It’s a great week for Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance was just appointed the new chair-elect of GAVI Alliance, and a Senior Adviser at Lazard, a financial advisory and asset management firm. Dr Okonjo-Iweala, who is the second African to head the GAVI board, after Gracha Machel, says she’s very excited to join the team. “I am excited to be joining GAVI during this crucial time. GAVI has a well-earned reputation as one of the leading players in global health, providing services that underpin human and economic development.”
GAVI is a public-private global health alliance that is committed to increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. The alliance currently supports over 310 immunisation programmes in 73 of the world’s poorest countries and thus far has committed billions of dollars to help these countries strengthen their health systems.
As a senior adviser at Lazard, Dr Okonjo-Iweala will be focused on sovereign advisory, using her wealth of experience to move the firm to greater heights. Matthieu Pigasse, the firm’s Global Head of M&A and Sovereign Advisory said “We are proud to welcome Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as a Senior Advisor to our world-leading sovereign advisory group. She will bring a unique international expertise and experience that will benefit both our sovereign and corporate clients.”
Lazard is one of the world’s leading financial advisory and asset management firms, with over 43 global offices. The firm has served clients for over 160 years, since 1848. The firm provides advice on strategic matters, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2006, and from 2011 to May 2015. As Minister of Finance, she led negotiations with the Paris Club of Creditors in 2005 that led to the clearing of US$30 billion of Nigeria’s external debt. Prior to her appointment as minister, she was one of the Managing Director’s of the World Bank for four years; a position which includes special oversight for the Bank’s operations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia and Africa. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is a recipient of numerous awards. In 2005, she was Euromoney Magazine Global Finance Minister of the year. In 2004, she won Time Magazine’s European Hero of the Year Award, and in 2006, she was listed as one of 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes.
