Avinash Persaud

Prof. Avinash Persaud, Special Envoy to the Prime Minister (Barbados) for Investment and Financial Services

Professor Avinash Persaud is non-resident Senior Fellow of the Peterson Institute for International Economics Washington, Emeritus Professor if Gresham College in the UK and non-executive Chairman of Elara Capital, an investment bank based in Mumbai. He was ranked one of the leading public intellectuals in the world on the financial crisis by a panel of experts for the UK’s Prospect Magazine a few years ago. He was senior executive at J.P Morgan in its Commodity and Currency Division, and an Investment Director at GAM London ltd, the leading hedge fund manager. He was a top-ranking analyst in the leading surveys of international investors for a decade. In Trinidad and Tobago he is a non-executive director of RBC, Beacon Insurance and Media InSite.

Professor Persaud has published widely on finance and economics and has served on a number or major policy commissions, including chairing the Warwick Commission and the regulatory subcommittee of the UN Commission on Financial Reform he was an expert member of the UK Treasury’s Audit and Risk Committee and the Pew Task Force to the US Senate Banking Committee. He is a former Governor of the London School of Economics, was elected Trustee of the Royal Economics Society and is a Past President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Economics Section.

Companies

• Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados on Investment and Financial Services Government of Barbados (2018)
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees Errol and Nita Barrow Educational Trust (2012)
• Emeritus Professor of Gresham College Gresham College (2007)
• Chair, CARICOM Commission on the Economy Appointed by CARICOM Heads of Government (2019 — 2021)
• Chairperson, Financial Services Commission, Barbados Government of Barbados (2018 — 2021)
• Deputy Chair National Insurance Board of Barbados (2018 — 2021)
• Member, Council on International Monetary System World Economic Forum (2012 — 2018)
• Chairman Intelligence Capital Limited (2003 — 2018)
• Non-Exec Chairman of the Board RBC Barbados (2016 — 2018)