Jim O'Neill

As chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O'Neill is involved in helping guide all aspects of its business worldwide.

Before assuming the post in September 2010, he was Goldman's head of global economics, commodities and strategy research. He also serves on the European management committee. O'Neill joined the firm in 1995 as a partner, co-head of global economics research and chief currency economist.

Prior to joining Goldman, O'Neill was head of global research for Swiss Bank Corp. Earlier in his career, he had been with Bank of America and International Treasury Management, a division of Marine Midland Bank.

O'Neill created the acronym BRICs, which has become synonymous with the emergence of Brazil, Russia, India and China as growth opportunities.

O'Neill is a member of the boards of the Itinera Institute and Bruegel, as well as of the UK-India Round Table and the UK India Business Council.

He is chairman and a founding trustee of the London-based charity SHINE, and serves on the board of Teach for All and a number of other educational charities. O'Neill was once nonexecutive director of Manchester United.

O'Neill earned a degree in economics from Sheffield University in 1978 and a Ph.D. from the University of Surrey in 1982. He also received an honorary doctorate from the Institute of Education at the University of London.