CEO Werner Peyer and Marie-Hélène Parisi congratulate the graduates
Compagnie Monégasque de Banque has celebrated the first graduation from its “Academy Women & Finance” where all twenty participants were awarded a diploma.
In 2016, Marie-Hélène Parisi founded the CMB Academy, an educational programme aimed at empowering female clients to assume responsibility for the management of family wealth.
The training programme makes CMB a pioneer in this field, the bank said. “It is the first Private Bank to offer such a structured academic programme to its clients,” Werner Peyer, CEO of the bank, said.
The nine modules completed by the participants in the one-year course have enabled them to take on a leading role in managing family wealth. The topics included financial markets, asset allocation, credits, and behavioural finance, which were covered in 27 hours of lessons.
“Our students are highly motivated,” said Ms Parisi. “Their desire to learn and their ability to understand complex mechanisms have made this first session a real success.”
The Quatuor Jaëlle, a female string quartet provided the musical background on the occasion, playing pieces of Mozart and Ravel. CMB supports the Quatuor Jaëlle and is also official partner of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte-Carlo.
CMB will continue to further investigate educational needs and will start its second session of the CMB Academy Women & Finance series next month.
The World Economic Forum has confirmed that Monaco is the most expensive city in the world for real estate prices.
One million dollars will buy 17 square metres in the Principality, far ahead in terms of cost of other Top 10 most expensive cities such as New York, London, Geneva and Hong Kong.
In Sydney, the “cheapest” city in the ranking, one million dollars buys an apartment of 59 square metres.
Several factors explain Monaco’s popularity, including its tax-friendly policies, the quality of life – counting not only fine restaurants and world-class entertainment, but also education and a high level of personal security, with one police officer for every 70 people.
The Blue Economy will take centre stage during an international conference in Monaco, to run from March 30 until April 4.
The first “Monaco Ocean Week” will be an interdisciplinary event bringing together major international organisations with local partners, in order to contribute to the conservation of the marine world.
“It is the pledge of the Prince to defend the cause of the oceans with all the forces involved,” Vice-President and CEO of the Foundation Prince Albert II, Bernard Fautrier, said at the Yacht Club on Tuesday, March 21.
Monaco’s princes have always worked for the marine world, Mr Fautrier added. He cited Prince Albert I, a “visionary” who was the first of Monaco’s sovereigns to understand the importance of the sea and call for its protection.
Mr Fautrier said that concerted action to save our oceans is urgent and now is a key moment to take the initiative. Monaco will once again set the agenda by organising this seminal conference on one of the greatest issues of our time, protecting our oceans in order to protect our planet.
The Week will take place at several venues, including the Monaco Yacht Club, the Oceanographic Museum, the Residence of the Minister of State, and the headquarters of the International Hydrographic Organisation.
A delegation from the Tourism and Congress Department, accompanied by several partners from the Monegasque tourism industry, has completed a productive promotional tour of California.
The United States remained in fourth place in 2016 in terms of countries of origin of tourists staying in Monaco. Business tourism was particularly important with Monaco excelling at attracting conferences and conventions.
The Monegasque delegation was led by Guillaume Rose, Director of the DTC, with Anne Marie Pinsault of the Hotel Metropole Monte Carlo and Miek Engelberts of the boutique Destination Management Company InspireME, partners of the DTC.
Several events were organised around “Cinema”, a theme that has particularly resonance in the Golden State, and showcased movies filmed in Monaco.
The writer and historian Marc Braude was present at each of the events in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to present his book “Making Monte-Carlo”, dedicated its successful history.
The DTC also targeted the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle in order to arouse the curiosity of journalists for Destination Monaco.
Finally, in San Francisco, the world capital of social networks, a meeting was held with LinkedIn to discuss how best to produce editorial content appreciated by professionals worldwide.
The Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony took place Friday night. Our Q&A with Monaco’s Brazilian community continues with Luciana de Montigny, President and Founder of the Brasil Monaco Project
Luciana de Montigny President and Founder Brasil Monaco Project
ML: You are a Brazilian living in Monaco. Tell us about why and when you moved to Monaco?
