Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Joins US Investment Bank. Lazard As Senior Advisor, Gets Bill and Melinda Gates Board Appointment

Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) announced today that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has joined the Firm as a Senior Advisor, with a focus on sovereign advisory.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, a global leader in economic development and international finance, was until May 2015 the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance of Nigeria. "Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has built a remarkable international reputation over more than three decades in leadership positions in government and at the World Bank," said Kenneth M. Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lazard. "She will be a strong addition as a Senior Advisor to our firm."

"We are proud to welcome Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as a Senior Advisor to our world-leading sovereign advisory group," said Matthieu Pigasse, Global Head of M&A and Sovereign Advisory of Lazard.

"She will bring a unique international expertise and experience that will benefit both our sovereign and corporate clients." Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance for the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2011 until May 2015. Prior to that, she served as a Managing Director at the World Bank Group for four years. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala held several ministerial positions, notably as Minister of Finance for Nigeria from 2003 to 2006, during which she led the country's successful debt relief negotiations. She started her career at the World Bank in 1982.  


 The former minister confirmed the appointment in an interview with Financial Times
Okonjo-Iweala also said she has been appointed chair-elect of the board of Bill and Melinda Gates’ Gavi the Vaccine.

“The two appointments I’m going to undertake embody a continuation of what I’ve tried to do in my career”, she told the Financial Times.

“My work at Gavi will help me continue my work in strengthening institutions and building systems” to improve the health of children through immunisation, she said. At Lazard, she said, she would advise countries on structuring their finances and dealing with debt issues, the newspaper wrote.

About Lazard Lazard, one of the world's preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from 43 cities across 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. For more information on Lazard, please visit www.lazard.com.