Local entrepreneur and strategic consultant Samira Salman will address the United Nations later this week during a workshop on the benefits of collaborating and sharing experiences from the private sector as a way to solve global problems. The workshop is part of a conference being held this week at the U.N. in New York City in conjunction with the organization’s 70th anniversary celebration.
Salman, who graduated from LSU law school in 1999 and spent more than 15 years in Texas and New York before returning to her native Baton Rouge, was invited to participate in the workshop because she is a member of a U.N. committee that focuses on sustainable development. Lately, the committee has been seeking solutions to problems from the real-world experiences of business people and entrepreneurs.
“The U.N. is not just about diplomats and governments anymore,” Salman says. “They have been very interested in reaching out to business people and entrepreneurs because they see the way things work in the business world, where you have to be nimble and quick. That’s what gets things done so they are eager to learn from the experiences of companies and business people who have had successes in various areas.”
Salman, founder and CEO of the local consulting firm, Salman Solutions, is also co-founder of Global Access Partner, which helps companies identify and monetize global business opportunities. Though she has clients and connections all over the world, Salman is “more than impressed” by the growth she has seen in Baton Rouge and in Louisiana since returning here three years ago
“I really felt an obligation to bring my experiences, my connections and my knowledge back to the city so I moved back here,” she says. “There is so much opportunity here and so many fantastic companies doing great things.”
Salman’s workshop—”Helping Each Other Help the World: Sharing Proposals and Relationships for Mutual Benefit”—will be held Wednesday.
—Stephanie Riegel