Brian G. Bowler 9 Bay Heights Circle Geneva, New York Tel:

Transcription

1 Brian G. Bowler 9 Bay Heights Circle Geneva, New York Tel: brian_bowler@hotmail.com PROFILE Ambassador Brian Bowler is an innovative and strategic thinker with years of experience in the private and public sector. He is goal driven and knowledgeable and has proven his ability to assess situations, take risks and achieve results. His business prowess combined with his diplomatic flair make him a natural leader with a strong drive for achievement. Ambassador Bowler is the current Dean of the Malawi Diplomatic Corps. He has had a distinguished career both in the private sector as an entrepreneur, a business leader of major corporations as well as a diplomat for the Government of Malawi. He is regarded by his peers as a serious and committed diplomat as well as a game changer. When Malawi needed a diplomat to unlock the opportunities in new countries like India and Cuba, Ambassador Bowler was deployed to establish the first diplomatic relations and opened the first Malawi High Commission in India and was the first Ambassador to Cuba. When the late President needed a political strategist for the presidential elections, Ambassador Bowler was recruited. Not only did he secure the landslide presidential victory but his strategies ensured the largest number of Parliamentarians elected from the party. Whenever the President needed results, Ambassador Bowler was deployed for the mission. Ambassador Bowler has established high level contacts throughout the world and is very capable and skilled at dealing with high level dignitaries, such as heads of state and governments, as well as leaders in the business community, and government representatives. However, Ambassador Bowler s personality and relational skills allow him to move easily amongst all groups of people and put people at ease. He believes strongly in the principle of serving to lead, and believes you get the best results by inspiring and creating a conducive atmosphere to allow people to showcase their best work. These skills have led to tangible benefits as well as put Malawi firmly in great standing with all countries where Ambassador Bowler has served. He is continually courted by colleagues not only from Africa but also from western countries that look upon Ambassador Bowler as a trustworthy and honest friend. 1

2 KEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Permanent Mission of the Republic of Malawi to the United Nations, New York Ambassador and Permanent Representative (United Nations and Cuba) Successfully increased Malawi s visibility on the international scene through high level leadership roles Expanded Malawi s sovereign diplomatic relationships into new frontiers through the negotiation and signing of bilateral diplomatic agreements with 14 countries ensuring increased international cooperation Successfully navigated sensitive issues as the Chair of the 44 th Commission on Population and Development which resulted in a Resolution that was endorsed by the UN General Assembly Served on the Board of UNICEF, and led a multi-agency high level delegation to the Philippines to conduct programmatic review of activities and utilization of UN funding Appointed by the President of the 66 th UN General Assembly to Co-chair and facilitate the graduation process for least developed countries (LDC) Elected as Vice President of the 66 th Session of the UN General Assembly Successfully negotiated Malawi s retention as a troop contributing country for peacekeeping and increase Malawi s presence by more than 1000% Chaired the African Group of Ambassadors and provided leadership to harmonize and strategize the African position in the UN Represented Malawi as African Union Chairman Member of the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) High Commission of Republic of Malawi to India, New Delhi High Commissioner Established first diplomatic relationships with India through the opening of the High Commission to increase trade and investment opportunities bilaterally Successfully established valuable linkages between private sector and government officials and increased foreign direct investment to Malawi Successfully negotiated $150 million line of credit for Malawi Increased trade relationships between Malawi and India through the signing of various MOUs including the initiation and successful negotiation of a bilateral agreement with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), India s leading incubator for small and medium enterprise Established e-learning modules between Amity University and University of Malawi Spearheaded business exploration visit to Malawi which included the Vice President of India and high level business executives Formed strong personal and professional relationships with corporations and families such as Tata, Mahindra, Ambani Facilitated Presidential State visit by the President of Malawi to India Increased tourism and business travel to Malawi by over 500% through successful marketing and representation of Malawi at trade fairs 2

3 Received the Best Ambassador Award by the International Council of Jurists and the All India Bar Association and was recognized by Amity University for fostering international diplomatic relationships for excellent bilateral practice and adherence to ethical standards Embassy of the Republic of Malawi to the Kingdom of Belgium; the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; the Swiss Federation; Republic of France; the European Commission; and the European Union Ambassador Accredited to the African, Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Organization, UNESCO, the Word Trade Organization, the World Food Programme, International Court of Justice, The Hague Enhanced the bilateral relations between the Government of Malawi and the host governments Promoted Malawi s trade interests at the World Trade Organization Chaired the Southern Africa regional committee and coordinated its activities in Brussels Obtained development aid and food relief donations from the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Swiss federation Responsible for Malawi s cultural dances being selected and awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity award in 2005 Increased Malawi s visibility in Belgium through State visit between Malawi s President and the King of Belgium, as well as other state visits in France, and Portugal Initiated and created Malawi s first country program with the Flemish Government of Belgium and secured post-graduate scholarships Improved Malawi s European Development Fund (EDF) relationship from a poor rating to its position in the top five best relationships in four years Led trade and services negotiations for the Eastern and Southern Africa region (17 countries) with the European Union on the Economic Partnership Agreement Lead negotiator on sugar protocols to allow market access for commodities from ACP countries 3

