EMC² Distinguished Fellows

The program aims to recognize excellence and foster meaningful engagement between students, academia, and leaders from emerging markets.

During the year, the Distinguished Fellow is expected to spend time on campus and:

Give presentations in classes and/or participate in informal exchanges with faculty and students;
Present at the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets Conference and other EMC² events, as jointly determined with the Director; and
Collaborate on the preparation of reports and other potential working papers.

EMC² Distinguished Fellows Series

The EMC² Distinguished Fellows Series brings accomplished leaders on emerging markets to the Cornell campus to share their insights through a fireside chat or featured presentation at the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets Conference and related EMC² events, deepening the dialogue between academia and real‑world leadership in emerging markets.

Distinguished Fellows

Lord Jim O'Neill professional picture — Economist Jim O’Neill, who now heads the City Growth Commission. London, 28/02/14
Shot at the Olympic Studios in Barnes

Lord O’Neill is a cross bench peer in the House of Lords. He is Chair of Northern Gritstone, and is also Chair and Co-Founder of a new Policy Platform, BRICS+ Thinking. He is Co-President and formerly Chair of, Northern Powerhouse Partnership. He is a member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Economic Advisory Council and is Chair of the NeoTest AMC working group launched by CGD. His previous roles include, joint head of research at Goldman Sachs (1995–2000), its chief economist (2001–10) and chairman of its asset management division (2010–13); creator of the acronym BRIC; chair of the City Growth Commission (2014); chair of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance [AMR] (2014-16); commercial secretary to the Treasury (2015-16); chair of Chatham House (2018-2021). He is a board member, and one of the founding trustees of educational charity SHINE.

Lord O’Neill is a Distinguished Fellow at both The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the 2027 Cornell Canizares Center for Emerging Markets (EMC2). He is an honorary professor of economics, University of Manchester, and holds honorary degrees from the University of Sheffield, University of Manchester, University of Hull, University of London, University of Surrey and from City University London. He received his PhD from the University of Surrey and is now a Visiting Professor there.

Planned events with the Lord O’Neill of Gatley during his tenure as EMC² Distinguished Fellow:

Fireside chat with Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, on April 30.
Visit to Cornell Tech on May 6.

Iván Duque, Former President of Colombia (2018-2022), was the inaugural EMC² Distinguished Fellow, from 2023 to 2025.

Iván Duque served as the youngest-ever president of Colombia from 2018 to 2022. Since then, he has been a tireless and inventive champion for the environment and for personal agency, writing numerous books, speaking around the world, and forming partnerships, including with Cornell’s Emerging Markets Institute. His work mixes pragmatism with inspiration, advocating for expert stewardship of financial and natural resources via verifiable information and strong ethics.

He came to Cornell to speak with venerable Professor Miguel Gomez, and together they discussed humanism and society, the relationship between leadership and ethics. He coined the term “biodivercitizens” to describe our personal responsibility to make conscious choices in our consumption and stressed that higher education must be the fearless protector of knowledge. Our students were eager to hear from a leader so energized by his intellectual journey and his sense of purpose.

Duque started out by prompting the audience: “Who are you?” It’s a great question to ask ourselves, every day.

During his EMC² Distinguished Fellow tenure, Duque:

Delivered keynote speeches, including the EMI Fellows Graduation Ceremony, where he urged students to tackle the global “liberty deficit” and embrace democratic values.
Engaged with students and faculty through seminars, speaker series, and meetings with students, discussing challenges such as climate change, conflict, crisis, and cyber threats. For example, his visit to Cornell Tech, the Emerging Markets Institute Distinguished Fellows Series, eCornell Keynote: Beyond the Green Agenda.
Participated in 2023 EMI Annual Conference contributing to EMI’s mission of preparing resilient global business leaders. And the 2025 EMI Annual Conference on November 7, 2025 at Cornell Tech.

Dr. Mark Mobius received his Ph.D. at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts. He now heads up Mobius Capital Partners based in London. The firm has two investment funds: Mobius Investment Trust in London and Mobius Emerging Markets Fund in Luxembourg. Dr. Mobius has been investing in emerging markets since 1987 and managed the very first listed emerging markets fund on the New York Stock Exchange. He
has received numerous awards and is also the author of a number of books including The Inflation Myth and The Wonderful World of Deflation, The Little Book of Emerging Markets and Invest for Good.

EMC² Distinguished Fellows

Distinguished Fellows

Lord O’Neill of Gatley (2026)

Ivan Duque (2023-2025)

Dr. Mark Mobius (Honorary Distinguished Fellow)