Former U.S. ambassador speaks on business in Brazil

When it comes to Brazil, Tony Harrington knows his facts.

The former U.S. ambassador to the South American nation gave a lecture Wednesday night about business interactions between the two countries.

The lecture included discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of business in Brazil, the structure of the Brazilian government and the country’s relationship with the United States.

The event was sponsored by the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise as the latest installment in their “Business Across Borders” series, which aims to bolster global studies and interest in various global markets among students and faculty.

Most of the organization for the event was done by the Kenan Institute Leadership Fellows, a group of MBA students committed to educating students on various activities and opportunities.

The idea for the “Business Across Borders” series is to create more interaction between students and top executives and experts in international markets.

“Tony represents the type of person that we would like to bring to campus to meet those needs,” said Raymond Farrow, executive director of the Kenan Institute.

“In thinking about who would be an ideal candidate for this event, it was actually a pretty easy conclusion to come to.”

Harrington is a graduate of UNC, where he was a Morehead-Cain scholar. He is now the CEO and president of the Albright Stonebridge Group, where he advises companies and organizations interested in implementing global strategies and pursuing global opportunities.

“Business leads the way in the U.S.-Brazil relationship,” Harrington said. “I would say that 400 of the Fortune 500 companies are in Brazil in some way.”

About 150 people, mostly graduate students and faculty, were in attendance Wednesday night to listen to Harrington’s lecture.

“I think he had really good delivery,” said Kehinde Olajide, a systems project manager for UNC Energy Services. “It’s obvious that he’s very experienced in the area and his insight was very helpful.”

After the lecture, Harrington took questions from the audience, most of whom asked about barriers to entering Brazilian markets and government influence on Brazilian businesses.

“It was good to see the perspective of someone who has been in a policy-making position,” said Russell Bither-Terry, a Ph.D student in political science.

“But it’s also good to see his perspective now that he is working with global investments.”


Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.