Jim O’Neill Named as GSAM Chairman

According to a news release, O’Neill most recently was Head of Global Economics, Commodities and Strategy Research for Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he managed the firm’s economics, strategy and commodity research teams.

O’Neill will remain based in London and will report to Ed Forst and Tim O’Neill, Global Co-Heads of the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs, which includes Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Jim O’Neill’s appointment to GSAM is subject to UK regulatory approval.

As part of GSAM’s senior leadership team, O’Neill will help lead all aspects of the GSAM business and serve as a voice for GSAM in expressing his views on global investment themes, the company said.

Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, O’Neill was head of research globally for Swiss Bank Corporation. He also held positions with Bank of America and International Treasury Management, a division of Marine Midland Bank.  O’Neill earned a degree in economics from Sheffield University in 1978 and a PhD from the University of Surrey in 1982.

The company said Jim O’Neill is the creator of the acronym “BRICs.” Together with his colleagues, he has published research about BRICs, which has become synonymous with the emergence of Brazil, Russia, India and China as the growth opportunities of the future.