Foremost British Economist and honourary Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester, Terence James “Jim” O’Neill, who is best known for coining BRIC and MINT in order to differentiate among the variety of emerging economies, has been confirmed as lead speaker at the unveiling of Airtel Premier, an exclusive event for distinguished personalities. BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China while MINT means Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey.

O’Neill, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, will speak on the theme, ‘Nigeria: How the ‘N’ in MINT is going global’.

The exclusive event, which will also feature the unveiling of the prestigious Airtel Premier Club as well as good music and comedy, is scheduled for Sunday, March 23rd, 2014 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos at 6.00pm.

Speaking about the event, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, stated that the company is committed to creating opportunities that will offer platforms for reasoned discourse and set the tone for the continuous growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

“At Airtel Nigeria, customer-centricity is embedded in our DNA, forming a harmonious blend with our corporate vision of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians. We are passionate about promoting constructive dialogue and also partnering with our esteemed stakeholders to realise their dreams and aspirations,” he explained.

“Having one of the world’s most respected Economists speak to our High Valued Customers, friends and associates clearly underscores the very essence of our prestigious Airtel Premier Club, a V-VIP programme specifically created to offer exceptional and personalised service to High Net worth Customers and distinguished personalities, ” Ogunsanya added.

Born March 17, 1957, O’Neill earned his Ph.D in 1982 from the University of Surrey with a thesis titled ‘An empirical investigation into the OPEC surplus and its disposal’ under the supervision of David Hawdon.

O’Neill began his career in finance working at Bank of America in 1982. From 1988 to 1991, he was in charge of the fixed income research group at Swiss Bank Corporation, and he served as SBC’s chief of global research. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1997 and was appointed as the head of global economics research in 2001, which is also when he published the seminal BRIC paper. The Bank has never named any candidate to replace him as Chief Economist.

In 2010, O’Neill was named Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. His appointment was regarded as a symbol of Goldman’s “efforts to reposition itself for Wall Street’s post-crisis era” one in which Goldman Sachs is “bullish” about the fact that emerging markets are “the future.” In 2011, he was included in the 50 Most Influential ranking of Bloomberg Markets magazine.

O’Neill is a Visiting Research Fellow at Bruegel, the international economic think tank and on the economic advisory board to the IFC, the investing arm of the World Bank.

He is also a committed supporter of Manchester United.

•Photo shows foremost economist Terence James “Jim” O’Neill of MINT and BRICS fame.

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