Mark has served as UN Deputy Secretary General to Kofi Annan, Vice Chairman of the Soros investment funds and Vice President of the World Bank. He was also a Foreign Office Minister, with responsibility for Africa and Asia. In presentations Mark examines the tensions created by economic progress, and political risk across the Middle East and the South China Seas. Meanwhile, as a visible symbol of growth, he notes many Africans now have a mobile phone in each hand.
View / Submit“Pitched perfectly, the content was fascinating and the room was packed.”
Slaughter and May
Mark Malloch-Brown served as United Nations’ Deputy Secretary General, Vice Chairman of the Soros investment funds and the World Economic Forum. He was also the Prime Minister’s envoy for the London G20 Summit, and Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Africa and Asia - with a seat in the Cabinet. He has a remarkable breadth of leadership experience and insight across international politics, investment and development.
Originally a journalist at The Economist, Mark switched to a field role with the UNHCR before joining a political communications consultancy – working closely with democratic opposition leaders in Chile and the Philippines. He helped both to overthrow dictatorships. Then, after five years as World Bank Vice President for External Affairs, Mark returned to the United Nations to head the Development Programme, with offices and programmes in more than 150 countries. He ultimately became Chief of Staff and then Deputy to Kofi Annan. For several years he ran the full gamut of UN activities around the world from politics to peacekeeping and diplomacy. This made him the Chief Operating Officer of a several hundred thousand person organisation.
In his presentations Mark explores the opportunities and challenges for private sector interests in both emerging and ‘frontier’ markets. He examines the link between business and development, the tensions that can be created by economic progress, and political uncertainty from the Middle East to the South China Seas. His messages resonate across all industry sectors, from agriculture and energy to technology and retail.
Since leaving the UN, Mark has served on the boards of George Soros’ investment funds and the little known but hugely influential Open Society Foundation. He now chairs the Royal Africa Society and sits on the board of the International Crisis Group, the Center for Global Development and a number of other foundations, funds and NGOs. He is also a regular contributor to the Financial Times A List.