Francesca B Close
Chief Executive Officer

Bio continued ...

Previously Ms. Close owned a consulting company which worked with international clients in the areas of strategic planning and credit operations. She is also the founder and CEO of the Alliance of Business Women International (ABWI). Her long-term corporate background includes management positions on the president's staff of two Fortune 500 companies in the areas of marketing and business development. Presently she works with elected officials, local governments, and grassroots participants to create economic development programs and equitable educational initiatives to help strengthen small business and medium sized business sectors and to help create a strong workforce throughout many global communities.

Ms. Close's presence and work on programs within her home state to address welfare to work, day care initiatives and international trade issues led her to be named Outstanding New Mexico Woman by the Governor's office and the Commission on the Status of Women. In New Mexico she drafted a "second level mentoring" bill and worked with her congressional representative to pass it in the state legislature. Within the United States she has received recognition from The White House, SBA, Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture and state and local government. In Washington D.C. she served as moderator at the e-Commerce Summit and addressed the necessity for the public non-tech market, high tech companies and government agencies to work together to create more basic user-friendly technology driven programs. This year she received a U.S. Speaker & Specialist Award from the United States Department of State to deliver the message of "Advancing Women in Business" in partnership with the DOC Commercial Services and Public Affairs sections of our foreign embassies in 2004. She will leave for her first engagement in Russia in March.

Principal of a woman owned company and the founder of ABWI, Ms. Close has represented the United States as a delegate and speaker where she interfaces with the international community, many United Nations organizations, USAid, the World Bank and the Women's World Bank in addressing programs that reflect the changing needs of the global economy. Her continued interest and strong commitment to global rural development led to an honorary speaker's role at the China Green Food International Summit in Beijing, PRC; and she will continue to work in the initiative as vice chairman of the China Green Food International Advisory Council.

In the office of co-chairman of the China International Foundation for Entrepreneurship (CIFE), Ms. Close will interface with agricultural areas and small business (SMEs) in programs to grow these important sectors. She has also been invited to serve as International Advisor for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) of Liaoning Province. Continuing to honor her commitment to narrow the digital divide and supply affordable/basic technology for the masses, Wuhan University, one of the China's leading colleges, has named her Senior Advisor, Technology, Research and Development. She attended Honolulu Business College and Northern Illinois University.