The open call to submit the nominees for the Global Lithuanian Awards 2013 is closed. GLL was happy to receive more than 50 names of international Lithuania-affiliated high achievers who were nominated in different categories. The list of the nominees will be announced at the beginning of November and the laureates, selected by respectful jury, will be awarded at the Presidential Palace on 3 January 2014.
Other good news to share – Global Lithuanian Awards 2013 will have a remarkable guest – Kingsley Aikins, internationally renown expert of diaspora strategies and networking from Ireland.
His international career in Irish organisations, namely as representative of the Irish Trade Board and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) of Ireland in Sydney, Australia; as Executive Director of The American Ireland Fund in Boston, USA; as Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ireland Funds (now active in eleven countries including Ireland and have raised over $300 million for projects of peace, culture, community development, and education throughout the island of Ireland) lead him to the present status of internationally renown expert of diaspora strategies and networking.
In 2009, Kingsley Aikins co-authored ‘The Global Irish Making a Difference Together’ which was a comparative review of international diaspora strategies. In 2011, having founded Diaspora Matters, Aikins produced a ‘Global Diaspora Strategies Toolkit – Harnessing the Power of Global Diasporas.’ His subsequent work ‘Philanthropy and Fundraising Toolkit’ was based on his own experience of having raised over a quarter of a billion US dollars as Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ireland Funds.
Having Kingsley Aikins as our distinguished guest means the opportunity to recognize and appreciate the potential of world-wide Lithuanian diaspora and find effective strategies to make Lithuania stronger and richer.