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Leading sport entrepreneurship academic Professor George Foster of Stanford University, USA will next week address the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) annual conference.

Professor Foster, a world leader in the study of sport entrepreneurship, business and economic challenges in the sport marketplace, will present the a keynote address on day one of the conference

According to Professor Foster "an industry with such current high levels of entrepreneurship and innovation requires a much broader skill base and a much more open attitude to recruitment and talent development than has existed in the past. It also has great implications for education programs for executives in the industry and for new graduates."

Australian-born Professor Foster was the lead academic in the development of the World Economic Forum's report on 'Global Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies for Early-Stage Companies', delivering the report at the World Economic Forum at Davos in April this year.

Being held from 28th to 30th November at the Graduate School of Business, University of Technology Sydney, the 18th SMAANZ conference will debate key issues in Australian and New Zealand sport, with leading figures from the sport industry and renowned public commentators engaged in robust discussion.

Federal Minister for Sport Kate Lundy, will open the conference with other speakers including:

• Tom Harley, General Manager AFL NSW/ACT;
• Glenn Tasker, Chief Executive, Tennis NSW;
• Kate Palmer, Chief Executive, Netball Australia;
• AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn; and
• FIFPro representative Brendan Schwab.

Days two and three feature a dedicated academic program, with research presentations, collaborative panel sessions or workshops.

Professor Foster's Global Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies for Early-Stage Companies report is the largest ever study of global entrepreneurial companies across all continents.

It was initiated to provide a better understanding of the genesis of early-stage entrepreneurial companies, to compare their growth paths across different geographies, and to further explore the impact of these companies on employment and innovation.

The report includes case studies of 70 individual companies including Australian global successes Atlassian and Resmed.

For more information contact Dr Nico Schulenkorf on 02 9514 5368, E: smaanz2012@gmail.com, www.smaanz.org

18th May 2012 - UTS HOSTS SMAANZ 2012 CONFERENCE

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