THE UNIVERSAL CONSENSUS GLOBAL ALLIANCE

The Universal Consensus Global Alliance is an integrated strategic partnership in which well-known professionals from multiple countries across the globe have been recruited by Universal Consensus to provide a broad base of talent and cross-cultural experience.  Our clients benefit from this unique blend of disciplines and cultural acumen. The Alliance members are here to create commercial bridges for private enterprise, putting into place the necessary pieces of the puzzle to support global emergence and sustainability in new sectors and markets. 

DENISE PIRROTTI HUMMEL, J.D. is the Founder and Director of Universal Consensus. Her trademark models related to the analysis of culture and their application to business enterprise are the core foundation of Universal Consensus trainings. Ms. Hummel was accepted to The U.S. State Department Worldwide Speaker and Specialist Program, a program which consists of traveling and electronic events which allow American experts to engage with foreign audiences globally.  Hummel was chosen, in part, due to the model she developed which is an adaptation of the Western Facilitative Mediation Model for Non-Western cultures.  Hummel has also spoken at the Pentagon, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, where she conducted a presentation called, “Beyond Multi-Lingual: The Future of DoD” to the Director, Associate Director and Deputy Director of Culture under the Obama Administration.  She is also the developer and instructor for a series of global trainings which USD (the University of San Diego) will offer as a Certification in Cross-Cultural Core Competence & Global Emergence Strategy.  In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Universal Consensus, Hummel is the Executive Director of a non-profit organization called Global Peace Solutions and is the Co-Chair for Membership if the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the San Diego Bar Association.  Hummel is described by clients and colleagues as a compassionate, but driven, "can do" connector of people and ideas.  Ms. Hummel began her career as an employment and civil rights attorney litigating and mediating high profile disputes which in many cases had a profound impact on our country.  She tried and won, for example, the first class action under the Americans With Disabilities Act, winning for over 200,000 hearing impaired residents of the City of New York, Emergency 9-11 services, and was named one of the Top 20 Young Attorneys in the United States that year by the American Bar Association.  In addition to her 18 years in the employment law arena, Hummel devotes her time and effort to international concerns and to the promotion of peace on an individual and global level.  She helped champion the movement now known as Peace Through Tourism, and was a keynote speaker at the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism Global Summit in Pattaya, Thailand, where she shared the podium with Ministry and dignitaries from all over the world.  Her conflict resolution and cross-cultural training experiences have taken her to almost every continent of the globe.  She speaks English and Italian fluently and French and Spanish, conversationally.

WARREN D. HEAPS is currently a Partner with Birches Group LLC, based in New York, a firm specializing in labor market conditions in the developing world. Warren leads the business development efforts for the firm, focused on marketing salary surveys across 147 developing countries, including all of the countries of Africa. Prior to joining Birches in 2007, Warren was the Director, International Compensation for the Colgate-Palmolive Company, where he had oversight for global mobility and compensation in Colgate's operating divisions outside the United States. During his tenure, key initiatives in the areas of business simplification, automation, tax planning, compensation design, and global equity planning were successfully undertaken, resulting in significant savings and improved customer service. Earlier in his career, Warren was instrumental in designing many of the initial policies that helped Colgate to staff Central European operations immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union. Warren has a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Lehman College, and holds both SPHR and CEBS certification. He is the former chairman of the National Foreign Trade Council Expatriate Management Committee, and past president of the Latin America Compensation & Benefits Forum.

PETER KELLY is an accomplished senior manager with a wealth of international experience, focused primarily in South East Asia. The majority of his adult life has been spent in the region, and his commercial activities have been targeted at ensuring his clients receive maximum value from his endeavors. Peter has been a consultant to a wide range of clients, including companies that wish to commence commercial operations in South East Asia, particularly the People’s Republic of China. Peter is an accomplished Chinese linguist, having graduated from the RAAF School of Languages in 1979. Peter began his tertiary studies in arts (Asian studies), business and science (computing) after graduating from the RAAF School of Languages. In 1996 he completed both a graduate diploma in Strategic Marketing from the International Marketing Institute, as well as working towards his Master's in business from Charles Sturt University. Peter’s academic achievements culminated in an honorary Ph.D in international business in 2007. Along the way, Peter has accumulated an impressive array of contacts, from heads of state to senior government officials. He holds a hereditary title from the Sultan of Sulu, is a member of the Norman Academy and an honorary life member of the European Bioethics Centre in Rome. Peter has also received awards from several governments for his military service and other work in the international arena. Peter will be resident in China for a significant portion of 2009.

