Business and Financial Literacy for Policy Professionals

*The session is abbreviated and will be condensed because, as COVID rules stand now, no food or drink can be consumed in the room.

In talking to professionals around the globe who are interested in hiring our students, one theme has been that employers love the breadth and diversity of approach that our Global Affairs students bring to the table, but they also want employees who have some facility or familiarity with business and finance issues that touch many facets of the experience of a global affairs professional.

A sub-category of economics, finance focuses on the acquisition of funding for any enterprise, the management of capital, and the and the system in which it lives. The study of finance draws from both micro and macro-economics, and at times is a complex and sometimes invisible force impacting many different challenges in global affairs, that may not be considered financial in nature.

Professionals working on social and economic development in Africa, climate change in Brazil, public health in South Asia, human trafficking as well as the contours of military conflict and terrorism may see some common throughlines and the influence of applied finance, even when situated far from any centres of formal or conventional financial activities. A very basic understanding of the core concepts of finance can dramatically augment one’s understanding and impact.

Towards that end, this year we will offer a one-day workshop, titled "Business and Financial Literacy for Policy Professionals." The six-hour program, scheduled for Saturday January 22th, 2020, from 8:30am – 2:30pm will be taught by Abel Halpern, a private equity entrepreneur and Chairman of the Jackson Institute Board of Advisors. This is a crash course of “what really matters” for the individual with no finance background.

Abel designed the "Business and Financial Literacy for Policy Professionals" specifically for Yale Jackson students. The program aims to create a perimeter of relevance to the challenges of today and immediately focuses on key concepts, translates jargon, and specifically encourages participation and questions that connect to real life challenges. Some areas will be in the materials for reference but not covered in detail. Students with finance backgrounds or in a joint program with SOM are welcome, but they will be expected to help facilitate discussion, as this is an intense session aimed towards the professional who does not come from finance and is likely not planning a career dedicated to finance going forward. There will be no grades and no questions are too basic. Students will receive a certificate of completion following the session.

This will be the seventh seminar Abel has taught here in Horchow Hall, over the past nine years, only for students of the Jackson Institute and some select guests. Abel will squeeze a lot of content into the session, with frequent breaks and time at the end to talk about anything. Printed materials will be distributed in class and a soft copy will follow. Many attendees hold on to this user-friendly pack, with charts and conceptual illustrations, as a reference in later years of their professional lives. Breakfast and lunch will be served and there will be ample snacks and beverages in-between.

Abel is a graduate of Yale College ('88) and Harvard Business School. He is Founder and CEO of KETERM Ltd. Previously he was a long serving Senior Partner at TPG Capital, in their global private equity business, a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, and was a labour organizer. Abel is based in London. Through his company KETERM he is currently focused on China and early-stage technology investing in Israel. Previously, he has been active in many geographies including Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, South-East Asia, Japan and Europe. Through his career he has also worked in a wide variety of sectors, including consumer facing enterprises, minerals and mining, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health care and technology. Abel serves as Chairman of the Jackson Institute’s Board of Advisors and is also on the Advisory Board of the School of Music. Abel is a Yale parent, with one daughter who graduated in the Yale College Class of 2021, and two currently enrolled in the Classes of 2023 and 2025.