Ian Goldin

Ian Goldin a Professorial Fellow at the University’s Balliol College. From 2006 to 2016 he was the founding Director of the Oxford Martin School and currently leads the Oxford Martin Research Programmes on Technological and Economic Change, the Future of Work and the Future of Development.

During his decade as Director of the School, Professor Goldin established 45 programmes of research, bringing together more than 500 academics from across 45 programmes of research, bringing together more than 500 academics from across Oxford, from over 100 disciplines to create the world’s leading centre for interdisciplinary research into critical global challenges.

Professor Goldin initiated and was Vice-Chair of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations, which brought together 19 international leaders from government, business, academia, media, and civil society to address the growing short-term preoccupations of modern politics and business, and identify ways of overcoming today’s gridlock in key international negotiations. The Commission’s report, Now for the Long, was published in October 2013.

From 2003 to 2006 he was Vice President of the World Bank, and prior to that the Bank’s Director of Development Policy (2001-2003). He served on the Bank’s senior management team and led the Bank’s collaboration with the United Nations and other partners as well as with key countries. As Director of Development Policy, he played a pivotal role in the research and strategy agenda of the Bank.

From 1996 to 2001 he was Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and served as an advisor to President Nelson Mandela. He succeeded in transforming the Bank to become the leading agent of development in the 14 countries of Southern Africa. During this period, Goldin served on several Government committees and Boards, and was Finance Director for South Africa’s Olympic Bid.

Previously, Goldin was Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, and Programme Director at the OECD Development Centre in Paris, where he directed the Programmes on Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development.
He has a BA (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Cape Town, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an MA and Doctorate from the University of Oxford.

Goldin has served as a non-executive director on the boards of a number of leading businesses, including Old Mutual, Implenia AG, Metropolitan Life, and CDC Plc. His board positions include being the lead independent director and chairing investment, credit, risk, audit, strategy, remuneration, social responsibility, and ethics committees. Goldin has advised over 50 governments and 100 leading global businesses. His non-profit activities include being the Chair of the CORE-econ initiative to reform global economics, being a member of the International Science Council and serving as an honorary trustee of Comic Relief and other charities.

Goldin has received wide recognition for his contributions to development and research, including having been knighted by the French Government, receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Romania, and nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.

He has extensive media experience, appearing on all the major broadcasters, including having being interviewed on BBC HardTalk regarding his prediction of the pandemic.

He has presented three BBC documentary series: After the Crash (2018), Will AI Kill Development? (2019), and The Pandemic that Changed the World (2020).

He has published over 55 articles, including ‘Why is Productivity Slowing Down?’ in the top ranked Journal of Economic Literature. His numerous reports include Migration and the Economy: Economic Realities, Social Impacts and Political Choices (Oxford Martin School and Citi, 2018).

Professor Goldin has written 23 books, the most recent of which are Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World (Hodder Hachette, 2021) and Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years (Penguin Random House, 2020).