International
Symposium
Measuring and
Reporting Intellectual Capital:
Experience, Issues, and Prospects
9-11 June 1999, Amsterdam
Speech by Reinhold
Enqvist,
Managing Director, Nordic Industrial Fund, Norway
Minister Jorritsma-Lebbink,
Minister Hermans, Mr. Moe, Mr. Chair, Ladies and Gentleman.
- I am delighted to welcome you to Amsterdam and to deliver the
opening address to the Policy and Strategy Forum.
- On behalf of the organisers, let me say that we are highly honored
by the presence of the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Mrs. Jorritsma-Lebbink and the
Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Drs. Hermans. I would like to express my
particular thanks to them for finding the time in their busy schedules to be with us this
afternoon and I look forward with pleasure to hearing their statements.
- I would also like to thank the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs
and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science for so generously hosting this
event. This gives further concrete evidence of the importance that the Dutch government
attaches to the implications of intellectual capital. Without their support it would not
have been possible for so many of us to be here today.
- Thorvald Moe, OECD’s Deputy Secretary-General, has kindly
accepted to be present and will be saying a few words on intellectual capital as a key to
innovation. OECD has played a major and decisive role in developing policies and research
concerning innovation over the last decade or so. I would also like to thank the OECD for
their invaluable expertise in elaborating the programme of discussions and for playing a
key role in the conference preparations.
- From the perspective of Nordic Industrial Fund, intellectual
capital is a pillar in understanding and building the knowledge society – and the
strategies for its development.
- For the Nordic Industrial Fund, being the arm of the 5 Nordic
countries cooperation on Industrial Policy, it is essential and in our strongest interest
to ensure that focused and strong policies in this area are being developed.
- It is in the qualities of these policies and in the mutual efforts
between policymakers and enterprises that economic growth and social progress of the
future will be ensured.
- In terms of Intellectual Capital, this demands furthering the
research, which has been discussed in the technical meeting in the last two days. Moreover
it demands a further international cooperation. The Nordic Industrial Fund will be
continuing our commitment to both these subjects. It is a pleasure for me to announce that
the Fund after the Symposium will be launching a new project aiming at a Nordic Guideline
for voluntary reporting intellectual capital. A Task Force consisting of the 5 Nordic
government has been formed and we will form a round table with the business community. In
this sense the Symposium is not only a major event for the further development of
information on Intellectual Capital it is also the origin for the Nordic Project.
- As the programme we are about to start shows, the technical
meeting this morning and yesterday and our preparation already has shown –
Intellectual Capital is an area which is in its early phase. It is a challenge to all of
us to work with it and to make it a success – but it is an exiting challenge.
On behalf the organisers I welcome you all to take part in that challenge.
- Last but not least, it is my pleasure to welcome Stuart Hornery
who has accepted to chair this Symposium. Mr. Hornery has travelled from Australia to be
with us on this event.
- Stuart Hornery is chairman of Lend Lease Corporation, Ltd, an
Australia-based multinational that specialises in financial services and real estate
development. Mr. Hornery started at the Lend Lease Group in 1964 as site engineer, and has
worked his way up since then. He was appointed managing director in 1978, and in 1988 was
appointed Executive chairman. He became non-Executive chairman of Lend Lease in 1994. If
you read the report by the Australian research team that participated in the Technical
meeting, you will discover that Lend Lease has grown steadily, and is now one of the
largest companies in Australia -- a major accomplishment in a country of mining giants.
- Stuart also has been a member of the board of the Australian
National Training Authority since its inception in 1992; he has chaired the board since
December 1995.
- On behalf of the organisers, I would like to thank you for joining
us Mr. Chairman.