PHILADELPHIA, September 4, 2019 — Mohamed A. El-Erian has been named a Senior Global Fellow at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies and part-time professor of practice at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The appointment, effective July 1, 2019, was announced by Martine Haas, Anthony L. Davis Director of the Lauder Institute and professor of management. El-Erian has joined the University community thanks to the generous support of Rene M. Kern, G’90, WG’90.
As part of the Senior Global Fellows Program at the Lauder Institute, El-Erian will leverage his distinguished experience in global affairs, policy, and business to contribute to the curriculum and serve as a mentor to the student community.
“We are simply delighted to have Professor El-Erian at the Lauder Institute as an esteemed member of our faculty,” said Haas. “His reputation precedes him as a thought leader of global renown. His impressive teaching, research, and global profile will advance Lauder’s work to develop citizens into decision makers who change the world.”
“Leadership is at the heart of Lauder and Wharton. And at its core, leadership is experiential. Mohamed’s extraordinary career exemplifies both leadership and excellence in the era of globalization,” explained Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of the Wharton School. “He is a real trailblazer whose incredible insight and experience will inspire our students to think and act globally.”
A widely followed leader in economics and finance, El-Erian is chief economic adviser at Allianz, senior advisor at Gramercy, and the incoming president of Queens’ College at the University of Cambridge effective fall 2020. El-Erian’s previous appointments include chairman of President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council, CEO of the Harvard Management Company, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund, and CEO/co-CIO of PIMCO.
In addition to being a contributing editor at the Financial Times, columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, and author of two New York Times best sellers, El-Erian was named four years in a row to Foreign Policy’s list of “Top 100 Global Thinkers.” He is credited with identifying and coining the concept of the “New Normal” in 2009 to describe the likely sluggish economic performance of advanced economies after the 2008 global financial crisis, and for pointing out in 2016 the limitations to protracted and sole reliance on central bank policies.
El-Erian earned his MPhil in economics from the University of Oxford in 1982 as well as his PhD in 1985, and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Cambridge in 1980.
“The opportunity to support bringing Professor El-Erian to the Lauder Institute is a true privilege,” said Mr. Kern. “He is a celebrated global leader whose knowledge and insight will be eye-opening for our students, enriching their learning experience and the international skillset they carry with them out in the world. We’re delighted to welcome Professor El-Erian to the Lauder community.”
A dedicated leader in the Lauder Institute, Mr. Kern serves as Vice Chairman of the Lauder Board of Governors and as a member of the Lauder Advisory Council, and is a proud Lauder alumnus and Penn parent. In addition to his support of this professorship, he established the Kern Family Fellowship, an endowed fund to provide financial support to Lauder Institute students. Mr. Kern is an Advisory Director of General Atlantic, a leading global investment firm, where he has served for 22 years – establishing the firm’s business in Europe, opening its London office, leading the firm’s Financial Services sector, and serving as head of its Resources Group. Prior to General Atlantic, Mr. Kern worked in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley and as a management consultant at Bain & Company.
About The Lauder Institute
Founded in 1983 by Leonard and Ronald Lauder in honor of their father, the Lauder Institute provides a fully integrated business education to a new generation of leaders coming of age in a rapidly globalizing world. The program combines an MA in International Studies from the School of Arts and Sciences with an MBA from the Wharton School or a JD from Penn Law, preparing each class of 70 students to become successful, culturally fluent global business leaders.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 18,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 99,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
About the School of Arts and Sciences
The School of Arts and Sciences has established Penn as one of the world’s leading research universities. The largest of Penn’s academic divisions, the School is home to 27 departments that represent a full range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
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