Dear all,
Good morning.
I am pleased to announce an open lecture about Cambodia by Mr. Keo Rottanak. Please find the details below.
Mr. Rottanak originally comes from Pursat Province. And he has been closedly involved in the development of this province in the past years. OFW teams are highly recommended to join the seminar.
Date & Time: Tuesday, June 13, 2017, 16:30-18:00
Venue: Auditorium, GSID
About the seminar:
Cambodia’s is growing at a rapid pace. This development is partly powered by a more robust power sector that lubricates the modern economic structures. Poverty reduction, social mobility, political freedom and various types of opportunities are on the rise. Mr. Keo Rottanak is a public-sector player at the heart of some of these changes. He has successfully enabled the transformation of the power sector and has run for elected office. He has brought about change that most can only talk about. How does he manage that? What are some of the practical lessons that can be learned from technical, institutional, social and political perspectives? What does the recent election mean for his sector and Cambodia as a whole? Is Cambodia at a crossroad?
Brief Biography of Mr. Keo Rottanak
Born into a teacher’s family in Pursat province of Cambodia, Mr. Keo Rottanak is currently the Managing Director of the country’s biggest electric company known as the Electricite du Cambodge or EDC. He plays a vital role in helping transform a power sector that used to suffer from a chronic short supply and high cost into a currently robust sector that is powering the fast social, economic and political transformation of Cambodia. A normal rolling blackout across the nation upto late 2009 is no longer the case. Electricity cost now ranges from US$0.11 to US$0.19 per kilowatt hours compared to more than US$1 in early 2000. EDC that was making financial losses to the one that is making huge contribution to the power sector growth in particularly in the fast expansion of rural electrification in Cambodia. With new financial success, EDC is creating a special fund that helps provide thousands of scholarships to many young Cambodians especially women who would otherwise not be able to attend colleges in the Capital.
Always wishing to be a champion for the poor, Mr. Rottanak works in Kroko district in Pursat where his steadfast commitment to local people’s rights to land & natural resources use, equal educational opportunities for the poor, and responsive local governance earned him a landslide electoral win in the 2013 general election thus giving him a parliamentary seat for Pursat province constituency. Already a household name, he continues to serve this community he dearly loves. He expects to do well again in this upcoming June 4th 2017 local election.
His success to date is partly due to a perfect Cambodian-USA-Japanese blend of professional trainings at Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar, the International University of Japan as a Monbusho scholar, and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. His non-degree courses span from Harvard University, the University of Canberra, and Lee Kwan Yew of School of Public Policy. His hobbies range from books, social work to music and movies.
See you all there!
With best regards,
Jing Liu