DR. ZUNAIRA MUNIR is the Founder and Managing Director of ‘Strategize Blue’, a Blue Ocean Strategy consulting and training firm based in San Diego, California. She has worked with numerous big and small companies worldwide in their pursuit to ‘make competition irrelevant’ and create Blue Oceans of highly profitable growth. Key recent clients include HP, Coca Cola, T-Mobile, Deloitte and Touche, Ohio State University Medical Center, DataPath Inc, Keypoint Credit Union, American Advertising Federation, Clary Business Machines, Honeywell International (USA), Conexion Global, Coomeva, EPM, Banco Colombia, (Colombia), RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Puerto Rico), China Mobile Pak, Haleeb Foods (Pakistan), Aim Inlines (Bangkok) and ITESM (Mexico). She is an Affiliate Member of the Global Blue Ocean Strategy Network and has worked directly under Professors Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne as a Visiting Researcher at INSEAD, France. She was among the first batch of individuals qualified by the Blue Ocean Strategy Initiative Center and has since been involved in various Blue Ocean Strategy projects, initiatives, and research. Having lived, educated and worked in Asia, USA and Europe, Dr. Munir has truly Global credentials. With a PhD in Innovation Management from Wuhan University of Technology in China, an MBA and a Bachelors in Computer Sciences, she offers an interesting blend of multi-disciplinary knowledge and expertise. Her multi-lingual command on English, Urdu, Hindi and Mandarin as well as her diverse experience in global business environments gives her a clear edge in effectively catering for her global clientele. As an educator, she has over 6 years of experience teaching graduate and undergraduate courses at various universities. As an executive, she played a major contribution in taking Clary Business Machines to the ranks of the fastest growing privately held companies in the nation. As a researcher her work has been published in China Business Review, International Review of Business and research, the PDMA Research Forum and others. Her upcoming book "Key Concepts in Innovation" is being published by Palgrave McMillan. Dr. Munir is a dynamic trainer and presenter and is extremely good at giving the audience concrete ideas that can be translated into practical steps for breaking out of competition and making it ‘irrelevant’.

KATRINA BURRUS, Ph.D., MCC coaches international executives in all areas of business, including telecom, banking, food, perfumes, non-profits and the pharmaceutical industry. Her coaching career has taken her to Europe, Asia and the United States. Dr. BURRUS is recognized for her distinctive capabilities with executives and teams from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. She founded MKB Conseil & Coaching in 1994 and is affiliated with a network of international experts and academic practitioners. Dr. Burrus specializes in coaching global nomadic leaders, high potential, and abrasive senior managers. She was the first Master Certified Coach in Switzerland from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is the founder, and former President, of ICF Switzerland. She is also a former board member of ICF Switzerland and was part of the ICF credentialing team. Dr. BURRUS holds a Master degree in International Management and in Human Development, as well as a Ph.D. in Organizational Development. After various published articles and presentations at various international forums, Katrina is writing a book on  "Global Nomadic Leaders: How to Identify, Attract and Retain Them."

JENNIFER MCQUEEN has spent over two decades working in the international arena, assisting clients wishing to expand their operations into unknown territories. Now Managing Partner of Ausnindo-Asia/Pacific, Australia's oldest International Business Consultancy and Government Advocates, McQueen co-ordinates staff and clients from across the globe, but specializing in the Asia Pacific region. Ausnindo’s unique point of difference is that each client is assigned a single, experienced consultant who works with them at home and abroad, including conferences and negotiations with potential business partners. As part of her role, McQueen personally undertakes a select number of clients each year, guiding their endeavours in export, import, joint ventures, off-shore manufacturing, investment or investment sourcing. Prior to joining Ausnindo, McQueen spent 15 years with the Australian Trade Commission, specialising in export education and market research, development and expansion for literally hundreds of clients across a wide range of industries. This background has given her a high level of entrée to Australian government agencies and a clear appreciation of how best to work with government agencies. She is now also a Director of China Commercial Services Group, a company that specialises in industry, commercial and private background intelligence reporting on China based businesses and individuals. This service is highly valued by companies and individuals from across the globe intending to do business in China. McQueen was a founding member of the Queensland Export Facilitation Council, the Maroondah Business Advisory Council and Organization of Women in Trade (Australia). She is a current member of the Australian Institute of Export, Women’s Network Australia and Marketing Communications Executives International. McQueen has lectured in university level international business courses and is regularly invited to speak or write articles for "Working Women" on subjects related to international trade matters.

