RADFORD -- Radford University’s first-ever Global Capitalism Symposium, sponsored by BB&T, will be keynoted by Keith Shields, analytic development lead for Marketing Associates in Detroit, MI. Shields will be featured in a series of speaking engagements and lectures at RU’s College of Business and Economics (COBE) on Oct. 29-30.

“We are eager to welcome Keith to RU as part of this exciting opportunity to explore the dynamics of capitalism in today’s world,” said Dr. Faye Gilbert, COBE dean. “Our students and friends will be enriched by his perspective and experience.”

Shields' presentation, titled "Balancing Capitalistic Urges with Effective Consumer Risk Management in the Automotive Finance Industry," focuses on automotive risk management and is drawn from his 14 years at the Ford Motor Credit Company (FMCC), where he was director of global analytics. In that role he had global responsibility for the development and governance of all quantitative risk management solutions needed to support the origination, pricing, and servicing of FMCC's $100 billion portfolio.

The BB&T Global Capitalism Lecture Series is the first in a series of annual symposiums, hosted by BB&T and the RU COBE, to stimulate thought and discussion about capitalism, the tenets of free enterprise and the best practices of successful organizations. The BB&T Global Capitalism Lecture Series is underwritten by a grant awarded to COBE by BB&T in 2009.

Shields will be the featured speaker at the Global Capitalism Distinguished Speaker Series, sponsored by BB&T, at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium. The presentation is open to the public and is free. Shields will also be the featured speaker for Dr. Carol Bienstock’s Marketing Management graduate class on Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.

Shields is currently the senior statistician and lead analytic development consultant for Marketing Associates, a technology-enabled marketing firm and has over 17 years experience developing and applying analytics and quantitative technologies to the fields of risk management and database marketing.

Following his tenure at FMCC, Shields spent two years at the Credit Acceptance Corporation (CAC), where he was vice president of portfolio management. At CAC he was responsible for devising strategies to mitigate the credit losses associated with a $1 billion subprime auto portfolio. His efforts focused around the development of behavior models, collections strategies, and optimizing collector staffing levels and work schedules.