London Met academic speaks at international T20 think tank forum

Dr Nirmala Lee was one of 500 global experts invited to speak at think tank held in Hangzhou earlier this year.

Date: 28 September 2016

Dr Nirmala Lee, Associate Professor of Banking and Finance, was recently invited to be a panel speaker at Think 20 (T20), an international summit for think tanks from the G20 countries.

The T20 brings together global think tanks and high-level experts to provide in depth analysis and policy recommendations to ongoing G20 discussions. The 11th G20 Summit was hosted in Hangzhou, the first G20 meeting held in China, and was attended by Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister.

Nirmala was invited to speak at the forum “in recognition of her experience and expertise” in the banking and finance sector.

“It is very important for academics to be out there participating in real world initiatives that have a global impact, and contributing to the critical debate and dialogue on global issues,” said Dr Lee.

“Such participation in turn has a beneficial impact on our own teaching and management of courses facilitating our students to develop insights, challenge perceptions, and enhance their critical thinking skills.”

In order to better mobilise global resources and reflect the representative and inclusive nature of this summit, the G20 hosts supporting events, such as the T20, to lay a foundation for cooperation within the G20.

The T20 think tank is attended by approximately 500 experts from across the globe. It allows experts to contribute their knowledge and wisdom to the building of new global relationships.

Other speakers at the forum included Stanley Mutumba Simataa, President of the 18th Sessions of the General Conference of UNESCO, and the Deputy Minister at the Republic of Namibia.

Dr Lee said: “I am proud to see the name of London Metropolitan University listed in the proceedings of the Forum as the academic institution which had contributed a Distinguished Guest and Panel Speaker to this important global event.

“I am also pleased to have the opportunity to inform global thinking through being interviewed by Zhejiang Television which was broadcast across China.”