Richard Attias
Encyclopedia
Richard Attias is a Moroccan global events producer, former chairman of PublicisLive and presently the Executive Chairman of the Experience Corporation. Attias was the producer of the World Economic Forum
in Davos for over fifteen years.
, Morocco into a Jewish family, and graduated from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse, an engineering school in France. He began his career as a sales executive at IBM
France and in 1986 became the General Manager of Econocom France and Econocom Japan, a computer leasing company.
During the 1990s, Attias founded an Event Management Company and produced various global events including the Zurich Insurances Convention and Boris Yeltsin
's visit to France. Richard was awarded the contract for the signature of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) signature agreements in Marrakesh and for the Middle East and North Africa summit meeting in Casablanca
.
A brief encounter with Klaus Schwab
, President of the World Economic Forum, resulted in a long-standing partnership and the eventual creation of the Global Event Management Company. This joint venture agency went on to manage international conferences, including the International Telecoms Union Congress and the Middle East Peace Summit in Jordan and the World Economic Forum
in Davos
.
Richard joined Publicis Groupe in 1998 and established a global enterprise producing events for various clients including IBM, l'Oreal
, Uniliver, BT, Avaya
, Lenovo, EDF, Sanofi-Aventis
, etc.
Richard was named Chairman of the Board of Publicis Dialog which combined the operations of Publicis Events and a range of marketing services. In 2004, Richard moved to New York and became chairman of Publicis Events Worldwide, the first world wide events network with over 600 employees.
At PublicisLive Richard combined the events company and team to form PublicisLive that specialized in the conception and production of international conferences and very high profile events such as the Clinton Global Initiative Forum, the Islamic Conference, The Petra Conference of Nobel Laureates, the Dalian Economic Summit in China, and the Monaco Media Forum.
In 2008, Richard was named special advisor to the Emirate of Dubai to provide a comprehensive strategy to make the city a destination for major conferences, and cultural and sporting events
Richard Attias is the Chairman the Advisory Board of the Center on Capitalism and Society http://capitalism.columbia.edu/, directed by Nobel Prize winner Edmund Phelps.
On June 22–23, The Experience Corp launched and produced The New York Forum, the first summit to unite business leaders, sovereign funds and all major players in the global economy for an open, action oriented debate to foster ideas for improvement and reinvent current business models. The New York Forum took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York on June 22–23 and had five hundred attendants.
Richard also currently serves as Vice President for the Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women, a strategic platform for non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting women’s well being and equality worldwide. Richard is dedicated to promoting transparency for donors to ensure that donated funds serve their intended purpose.
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos for over fifteen years.
Background
Attias was born on November 19, 1959 in FesFes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, Morocco into a Jewish family, and graduated from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse, an engineering school in France. He began his career as a sales executive at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
France and in 1986 became the General Manager of Econocom France and Econocom Japan, a computer leasing company.
During the 1990s, Attias founded an Event Management Company and produced various global events including the Zurich Insurances Convention and Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
's visit to France. Richard was awarded the contract for the signature of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...
(GATT) signature agreements in Marrakesh and for the Middle East and North Africa summit meeting in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
.
A brief encounter with Klaus Schwab
Klaus Schwab
Klaus Martin Schwab is a German economist, best known as the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. His wife and former secretary, Hilde, co-founded the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship with him...
, President of the World Economic Forum, resulted in a long-standing partnership and the eventual creation of the Global Event Management Company. This joint venture agency went on to manage international conferences, including the International Telecoms Union Congress and the Middle East Peace Summit in Jordan and the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
.
Richard joined Publicis Groupe in 1998 and established a global enterprise producing events for various clients including IBM, l'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
, Uniliver, BT, Avaya
Avaya
Avaya Inc. is a privately held computer networking, information technology and telecommunications company that is a global provider of business communications systems. The international head quarters is in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States...
, Lenovo, EDF, Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi S.A. is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, the world's fourth-largest by prescription sales. Sanofi engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products for sale principally in the prescription market, but the...
, etc.
Richard was named Chairman of the Board of Publicis Dialog which combined the operations of Publicis Events and a range of marketing services. In 2004, Richard moved to New York and became chairman of Publicis Events Worldwide, the first world wide events network with over 600 employees.
At PublicisLive Richard combined the events company and team to form PublicisLive that specialized in the conception and production of international conferences and very high profile events such as the Clinton Global Initiative Forum, the Islamic Conference, The Petra Conference of Nobel Laureates, the Dalian Economic Summit in China, and the Monaco Media Forum.
In 2008, Richard was named special advisor to the Emirate of Dubai to provide a comprehensive strategy to make the city a destination for major conferences, and cultural and sporting events
Richard Attias is the Chairman the Advisory Board of the Center on Capitalism and Society http://capitalism.columbia.edu/, directed by Nobel Prize winner Edmund Phelps.
Current work
In 2008 Richard created the Experience Corporation – a U.S. based full service event management and strategic consulting company with offices in New York, Paris, Jeddah and Dubai, that supports government and non-governmental organizations worldwide. As Executive Chairman, Richard oversees the execution and management of global events. Two major recent productions have been the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the accession to the throne of the King of Jordan and the launching of the Bahrain Education Project in Manama on October 10, 2009. The Experience Corporation has also executed more than a dozen corporate and governmental events since its inception in March, 2008.On June 22–23, The Experience Corp launched and produced The New York Forum, the first summit to unite business leaders, sovereign funds and all major players in the global economy for an open, action oriented debate to foster ideas for improvement and reinvent current business models. The New York Forum took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York on June 22–23 and had five hundred attendants.
Personal
In 2008 Attias married former First Lady of France, Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz. They currently reside together in Manhattan, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut.Richard also currently serves as Vice President for the Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women, a strategic platform for non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting women’s well being and equality worldwide. Richard is dedicated to promoting transparency for donors to ensure that donated funds serve their intended purpose.
External links
- http://www.theexperiencecorp.com
- http://ny-forum.com
- http://www.ceciliaattiasfoundation.org
- http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1672040,00.html
- http://www.ameinfo.com/155655.html