WDI has partnered with Janeeva, an Ann Arbor-based firm that supplies software and services to companies outsourcing work, to host an Outsourcing Assurance Forum on June 28 in Ann Arbor.
The one-day, invitation-only forum for business executives will feature industry luminaries as well as veteran and novice users of outsourcing in an informal setting where users, experts and suppliers can openly discuss winning solutions and strategies. It will be held at the Executive Residence at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Interactive presentations and panel discussions from experienced senior management will provide valuable insight and an opportunity to share experiences on the risks, benefits and headaches of managing remote operations.
WDI Executive Director Robert Kennedy will kick off the event with a talk on how globalization has expanded beyond the manufacturing and resources sectors into the larger, faster growing, and higher value-added services sector. This development will have major economic and political consequences in the years to come.
Kennedy will talk about what factors are driving offshoring and how likely is it that they will continue; what challenges and opportunities the phenomenon presents for U.S. businesses; and what the risks are of outsourcing, and how they should be managed.
Other speakers at the forum include Vikram Nangia, Vice President, Global Operations Finance at American Express. The company has been among the leading companies establishing links with offshore suppliers along with proprietary servicing centers worldwide.
Nangia will cover the principles American Express applies to manage sourcing, the drivers that moved them toward outsourcing, their current and future plans, and what tools, people, and processes they use to manage multiple vendors in multiple countries and locations.
Kennedy will lead a discussion with the audience on outsourcing plans following Nangia’s remarks.
Dan Mahlebashian Director, Contract Management Strategic Planning at General Motors also will speak at the event. He will discuss GM’s extensive experience in managing vendors through contract negotiation, and how well-executed SLA’s can save those with less experience the headaches that result from a poor contract. Learn the challenges of governance after contracts are signed and SLA’s are executed.
Vinay Gupta, CEO of Janeeva, will lead an open discussion on governance stories following Mahlebashian’s remarks.
There also will be a panel discussion where audience members can talk about some of the hard issues they’ve faced with outsourcing and ask questions to gain insight from the panelists who are experienced outsourcing veterans.
The panelists include Charles Kirk, CIO of Geologistics, a leading international logistics integrator, and Curtis Blair, VP Operations of EggNesters, a leading mortgage management company.
Following the forum, which is scheduled to end at 5:30 p.m., a reception with dinner and drinks will be held at Top of the Park in Ann Arbor.
For more information on the event, contact Shannon Culver at 888-297-1678 ext. 85 or
events@janeeva.com.