TOMAS SIBAJA is an international contractor with more than fifteen years of experience in promotion, international sales, foreign investment and off-shore marketing strategies in cross-border regions where comparative and competitive advantages existed. Multicultural executive with first-hand professional experience living in Asia, North America, the Middle East, Europe and Mexico. Mr. Sibaja is currently a PhD Candidate from L'école internationale d'administration (ISM) in Paris, France. He holds a MBA from the University of Redlands and earned a Diploma in economic and political studies by the Cambridge University in England. He also has post-graduated Diplomas in related business administration topics in Temple University of Tokyo, Japan; St. John’s University in New York and the Korean Trade Advanced Studies (Kotra) in Seoul South Korea. Career diplomat, businessman and humanitarian advocate, Mr. Sibaja has learned over the years in four continents, to perform in different cross-cultural environments with a result-oriented performance at all times. This included a two-year assignment as Sr. Business Manager in Iraq – since 2004-2006 - in the US reconstruction efforts of hospitals, schools, and water/sewer and electricity projects. Mr. Sibaja is a frequent speaker in national and international forums on a wide array of topics related to foreign investment, international trade and US-Mexico cross-border issues. Mr. Tomas Sibaja is the Director of Business Development in BC Manufacturing, a premier nearshore integrated service center located in the Tijuana/San Diego region with a proven history of success assisting companies in achieving their operational goals in Mexico.

MIGUEL DUARTE FERREIRA is an international consultant and competitive intelligence expert based in Portugal and consults in Iberia. He is responsible for projects with objectives and scopes in diversified areas, from the gathering of secondary and primary information (personal and/or telephone interviews, coverage of conferences and seminars), analysis and project management, to the support to implement a competitive intelligence function and/or system. Miguel’s language skills (Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian) allow him to be involved in projects with a wide geographical span. Miguel founded the first company specializing in competitive intelligence in Portugal. He is currently an invited professor at the Technical University of Lisbon, where he is also responsible for the coordination of the competitive intelligence course in the MBA, Master of Sciences and post graduation course of "Systems and Technologies of Information for Organizations," and he is also responsible for the coordination of the competitive intelligence course within the post graduate course of "Foresight, Innovation and Strategy." Miguel is a regularly invited speaker at national and international CI seminars and conferences. He is a member of SCIP - Society of competitive intelligence Professionals and a certified trainer for the Center for Leadership in Studies in Portugal. He is also the co-author of the first book published in Portugal by Portuguese authors in Competitive Intelligence - "Competitive Intelligence - Concepts, Practices and Advantages" (May 2002). Miguel has an undergraduate degree in Economics and a post-graduation degree in Marketing Management.

VICTORIA SPASCHENKO is a business trainer and consultant located in the Ukraine, who delivers programs related to communications, management, organizational improvement and development in the Ukraine and Russia. Victoria is currently working as the Business Development Director for the JSC "Technocristal" (sapphire growing and processing). She is also a Consultant for IBR Institute of International Relations Global Executive MBA programs (Germany). Victoria recently joined the international team of the global consultancy TMA World as a senior consultant to deliver training to Arcelor Mittal. Victoria has worked extensively in both the private and public sector, particularly in the areas of international trade, public education, international development, media, legal services, and chemical industries. Victoria has extensive experience in the management of people, business processes and business communications. Her clients include Internews Kazakhstan, the British government (cross-border cooperation for international development), New Channel (the third biggest TV channel in Ukraine), "Magister & Partners” law firm in Kyiv and Moscow, Technocristal, Ecormin Planeta, Pricewaterhouse Coоpers, Ukraine National Botanic Garden, IBR, StarTelecom, and First International Mortgage Bank, among others. Victoria has a Global Executive MBA from IBR Institute of International Relations (Germany). Her Masters Thesis was in "Change Management."

