On October 11, 2013, ISET was pleased to host Swiss Ambassador to Georgia H.E. Günther Bächler. In introducing his presentation the ambassador outlined his interesting career track, which started with a BA in Art and History of Art and then moved to conflict studies and diplomacy.

To what extent do prices formed in natural trading modes aggregate dispersed information? This was the leading question of the presentation Professor Asher Wolinsky held at ISET on September 9, 2013. The presentation was based on the joint work of Stephan Lauermann and Asher Wolinsky.

The main goal of this project was to develop a neutral platform for regular discussion of Georgian government policies, donor-financed programs to promote inclusive growth A total of seven debates and thee project presentations were hosted at ISET as part of this project on topics ranging from farmer cooperation to family farming, to tourism, to vocational training systems, to SME development, to access to energy.

On 19 June ISET hosted Jacques Fleury, formerly the CEO of GGMW and currently the CEO of GWS and Director of JSC Château Mukhrani. The format of the meeting was very different from the typical seminars conducted at ISET. Mr. Fleury provided insights into doing business in Georgia since 1997 when he was asked to become the CEO and increase the value of one of Georgia’s most famous intangible assets – the popularity of the mineral water from the springs of the Borjomi valley.

On May 1, 2013, Professor Eberhard Feess of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, held a seminar at ISET on Competition Policy. The presentation covered theoretical and applied aspects of competition policy and its relevance to Georgia.