Frontier Markets: Sri Lanka and Vietnam 2019

Frontier markets — countries such as Nigeria, Argentina, Vietnam and Cambodia, whose financial markets are considered insufficiently transparent or liquid to qualify as emerging economies — are home to almost a third of the world’s population. Of the 10 fastest growing economies worldwide, eight are frontier markets, according to HSBC. Half of the countries that global advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather, determined would be key to middle-class consumer growth over the next decade are frontier markets.

For multinational companies and for portfolio investors, frontier markets represent an unrivaled opportunity to tap into a rare growth story that combines a swelling population, rising incomes, rapidly increasing connectivity, innovative business communities, and surging economic growth. For aspiring business leaders, the frontiers offer a chance to be involved in a growth story that will not only be professionally fulfilling and diverse, but can also have tremendous human, environmental and social impact.

Relatively few are grasping this opportunity, though, deterred by a lack of reliable information and data from the frontiers and a perception that risk is higher than in more-developed markets. This course provides students with a clear understanding of the opportunities available as well as the challenges frontier markets pose.

Faculty Bio

As the editor of Frontier Markets at the Wall Street Journal, Dan Keeler coordinates the Journal’s coverage of the world’s frontier markets. Dan conceived and launched the frontier market coverage in early 2014, adding a well-regarded weekly frontiers newsletter later that year.

WSJ’s frontier market coverage brings together a broad range of news and analysis, providing readers with a deeper understanding of some of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing economies.

Dan regularly speaks at frontier-market-focused events. He’s moderated panel discussions at a variety of leading conferences, including Africa business conferences at Harvard and Wharton universities, frontier-focused panels and discussions at Columbia University and the New York Society of Securities Analysts events, keynote interviews at the IFC/Emerging Markets Private Equity Association annual conference, and panel discussions at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and the Institute for Global Development.

Prior to joining the Journal, Dan was the editor and subsequently editor-at-large of Global Finance magazine, where he steered the magazine’s coverage toward corporate responsibility and emerging markets.

He is also founder of New York’s FM Network, a group that hosts gatherings of finance professionals focused on smaller emerging markets.

Prof. Dan Keeler’s Newsletter: http://www.wsj.com/newsletters?sub=376

Advisor Bio

Matthew Temple is the director of Alumni Career Services for the Kellogg School of Management, where he manages a team of eight people who deliver career services to 50,000 alumni globally. He has counseled full-time, part-time and executive MBA students and alumni on a range of career issues including self-assessment, company and industry research, networking, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, negotiating, decision-making, onboarding, performance evaluations and starting/buying a business. Matthew has conducted hundreds of career workshops, helped organize international career treks and advised companies on recruiting strategies. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and the Chicago Tribune. He has worked as a career counselor with Harvard Business School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Matthew has coached executives on leadership, communications and career management at companies including Amazon, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Ford, GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

Previously, Matthew served as the director of international business development for Ask.com, where he helped establish and manage joint ventures worth over US$200 million in Asia, Europe and Latin America with Carlton Communications, Granada Media (ITV) and Univision. He worked in private equity, M&A and corporate finance for Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank and in consulting for Andersen Consulting. He has lived and worked in Hong Kong and London. Matthew holds a B.A. in European history from Harvard University and an MBA in finance, marketing and organizational behavior from Kellogg School of Management. He’s also a diehard Boston Red Sox fan and a Jeopardy champion.