Tuesday, August 10th, 2004

Two Important Visitors to the Tokyo Development Learning Center

In early August the Tokyo-based TDLC team was delighted to welcome two of the key World Bank managers to the Center.

Mr. Jeffrey Gutman, Director of Strategy and Operations, East Asia and Pacific Region and Mr. Le Vu, Director of Global Communications visited the project after attending the very successful East Asia and Pacific Association meeting that was generously hosted by the Shanghai National Accounting Institute (see our story New Development Learning Center Launched in Shanghai).

Jeff Gutman is the TDLC Project Director and the two TDLC managers, Ryu Fukui and Colin Lonergan, report to Jeff.

Le Vu designed the technical facilities at the TDLC which are recognized as the most sophisticated and impressive in the world.

Jeff and Le joined with Mr. Yukio Yoshimura, Vice President and Special Representative to Japan, to hold management meetings with the TDLC staff that aimed to ensure the TDLC was appropriately structured to meet its output targets and in particular to ensure the project honors the commitments that were made at the Shanghai meeting.

With strong support and guidance from senior Bank management the TDLC team is confident it can meet the targets that have been set and realize the high-priority initiatives identified by DLC managers throughout the region. Immediate items on the work agenda include supporting DLC managers to develop new business plans and the establishment of Marketing and Technical Committees to consolidate the outreach and infrastructural progress that has already been made.

To maintain a high level of transparency the short- and medium-term TDLC work program developed at the Shanghai meeting will be posted on the web site as drafts are completed.

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