Many companies worry that expanding into emerging markets is a risky or dangerous move. This talk will explore both the risks and rewards of emerging markets, highlighting what happens when businesses enter challenging parts of the globe that are stuck in cycles of violence and extreme poverty. By entering emerging markets, businesses can be transformative for communities, creating stability and expanding opportunity for all involved.
Viva Ona Bartkus is Professor Emerita at the University of Notre Dame. She founded the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program, which brings the dynamism of business to rebuilding societies ravaged by conflict and poverty. Her teams have collaborated on 90 business and peace-related projects in 30 countries providing the dignity of work to over 30,000 people. She was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company and is the author of Business on the Edge: How to Turn a Profit and Improve Lives in the World’s Toughest Places (Basic Books, 2024).
Part of the Kennedy Center's winter 2025 lecture series, "Building and Brokering Peace."