Speakers

Irvin A. Halman obtained a BS in Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA, an MBA at the University of Rochester, USA, and participated in the Kellogg School of Management Advanced Management Program at Northwestern University, Chicago IL. He began his career in the Photographic Technology Division at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, NY, followed by product development and marketing at the Motion Picture & Audiovisual Markets Division, and later served in management positions in Industria Nacional de Artefactos, S.A., Leasing Panama, Kodak Panama, Kodak Export, Ltd. and Latin America Business Manager for the Clinical Diagnostics Division of Eastman Kodak Co. and Johnson & Johnson. Managing Director at DIASA and Commercial Director at ELGA.

Currently, as General Administrator of AIG, he serves in the Board of the National Council for Government Innovation as Secretary; President of the Advisory Board for Universal Service and Access; member of the Competitiveness Council of the Government of Panama; Vice President of the Board of Directors of the public interest association for Infoplazas and participates in the Board of Trustees of the National Competitiveness Center public-private sector partnership.

President  Red de Gobierno Electrónico de América Latina y el Caribe –RedGealc- (2018),  Former President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (2012-13) and former President of the Institute of Corporate Governance – Panama (2009-12), Director of Empresas Aliadas, S.A. Also served as President of the Board of the Consejo del Sector Privado para la Asistencia Educacional (CoSPAE) during the period 2001-03 and is currently a member of its Board of Trustees. Former member of the Board of the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT) and participated in the Board of Trustees of the Centro Nacional de Competitividad representing the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama.

Chaired Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama committees of Agenda Pais 2014-19, municipal and tax-related issues, Education, Fiscal Equipment and the Consumer and Competition Affairs, as well as participated in laws such as leasing, e-commerce, consumer protection, property tax, educational reform and decentralization of the education system.

Member of the Institute of Corporate Governance Panama, Panama ConSoc IDB Committee, Chess Committee for Social Action of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Think Tank of the University of Panama and the Fundación Panameña de Ética y Civismo. He actively participated in other non-profit organizations such as Rotary Club Panama Sur, Rotary Foundation of Panama, founder and Director of the Global Compact Network. Board member of Fundación Unidos por la Educación.

Participated in the Dialogue for the Integral Transformation of the Educational System of Panama (2002) on the education task force of the Concertación Nacional para el Desarrollo (2007) and the Fundación para el Desarrollo Social de Panama (FUDESPA) in 2008-09. He was a member of the working group on Decentralization and School Autonomy of PREAL. As coordinator of the Executives for Educational Excellence program of CoSPAE, he was invited to participate as an advisor to the Quality Schools Commission of the Ministry of Education.