Language: English

James Wolfensohn is Chairman of Wolfensohn & Company, LLC.  He was President of the World Bank Group from 1995 to 2005 and thereafter served for one year as Special Envoy for Gaza disengagement for the Middle East Quartet, consisting of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia.  Prior to his public service, Mr. Wolfensohn had a long and successful career in his own investment and advisory firm, as well as leadership positions at firms in Sydney, London and New York.

 

He is Chairman Emeritus of the Boards of Trustees of Carnegie Hall and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, both organizations with which he worked for decades.  He was also Chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.  He retired recently as Chairman of the Citigroup International Advisory Board and he has been a member of many other boards including the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

 

Mr. Wolfensohn is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences as well as a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society.

 

He holds a BA and LL.B from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.  He was an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force and a member of the 1956 Australian Olympic Team.  He is the recipient of many national and international medals and awards in recognition of his public service and his support for the Arts.

 

He and his wife, Elaine, have three married children: Sara, Naomi, and Adam.

 

This lecture first addresses the changing dynamics of development for the last centuries, emphasizing the balance between Asia and the rest of the world. It then goes on to predict the future of the world, with discussions about the opportunities and challenges different countries face.