Ian Goldin is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford and leads the Oxford Martin Programmes on the Future of Work, Technological and Economic Change and the Future of Development. Prior to becoming the founding Director of the Oxford Martin School, he was Vice President of the World Bank, after serving as Chief Executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and as an advisor to President Nelson Mandela.

He also worked as Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London and as Programme Director at the OECD in Paris. He has served as a non-executive director on the boards of leading businesses, received a knighthood from the French government, and has advised many international organisations and governments. He is a regular keynote speaker on Ted, Google, Zeitgeist and at Davos.