4 KEY PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES Napolo Ukana Breweries/Bowler Beverage Company, Lilongwe, Malawi Operations Director/Owner Napolo Ukana Brewery was a family brewery that was created to fill a gap in the market and compete against international companies. Through hard work and core values, as well as brand positioning, Napolo Ukana Breweries managed to grab a significant market share and ran a very profitable company. This attracted the interest of South African Breweries International (SAB) and resulted in a strategic merger of the two companies and the formation of Bowler Beverage Company, which maintained a significant shareholding in the new total beverage industry company. Bowler Beverage still maintains 100% ownership of its brewery sites throughout Malawi. Expansion efforts saw the company acquire a brewery from SAB in Tanzania and after successfully turning around the industry, is now once again in negotiations with SAB to buy back the brewery. Oversaw daily operations including fleet management of 100+ vehicles, a country wide distribution network and over 600 taverns and a product volume of over 6 million liters of beer a month Designed and implemented marketing strategy to triple the business and attract international investment Prepared executive management reports, budgets and presented operational plans at board meetings Instrumental in negotiating multi-million dollar joint venture with SAB Expanded the business into other products including non-alcoholic drinks and purified water Bowler Beverage Company AIDS in the Workplace Programme, Lilongwe, Malawi Project Director Conceptualized and operationalized one of the first AIDS in the workplace programs in Malawi, which attracted international interest and has been replicated within the region Obtained $500,000 in program funding through USAID (partnered with Save the Children and UMOYO Networks) Maintained reporting lines between donor agencies including work plans, budget and financial reports Malawi Mobile Corporation, Lilongwe, Malawi Chairman 4

5 Successfully tendered and awarded Malawi s third cellular telephone network license Handled complex negotiations between international financiers and service providers Identified investors as well as operators for the license PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS Malawi Development Corporation (MDC), Blantyre, Malawi Chairman of the Board MDC was Malawi s largest public investment arm with interests in banking, manufacturing, hospitality, and property development. Provided corporate governance to various subsidiaries within Malawi and in line with the Statutory Corporation Mandate Worked closely with Board Members and the CEO in negotiating funding for construction projects involving development projects Fostered and maintained contacts with international lending agencies to secure project funding, i.e. Investec South Africa, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Africa Development Bank Traveled extensively abroad representing and negotiating on behalf of MDC to ensure sustainability Formulated a successful turn-around plan to bring MBD back to self-sustainability Restructured MDC and liquidated non-profitable assets Air Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi Chairman of the Board Air Malawi is Malawi s national airline, which operated within the region and internationally. Oversaw policy to run the national airline Restructured airline and streamlined staff to appropriate levels to enhance operations and maintain financial prudence Provided corporate governance to turn around Air Malawi financially to selfsustainability and meet major financial obligations, such as IATA billing, aircraft maintenance and insurance Renegotiated lease charges for aircraft resulting in multi-million dollar savings and the airline taking full ownership of aircraft Identified and organized first D Check in Africa for Boeing saving airline $1.2M Represented Air Malawi throughout the world National AIDS Commission, Lilongwe, Malawi Chairman of Finance 5

6 The National AIDS Commission (NAC) is the Government of Malawi s body to ensure investment in research and services to mitigate the AIDS pandemic. The AIDS pandemic remains Africa s greatest challenge and the NAC is regarded as one of the most important organizations on the continent as a result of its efficiency and initiatives. Provided guidance in successfully securing funding from the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS activities in Malawi Actively participated in working group meetings and committees with representatives from all major donor agencies in Malawi, striving for a unified presence and coordinated plan Participated in the technical working group in the fight against AIDS that identified the best practices and strategies implemented by agencies in Malawi Represented private sector of Malawi at the Arica Development Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Economic Association of Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi Patron Advised Government of Malawi on economic issues Attended meetings with donor agency representatives on the economic situation in Malawi for planning purposes Think Tank Working Committee-Office of Vice President, Lilongwe, Malawi Member Assisted in brainstorming to improve the economic and political situation in Malawi through researching, analyzing, monitoring and evaluating issues to do with civic education, health, food diversification, constitutional affairs, democratization and environmental affairs 6

7 EDUCATION MBA, Royal School of Science, Cranfield, United Kingdom BSc, Mechanical Engineering, Shrivenham, United Kingdom High National Diploma-Mechanical Engineering, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, United Kingdom Various leadership course, strategic command, risk management 7

8 Private Sector/Corporate Ambassador to Countries Ambassador to International Organizations Other Governmental Organizations Director/Owner, Bowler Beverage Company Chairman, Malawi Development Corporation Ambassador to Belgium Ambassador to the Netherlands Ambassador to Luxembourg Ambassador to Switzerland Permanent Representative/Ambassador to the United Nations Ambassador to European Union Ambassador to the European Commission Ambassador to World Trade Organization Chairman of Finance, National AIDS Commission Patron, Economic Association of Malawi Chairman, Air Malawi Ambassador to France Ambassador to the World Food Programme Chairman, Malawi Mobile Corporation High Commissioner to India Ambassador to Cuba Ambassador to UNESCO Ambassador to the International Court of Justice Member, National Think Tank 8