Women who run world trade centers in Venezuela, Colombia and the Bahamas; women who run stock exchanges in Nicaragua and Toronto; women ministers who lead government agencies in charge of small business enterprises in the United States, Argentina and France; women executives from IBM, DaimlerChrysler, Arthur Little Consulting, Nortel Networks, Roper Starch Worldwide; and women entrepreneurs, some of whom run multimillion-dollar businesses, are featured speakers at the upcoming 1999 Women's Economic Summit of the Americas, which will be hosted by Argentina from Nov.11-13th in Buenos Aires. A follow-up to the 1998 "Vital Voices" in Democracy conference in Montevideo spearheaded by U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Women's Economic Summit brings together entrepreneurial, professional and businesswomen from among the 34 countries that comprise the Americas to promote business linkages across borders. Summit participants will be joined by members of three trade missions of women entrepreneurs: one organized by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce; another by the Canadian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; and one by the Greek Ministry of Trade. U.S. Small Business Administrator Aida Alvarez, Organization of American States Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, Argentina's Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises Ana Kessler, Canada's Minister for International Trade Pierre S. Pettigrew, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Robert Mallett and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of Foreign and Commercial Service Awilda Marquez headline what promises to be an exciting, fact-filled, hands-on gathering of women business leaders from the western hemisphere. "This is an opportune time for the Summit since women will be major players in the 21st century global economy, and this conference will provide strategies and some training to equip women for this challenge," states Summit co-chair Minister Ana Kessler. To be held at the Marriott Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires, the Summit's program includes a session at Argentina's Stock Exchange (the "Bolsa") on Latin American capital markets, provides information on trade opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean region; looks at the economic "profile" of women in the Americas; brings together a roundtable of women in international trade to probe winning strategies; provides training on packaging one's business for Internet sales and e-commerce as a whole; shares "best practices" developed by successful women entrepreneurs who have "grown" their business to include exporting; and also includes a forum on addressing women's perennial challenge � balancing work and family. Summit Director Irene Natividad adds that "while the program is both substantive and practical, what this hemispheric Summit provides, above all, is the chance to meet potential business partners face-to-face, to expand one's network throughout the Americas, and to put a human face to a successful idea. Three Argentinian women business leaders who have made successful ideas happen will be honored at the close of the Summit on Saturday, November 13th at 4:30 p.m. For complete program details, speaker biographies, International Planning Committee list, sponsors list and other information, visit the Summit's web site at http://www.globewomen.com/ FEATURED SPEAKERS POLICYMAKERS U.S. Small Business Administrator Aida Alvarez Guyana Minister for Labor, Human Services & Social Security Indranie Chandarpal Philippine Former Secretary of Labor Nieves Confesor St. Lucia Minister for Health, Human Services, Family Affairs & Gender Relations Sarah-Lucy Flood-Beaubrun Argentina's Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises Ana Kessler France's Secretary of State for Small and Medium Enterprises Marylise Lebranchu U.S. Dept. of Commerce Deputy Secretary Robert Mallett U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of Foreign and Commercial Service Awilda Marquez UNDP Human Development Report Director Sakiko Fukuda-Parr Canada's Minister of Trade and Industry Pierre S. Pettigrew BUSINESS LEADERS Arthur Little Consulting Company's General Director (Argentina) Beatrice Nofal Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires Chief Executive Edgar Jelonche Business Development Bank of Canada Senior Vice President Simone Desjardins Bahamas World Trade Center Administrator Donna Smith Banco Solidario (Ecuador) Vice President Monica Hernandez de Philips DaimlerChrysler Director of Diversity and Work/Family Programs Monica Emerson Gear Holdings President and Chief Executive Officer Betty Martin Musham Shell Oil Company Executive Director of Diversity Programs Lesley Mayes IBM Executive for Women's Market Cherie Piebes Jamaica Exporters Union Executive Director Pauline Gray Latin Trade Publisher Sabrina Crow Nicaraguan Stock Exchange General Manager Carolina Solorzano de Barrios Nortel Networks Director of Government Affairs, Latin America & Caribbean Adis Vila Roper Starch Worldwide Vice President Toni Shields World Trade Center Cali (Colombia) Managing Director Pilar Lozano World Trade Center Caracas (Venezuela) General Manager Patrizia Bonaduce WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS Lilia Clemente, President, Clemente Capital (U.S.) Eleanor Jones, Managing Director, Environmental Solutions Ltd. (Jamaica) Chantale Ewald, President, Cabinet Hudicourt (Haiti) Anne Freedman, President of Speak Out, Inc. (U.S.) Caroline Lewis, Docey Lewis Designs (Peru) Mary MacLachlan, President, Private Clients Group, Global Asset Management (U.S.) Alida Perez, General Manager, Artesanias Unidas (Guatemala) Beatrice Rangel, Vice President, Strategic Development, Cisneros Group (U.S.) Marie Sharp, President, Marie Sharp Fine Foods (Belize) Grace White, President, CanJam International (Canada)