TechnoServe Gala Celebrates Entrepreneurship in the Developing World
New York Event Honors Top Business Executives and the Power of Entrepreneurship to Transform Poor Communities
NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 22, 2007 — TechnoServe held its second fundraising gala on Wednesday, March 21st in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. The theme of the evening was “Celebrating the Entrepreneurial Spirit,” honoring the drive and hard work that compels men and women to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth to benefit poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The gala honored two high-profile international business leaders: William J. Amelio, President and CEO of Lenovo Group Ltd., and Peter Sutherland, Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and Chairman of BP p.l.c. The support of world-class companies such as Lenovo and Goldman Sachs has helped make TechnoServe the leading provider of business skills to entrepreneurs in the developing world.
Two TechnoServe-assisted entrepreneurs were also recognized at the event: Rosemary and Gerald Muthomi, whose horticulture business on the slopes of Mount Kenya is employing hundreds of people and helping thousands of small-scale farmers gain access to better-paying markets.
The event co-chairs were: Deepak Advani, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo; Paul R. Charron, Chairman and CEO, Liz Claiborne, Inc.; Patricia M. Cloherty, Chairman & CEO, Delta Private Equity Partners; Suzanne Nora Johnson, Vice Chairman, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., and Paul E. Tierney, Jr., Managing Member, Development Capital.
The event brought together more than 350 loyal supporters whose participation has helped provide TechnoServe with much-needed general operating funds. This gives us the flexibility to be proactive in exploring new programs and taking advantage of new opportunities as they present themselves.
About TechnoServe: TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world to build businesses that provide jobs, income and economic opportunity. Since its founding in 1968, the U.S.-based nonprofit has helped to create or improve more than 2,000 businesses, benefiting millions of people in 32 countries. TechnoServe is currently working to build and expand businesses in Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda, Ghana, Madagascar, Rwanda, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire and India. TechnoServe has been recognized as one of the world's “Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs” by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
