior Vice-President Worldwide Business Development in Washington DC for IESC. In October 2003, Spencer King was named IESC's 4th President and CEO. As a committed supporter of establishing free enterprises and free trade in developing countries, Spencer was instrumental in using the successful trade program model of TIPS, in many other countries such as Jordan and Egypt. Before joining IESC, King owned and operated international trading companies with offices in Central America, California and Massachusetts. He earned a law degree at Tulane University. and worked in private practice and on behalf of the State of New Mexico's Consumer Fraud and Securities Commissions. He has authored numerous articles on trade, investment, competitiveness and intellectual property rights. Spencer King could be reached at [email protected] |
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