FAUSTO PIERANTONI lives in Bologna, Italy, a historic university town in the northeast of the country. Fausto began his career at OptoElectronic as an Electrical Engineer. His fondness for challenge led to 18 years in Technical/Marketing roles in the world of Automatic Identification in the USA, Germany and Italy. In 1999 Fausto directed the opening of the Italian subsidiary of Metrologic Instruments, an American Electronic manufacturer. A superb problem-solver, Fausto helped Metrologic Italy to develop a VARs, resellers and inside sales network. In his present position as division manager at Leuze Electronic Italy (Milan), Fausto is responsible for all Technical-Marketing activities that fall under the LOGISTIC Business Unit. He manages a wide numbers of sales projects from a tech/marketing point of view as well as his team and all internal communications between Italy and HQ in Germany. He also consults globally on marketing and technological issues in Italy and abroad.

IFTIKHAR MD ZIA is a dynamic professional with 20 years of experience in the garments manufacturing and exports field. As a garment exporter in Chennai, his dedication was well known and for 18 years he climbed the ranks from Export Assistant to General Manager of Operations. During his tenure in this company, he handled many major labels, and built an excellent network of suppliers, factories and service providers. He handled several departments, including the Sustainability Department and at the time of his resignation lead both the Merchandising and Logistics Departments. He started his own sourcing agency, Zed Concept, in February 2007, and then converted this to Zed Concept Sourcing Pvt ltd in Dec. 2008 after joining with a company from Mozambique interested in making an entry in the Indian market. During this period, Zia has built a dependable network. He has successfully expanded product offerings from garments to fabrics, leather products, shoes, made-ups, and handbags, while expanding the market as well to Chennai, Tirupur, Salem, Erode, Karur, New Delhi, Agra, Aligarh, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mumbai and Bangalore. Zia’s linguistic skills include fluency in English, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil – which makes it easy for him to travel throughout India where language plays an important role. He has an in-depth understanding of the varied cultures that prevail throughout India. He is extremely knowledgeable in the Import/Export field, and, well-versed in the customs and other regulations related to trade with India. An eager learner, he has a willingness to change and adapt to new techniques, which makes him an optimal candidate to advise on import/export issues regarding a myriad of products and services intended to be offered in India.

DEMETRIOS 'JIM' VANDEKAS is the director of Capta Management, based in Amsterdam he has, however, he works in Ontario, Canada, and in the company’s office in Greece. The main objective of his company is to provide his clients with tailor-made International Business Development solutions for the European marketplace and, in some cases, for the Canadian marketplace as well. These tailor-made solutions focus on market-entry strategies, sales and marketing, distribution and OEM channel development. He is a new-market penetration specialist. His role as the managing director of International Business Development is to discover, plan and execute local, regional and international sales, business and channel development. His primary goals are to bring life to his client's vision for their products, services, global presence and ultimately to increase revenues and profits. He has fifteen years of solution and technical sales/marketing, people, project & financial management experience and vast experience in strategic and executable business planning -- from market and competitive discovery analysis to business and product launch and beyond. He attended York University, Schulich School of Business, concentrating in business development and Seneca College, concentrating in investigative and behavioral sciences. He speaks English and Greek fluently.

UNWHA CHOI is the founder and principal of MindsGroup, an international HRM solution provider offering consulting, coaching and training in global business development, and innovation. MindsGroup is headquartered in Seoul, Korea. She has more than twenty-two years of experience in training, marketing, new business development, supplier management, and general corporate and consultancy management in the manufacturing and service industry. She has a proven track record of effectively managing and organizing with expert skills and ability, focusing on strategic planning and business development in both Korean and international markets by exercising and engaging in hands-on experiences. Unwha has strong managerial and communication skills and abilities in coordinating projects and achieving results efficiently and effectively. She is particularly strong in learning and adapting to the international atmosphere, both in language and culture. Unwha is highly confident and comfortable working with international people and developing business for immediate and long-term goals and objectives for her clients. She deployed the successful launch of AIG International Services in Korea by employing her personal strengths and bilingual and bicultural capabilities. She has also worked with CheongKang Associates, Inc., Seoul, Korea; McDonnell Douglas Corporation (Korean Air Aerospace Division) in Long Beach, California; the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea; and Zonta International, among others. Unwha has an MBA from Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School, and a bachelor's degree in social science from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. She graduated from TASIS England, Thorpe, United Kingdom with honors and speaks English and Korean fluently.

