Lord Mark Malloch-Brown is one of a handful of global leaders who have both successfully assisted developing nations in growing their economies and counseled investors seeking opportunities for creating wealth in those countries and beyond. He served as Minister of State in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s cabinet, where he had particular responsibility for strengthening relationships with Africa and Asia. In addition, Malloch-Brown has served as Deputy Secretary General and Chief of Staff of the United Nations under Kofi Annan and, for six years before then, as Administrator of the UN Development Programme, where he led development efforts around the world.
Successful investing in BRIC countries requires balancing deal size, due diligence and knowledge of local environment.
He is equally well versed in global markets, economics and investing. After an earlier career in consulting, he was the Vice Chairman of Soros Fund Management until he entered the British government. Throughout his career he has had frequent interactions with finance ministers, principal economists and high-profile business leaders. Moreover, his heavy involvement in the G-20 summits, his tenure at the World Bank and his private sector experience providing financial services and investment strategies for various funds, as well as his early years as a journalist for The Economist, afford Malloch-Brown a unique and nuanced perspective on a wide array of global economic, political and social issues, including private equity and capital flows.
For this issue of FTI Journal, the editorial staff sat down with Malloch-Brown to discuss private equity in emerging markets — especially those beyond the BRIC countries — and to outline some of the opportunities and challenges facing private equity firms seeking to invest overseas.