Dambisa Moyo

Dambisa Moyo is an author of three New York Times best-selling financial publications. She has travelled extensively and has studied the political, economic, and financial workings of numerous emerging economies. She looks at the relationship between these countries and international business in order to identify investment opportunities. She serves on the board of Barclays Bank, SABMiller and Barrick Gold. She holds a PhD in Economics from Oxford and a Masters from Harvard. Dambisa was named to the list of Time 100 Most Influential people in the world and writes for the Financial Times, WSJ Barron’s and Harvard Business Review.

Dambisa Moyo’s Background / History

Dambisa Moyo was born in Zambia in 1969, but spent the first eight years of her life in the US. She then returned to Lusaka with her parents who were both economists. At 19 she left for the United States again to study for a degree in chemistry at American University in Washington DC which was followed by an MBA in finance. She also has a Masters from Harvard and a PhD in economics from Oxford. She took positions at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs, before publishing her first book in 2009.

Career

The book “Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way For Africa” – made Moyo’s name and became a New York Times bestseller. In it she argued, somewhat controversially, that western aid was hindering the development of 3rd world countries and she was consequently seen by some to be the anti Bono.

Her next book “How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly and the Stark Choices Ahead” has been called a devastating obituary of America’s supremacy and paved the way for her 2012 book “Winner Take All: Chinas Race for Resources and What it Means for the World” in which she argues that China is already well on the way to gaining the upper hand. She outlines how China has embarked on a conscious strategy of taking control of large chunks of the worlds finite resources. Despite being a passionate free market capitalist she is a great admirer of the way the Chinese have gone about courting the unloved countries of Africa and South America, doing deals by co-operation not coercion. However she says the outcome could easily be wars over commodities.

Dambisa also authored “How Boards Work: And How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World”, which offers an insider’s view of corporate boards, their struggles, and why they must adapt to survive. In How Boards Work, Dambisa Moyo addresses fundamental questions:

• The three (3) key responsibilities of a corporate board
• The levers and limitations boards have to create change across the business landscape
• Whether corporate boards remain the ideal governance structure in the 21st century

As well as more urgent questions:

• How boards should address financial shareholder versus stakeholder capitalism, and balance profit motives with growing broader expectations of society
• How boards should approach quotas as they look to address diversity, and the emergence of a new cultural frontier around data privacy, worker advocacy, and environmental concerns
• Whether being ESG-compliant is at odds with investing in China
• How to best to tackle 21st century challenges from digitization to deglobalization

On March 14, 2011, Moyo spoke in Westminster Abbey in London at a ceremony to mark Commonwealth Day in the presence of the Queen. Her work is regularly published in the Financial Times, the Economist, and the Wall St Journal. She is very TV friendly and is a contributing editor to CNBC; she has also made frequent appearances on BBC and Bloomberg TV.

Her speaking engagements include the OECD, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and TED.

She has homes in New York and London but describes herself as an African.

Dambisa Moyo is an intelligent, articulate and punchy speaker. Lively and direct – she is sometimes controversial and much in demand on the TV and speakers circuit.

She holds a PhD in Economics from Oxford and a Masters from Harvard. Dambisa was named to the list of Time 100 Most Influential people in the world and writes for the Financial Times, WSJ Barron’s and Harvard Business Review.

Current / Past Roles & Positions

• Board member of Barclays Bank
• Board member of SABMiller
• Board member of Barrick Gold
• Author of “Winner Takes All”
• Patron of the children’s charity Absolute Return for Kids (ARK)

Awards, Accolades, Achievements & Honours

• 2011 The Daily Beast selected Moyo as one of “150 Extraordinary Women Who Shake The World”
• In 2009, Dambisa was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and honoured by the World Economic Forum as one of its Young Global Leaders.
• 2009 Included on Oprah Winfrey’s power list of 20 remarkable visionaries.

Speaking Style

Formal, Passionate, Thought-provoking