JOSEPH BORREMANS is a business globalist located in the Netherlands and is the universal consensus expert for Beligium, the Netherlands, Luxumborg and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His fluency in Dutch, French and English is instrumental in connecting his clients globally. Enthusiastically embracing robust challenges that improve quality of life is undoubtedly the recurring theme of his remarkable professional and personal endeavors. Currently located in the Netherlands, Joseph is, of course, ideally situated to consult on business and cultural issues related to that part of the world, but he is also deeply connected to the Congo. Joseph began his international career as a technology attaché in the DR Congo. He went on to work for Motorola as their Latin America Sales & Marketing Manager after completing his business administration and economics studies while concurrently working as a medical cardiology research engineer. In 2001, he became the director of international business for the American Heart Association, where he promoted educational programs in 30 languages and launched their first international department, building it into a major division in less than two years. In 2004, he returned to the DR Congo to spearhead United Nations ground operations as the project manager for a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, where he turned around the contract on the verge of cancellation, oversaw five airports and started a project management office (PMO). In 2006, he was retained for a two-year assignment by the Dutch Railroad to secure international projects and position them for global expansion. Joseph’s entrepreneurial experience building mobile telecommunications businesses and managing their acquisition by Nextel (now Sprint) has helped him to know when to take calculated risks in pursuit of objectives. Although Joe specializes in the Benelux and DR Congo, he has extensive experience in France, Switzerland and Francophone Africa. He also has extensive experience with the United Nations, World Bank and Asian Development in financing projects and contract management.

SIMONE T. COSTA ERIKSSON is an Intercultural coach & trainer and a psychologist (member of the British Psychological Society) based in Brazil. Eriksson holds seminars and workshops for HR professionals, for expatriate families & children, and for international schools. She has recently been involved in developing projects related to Expatriate Arrival Services for Spanish and Swedish Multinational Companies in partnership with international relocation companies bringing foreign investment opportunities into the Campinas Metropolitan Region in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. She has also recently worked on a project for international Brazilian companies in the area of HR international development of employees. Simone´s interest in the long-term impact of expatriation on the executive performance and on family relations started with her own experience of living 13 years abroad (USA, Sweden, Poland, and Italy), most of the time, as an expatriate mother with two children. Eriksson is the co-author of a children´s book which will be published this year in which she explores the difference between adults´ & children´s perception of ‘moving abroad.’ Erkiksson´s international education includes an MBA from Lund University, Sweden, a psychology degree from The Open University in Milan, Italy and an international certification in coaching from Integrated Coaching Institute (ICI), Brazil. Her previous professional business experience in international recruitment, headhunting, and customer service was later combined with her passion for human international development.

NICOLE BAYER, JD is an attorney and mediator having resolved several cases in a number of disciplines for the National Conflict Resolution Center in San Diego, California, U.S.A.. She lives in the United States, but was born in Iran of an Iranian mother and an Austrian father. She speaks English, German, and Farsi fluently. Nicole received a BA in International Relations with an emphasis on the Middle East from the University of Southern California, an MA in Arts Administration from New York University, and a JD from the University of San Diego. She has also studied in Florence, Italy and London, England receiving certificates in International Law through the Institute on International and Comparative Law. She has also been a legal consultant for HBC International, a Green Company specializing in environmental engineering projects including mine water treatment. Of multicultural origin, Ms. Bayer has worked in the international adventure travel industry as a cultural leader for American clients throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Her extensive travels and multi-lingual abilities have allowed her to acquire first-hand knowledge of varying cultures and world views, thus gaining a deeper understanding of cultural relativity which she incorporates into her mediation and consulting style. Prior to pursuing a legal career, Nicole was heavily involved in the music industry, both as a performer and a consultant/artist manager. In 1999, she established an artist management company, Bayer Artists International, which catered to world musicians such as Swedish bass guitar virtuoso, Jonas Hellborg, India’s kanjira master V. Selvaganesh, and the late Memphis guitarist Shawn Lane. She has worked closely with performing arts organizations such as the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the Aspen Music Festival, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and the San Diego Symphony. In 2003, Nicole aided Metropolitan Opera’s General Manager Joseph Volpe in reorganizing, developing, and monitoring a course on Managing the Performing Arts for NYU’s Stern Business School. Nicole maintains an active role in the Persian community in Southern California and in Iran. She continues to work as a studio cellist for artists such as Jason Mraz, Gregory Page, and Dave’s Son.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your knowledge, experience and effort this year. It has been the start of what I truly believe will be a remarkable journey for us all. I know also that one day we will look back on this and say, ‘I was there in the beginning’ with some degree of pride and achievement.” Peter Kelly, Universal Consensus Global Alliance Member for Australia & China.