ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would never have created the BRICs concept, nor written this book, if it had not been for the wonderful opportunity of education. For that, I would like to thank my parents, who were determined that my three sisters and I would benefit from a good one.

I would also like to acknowledge those who encouraged me to pursue a career in finance and the many colleagues and friends I have met over the last thirty years in my professional life. To Professor Jim Ford, or at least as he was in my day, at Sheffield for being imaginative enough to recommend me for a PhD at Surrey, without which I doubt I would have ever really progressed as an economist. Along with my dad, he seemed to be the only person who thought I was capable of attaining one.

Early in my career, it was my foreign exchange pals who taught me some of the most important realities about economics and financial markets, and I am still indebted to them for that critical learning.

I remain grateful for the continued support of my colleagues at Goldman Sachs, many of whom have inspired and influenced me over the years. I should say a special thanks to Jon Corzine, Gavyn Davies, Steve Einhorn and Richard Witten, and especially to Lloyd Blankfein, all of whom were key in persuading me to join the firm in 1995. And thanks to David May, who in 2005 was the first to suggest I write a book on the BRICs.

Without Dominic Wilson and Roopa Purushothaman I am not sure I would be in the position I am now. I am indebted to them for their seminal 2003 paper “Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050,” which, I believe, really put BRICs on the map. Of course, I should say the same more broadly for all the wonderful, talented people I have had the pleasure of working with in the Global Economics department at Goldman Sachs. I must also say a special thank-you to the rest of the BRIC “alumni,” including Swarnali Ahmed, Stacy Carlson, Themistoklis Fiotakis, David Heacock, Alex Kelston, Sandra Lawson, Raluca Dragusanu and now James Wrisdale, all of whom have helped some of the key BRIC stories along. Anna Stupnytska, who came over to GSAM with me when I joined as chairman in 2010, is more knowledgeable about all the BRIC work than most of us, since she has been closely involved for much of the first ten years. She has been, and remains, key to many of my thoughts on the topic.

I must also say thanks to Linda Britten, the chief operating officer of the Economics, Commodities and Strategy Group, for being simply LB; Hannah Gower, my previous PA; and, of course, the wonderful Dawn Baker, who, in addition to typing several manuscripts, somehow manages to keep my life just about in order.

Thanks too to the various key people involved with the technicalities of the book: to Trevor Horwood for his copy editing and to Joel Rickett and Adrian Zackheim of Penguin for taking the project on board.

I must also acknowledge people in my relatively new life at GSAM, in particular Ed Forst and Tim O’Neill for persuading me to join, and Suzanne Escousse for all her support on this project as well as for the many weekends she has had to give up to edit my Viewpoints.

And lastly, let me say thanks to my two great kids, and to my wonderful wife, who has had to put up with this on top of everything else, for being my partner for the past thirty-two years.

Jim O’Neill