Romanian – born Peter Georgescu (in picture), the former CEO and president of Young & Rubicam, will be the keynote speaker at the Aspen Romania Institute roundtable on Romania's brand on June 27, starting 09,30 at The Ark in Bucharest.

Georgescu, currently Chairman Emeritus of Young & Rubicam Inc.,  will speak about a new brand proposal for Romania, developing the themes that Aspen Institute Romania addressed in other programs - economic competitiveness, industrial policy and labor.

Country brand became a strategic tool of competitiveness and Romania needs to work on a similar project if it wants competitive advantages, according to Aspen Institute.

Discussions during the round table will also focus on balancing skills, creativity and competitiveness. The Roundtable "Bursting with Creativity - A New Brand Proposition for Romania" is the third event of the series of debates on the country brand launched last year by the ASPEN Romania Institute.

Peter Georgescu, born and raised in Romania, became the eighth CEO of Young & Rubicam Inc. in 1984, the first director of the company born outside the United States. With an experience of 37 years in management in US and Europe, he had a significant contribution to the development of integrated communication strategy that defined the development of Young & Rubicam and has become an industry standard.

Peter Georgescu is a member of the board of Levi, International Flavors & Fragrances, EMI and Toys 'R' Us. He is also vice-president of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Before the Second World War, Peter Georgescu's father had been a general manager for Standard Oil (now Exxon) in Romania's Ploesti oil fields, the richest oil reservoir in Europe. When the Germans invaded, they arrested and imprisoned his father, as an enemy, but he was later freed. In 1947, his parents took a scheduled trip to Exxon's headquarters in New York, but when it was time to return, they weren't allowed back into Romania. Peter and his brother stayed in Romania and only in 1954 were able to leave the country and join their parents in the US. Peter Georgescu's full story here. 

The ASPEN Institute Romania is part of the international network with offices in USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India and Japan, a network dedicated to promoting a type of leadership based on values​​, appreciation of universal values ​​and ideas and open dialogue on contemporary issues. Its purpose is to promote the dialogue between leaders from different sectors of Romanian society, by organizing conferences, seminars and roundtables.

Ioana Toader, ioana.toader@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Peter Georgescu's website)