Leading business leaders highlighted importance of intrapreneurship to economic growth on the opening day of a key forum organised by The Firm, a global private members networking organization for business development and intrapreneurship, in Bahrain.

The Global Intrapreneurship Forum 2012 will run till May 28 at the Gulf Hotel under the patronage of Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Hassan Fakhro.
 
The launch on Sunday marked the first ever global conference of its kind dedicated to supporting the development of intrapreneurship and innovation within corporations and SMEs as well as among investors and individuals.

The inaugural day saw global and regional business leaders discuss the importance of intrapreneurship in further growth and development both on a company and economy level .

It also discussed the imperative for the regional companies to become intrapreneurial themselves and take calculated risk in order to create new ventures from within that utilize the skills, expertise and know-how of their employees. This is a key means for quickly enhancing the pace of economic development and growth in our economies. 

Among the key speakers at the forum were Gifford Pinchot, the CEO of Pinchot & Company and co-founder and president of Bainbridge Graduate Institute, US.

A key exponent of intrapreneurship, Pinchot was the one responsible for coining the words “intrapreneur”, “intrapreneuring” and “intrapreneurship”.

The forum also heard from SAP vice-president and EMEA utilities and services industries head Dr Maher Chebbo, who gave participants his 'Top 10 recommendations for a successful intrapreneurship investment in rewarding sectors of the economy.'

Other key speakers are Zain Group Kuwait former CEO Dr Saad Al Barak and Strategic Alliance Association executive director and Siemens Ventures former CEO Naveed Khan among others.

Day two will focus on the development of practical tools for fostering intrapreneurship and meeting the following challenges: How to channel intrapreneurial energy into our economies, How to develop the marketplace for intrapreneurship, How to network with the emerging providers of intrapreneurship related services, How to network with investors, How to plan for early retirement and How to shift from an intrapreneur to successful businessmen and businesswomen, among other topics.

The highlight of the second day will be an “Executive Management Workshop on Intrapreneurship,” which will be delivered by Pinchot and will be opened by the forum’s patron, Dr. Hassan Fakhro.

The workshop is designed for business leaders at corporations and SMEs and will focus on encouraging them to develop internal intrapreneurship cultures and programmes within their organisations.

It will teach executives and managers how best to foster talent and drive the development of new ideas and ventures.

'We are delighted to have assembled this group of business leaders and intrapreneurs to highlight the importance of intrapreneurship in the growth and development of businesses and economies over all,' The Firm founder and CEO Abdullah Al Subyani said.

'As the first global forum of its kind, we are certain the event will provide a significant opportunity and platform for individuals, investors and businesses ranging from large corporates to SMEs, and their efforts to develop new projects and ventures.'

'The forum will not only address the opportunities and challenges for intrapreneurship but importantly give participants access to information, examples and practical advice on how to turn innovative ideas into business realties,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service