LM: I moved to Monaco in the year 2000 with my husband. For Brazilians, Monaco is not that well known, but we discovered that its many facets make it one of the most attractive and fascinating places in the world. It has security, a pleasant climate (300 days of sunshine per year), quality of life, culture and education, it’s close to the airport and near fantastic places in France and Italy. Monaco offers great cultural events year-round and there is always something interesting to do. Monaco is a small country but has everything.
ML: Brazilian food is certainly well known but what is something about Brazil people may not be familiar with?
LM: The image most people have of Brazil is “samba, football, pretty woman, beaches and natural beauty”. Many see Brazil as a “party” place. But the real aspects of Brazil include creativity, scientific research, cultural diversity, mining, agriculture, investment potential, etc.
The Government of Monaco has expressed a great desire to develop a more active exchange between the two countries, on the one hand to try to get to know the real Brazil, and on the other, to send the message that Monaco is totally accessible to Brazilians.
I miss the warmth and happiness of its people. Brazilians have “happy hearts”.
ML: Tell us about the Brasil Monaco Project you founded in 2012.
LM: The Brasil Monaco Project ( BMP), a non-profit organization, is a platform for exchange between Brazil and Monaco in the fields of culture, health, science, research, environment, commerce, economy and sport. Its objective is to bring Brazil and Monaco closer together by creating a bridge between two very different countries, but which nevertheless share common values.
It supports events in Brazil, Monaco and other countries around the world. It also organizes a charity Gala every two years and we decide, with HSH Prince Albert II, which project we will support.
The first Gala provided financial assistance to the Brazilian organization “Criança Esperança”, which aims to transform the future of vulnerable children, while the second gala paid tribute to Ayrton Senna and the great work done by the Institute that bears his name, created and directed by his sister Viviane, dedicated to the education of children.
ML: The association is under the Honorary Presidency of Prince Albert II. How is the Prince supportive of the Brazilian community in Monaco?
LM: For our third Gala in São Paulo, in March 2015, it seemed essential to us, after bringing Brazilians to Monaco, to invite the head of Monaco to Brazil: Prince Albert. He is much loved there. He accepted and, as a mark of his support, he made a special trip to Brazil just for the event. The event was also an opportunity to highlight one of the issues of fundamental importance to the Prince: the preservation of the environment.
ML: Apart from the Brasil Monaco Project, what are some of the other activities you are apart of?
LM: I’m very involved in activities related to health, culture, humanitarian actions, and the environment, in both Brazil and in Monaco. For example, I supported and participated in the 2nd International Congress on Cancer Control in Women, organized in Porto Alegre, Brazil, by Professor Paulo Naud, and with the participation of Professor Franco Borruto – who was Professor of Obstetrics at the Princess Grace Hospital and is now a consultant in the field of healthcare policy for the Monaco government’s department of Social Affairs and Health – and with the support of Mr Stéphane Valeri, the Minister for Health and Social Affairs of Monaco.
This was an opportunity for our two countries to work together in the area of health, and the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil is using Monaco as its model in its fight against cervical cancer. The third congress will take place this year on October 27 and 28, and I will chair a forum the first day to raise awareness among women in Brazil about the prevention of cervical cancer.
ML: Brazil has received a lot of negative press regarding preparations for the Olympic Games – water is reportedly contaminated, there are concerns over lack of security and that there’s no four or five star accommodation, medical supplies are low. Do you think the event, which starts tonight, will improve or damage the country’s image?
LM: A very difficult question! Yes there has been some negative press. A big part of this problem is due to the current political context in Brazil. The country is facing a period marked by uncertainty and a lack of focus.
But Brazilians have a wonderful capacity to get things done. Brazil is like that, everything happens at the last moment, so now we need to look forward and believe that everything will be fantastic. I’m sure that every single person will do his or her best and that we will have wonderful Olympic Games.
A 37-year-old Muslim woman has appeared in court in Monaco after telling a police captain that the Principality belongs to Allah.
“Monaco belongs to Allah, you are going to pay dearly, Islam will take care of that,” the court was told.
The defendant was being questioned after an alleged tirade against a Post Office employee, in which she is said to have used insulting language.
In her own evidence in front of the Criminal Court, the accused did not deny the statement she made last October: “These are my convictions, they are not threats. It’s a fact,” she said. The prosecutor has asked for a jail sentence of 15 days, suspended. The court will announce its decision on Tuesday, March 28.
