Antoine van Agtmael Keynote Speaker

Chairman, Emerging Markets Management (1987-present)
Senior Adviser, Garten Rothkopf (2012-present)
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Antoine van Agtmael's Biography

Antoine van Agtmael is Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Emerging Markets Management and one of the fathers of Emerging Markets investing. In fact, Mr. van Agtmael coined the term “Emerging Markets” to replace the negative connotation of the term “Third World” investing.

After serving as Division Chief in the World Bank’s Treasury operations and as Director of the Capital Markets Department at the International Finance Corporation, Mr. van Agtmael founded Emerging Markets Management (EMM) in 1987. EMM was one of the first investment firms dedicated exclusively to the management of emerging markets equities. The EMM website describes its “mission was – and still is – to maximize value for clients by combining our pioneering spirit in emerging markets with a disciplined, value-oriented investment approach.”

Antoine van Agtmael and his staff have had twenty years to hone their skills in these volatile, yet often lucrative markets. Today his firm offers a wide range of separate accounts and commingled funds in emerging markets. It counts well-known corporate and public pension funds, foundations, endowments, and high net worth individuals as its clients. More than forty highly skilled investment professionals comprise his team which helps his clients invest in over 50 emerging markets.

Mr. van Agtmael has just authored “The Emerging Markets Century, “How a New Breed of World-Class Companies is Overtaking the World.” In his book he profiles 25 world-class emerging multinationals including Haier (Chinese brand in household appliances), Embraer (Brazilian producer of jet aircraft), High Tech Computer Corp. (Taiwanese designers of hand-held devices), and Hyundai Heavy Industries (a Korean shipbuilder and the world’s largest). He quotes Goldman Sachs’ projection that BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) will overtake the G-7 in GDP by 2040.

Antoine van Agtmael earned an M.B.A. from New York University, an M.A. from Yale, and a B.A. in economics from the Netherlands School of Economics.