Alumni Event in USA
17 July 2009 • Washington DC
Speaker biographies
Professor Nirmala Rao
Vice Principal, SOAS
Professor Nirmala Rao joined SOAS in August 2008, as the School’s
Vice-Principal (Learning and Teaching).
At SOAS, Nirmala leads the delivery and implementation of all
aspects of the School’s academic strategy concerning the “student
experience.” As Vice Principal, she works closely with the ProDirector, Deans, Associate Deans and appropriate professional services colleagues to
facilitate internal coordination of all Teaching and Student Experience matters across the
School. Nirmala’s position as Vice Principal is generally equivalent to a Provost at an
American university.
Nirmala comes to SOAS from Goldsmiths College, where she was the Pro-Warden
(Academic) since 2005. In her 14-year career at Goldsmiths, she also served as Head of
the Department of Politics from 1999-2002. Previously, Nirmala held research positions
at Runnymede Trust, the Policy Studies Institute and Queen Mary and Westfield College,
where she was awarded her PhD in 1993. Nirmala took her first degree in Economics
(Hons) from Delhi University in 1979, and subsequently received her MA and MPhil from
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Nirmala Rao has published widely in the fields of urban governance and public policy,
and is currently undertaking research on the ways in which the ideas of local democracy
evolved in the conversations between India and England in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Nirmala was elected as an academician of the Academy of Learned
Societies in the Social Sciences in 2003. A Trustee of the Learning from Experience Trust
and an appointed member of the Architects Registration Board, Nirmala was previously a
lay member of the General Council of the Bar and a non-executive director of Ealing
Hospital NHS Trust. She has extensive experience of public service and has also served
as an advisor to a range of bodies including the UK Audit Commission, the Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Centre for Good Governance, Government of
Andhra Pradesh.
SOAS Alumni Relations
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Alumni Event in USA
17 July 2009 • Washington DC
Julian Ha (Politics 1988)
Member of Heidrick & Struggles
SOAS Development Advisory Board member
Introducing Professor Nirmala Rao
Julian Ha is a SOAS alumnus (Politics 1988) who spent a term at
SOAS studying Chinese Studies as part of his Asian Studies degree at
Cornell University in the US. Julian very much enjoyed his time at
SOAS and in London, and has been a great advocate for the School
since.
Julian is a member of Heidrick & Struggles, a global Executive Search firm, based in the
greater Washington DC area. Julian focuses on placing Board Members, CEOs, COOs,
CFOs and General Counsels into public and private companies. He also works with
venture capital and private equity firms to identify executive talent for their portfolio
companies.
Prior to executive search, Julian advised American, European and Asian companies from
a legal, banking, venture capital and operational perspective. Most recently, Julian was a
Director in the Corporate Finance group of Evolution Securities China Limited, an
investment bank based in London.
Julian trained as a corporate lawyer and has practiced in New York, Washington DC,
London, Singapore and Shanghai. As a lawyer for Paul Weiss, Baker & McKenzie and
Linklaters, he advised multinational corporations on their IPOs, private equity
investments and cross-border M&A transactions.
Julian has served as Executive Vice President with DDL, a London-based venture capital
fund, where he was responsible for portfolio management. Julian has also been Director
of European Business Development for CapitalKey Advisors and Capital IQ, which was a
corporate finance boutique and private equity research firm backed by CSFB, Merrill
Lynch, JP Morgan Chase and Dresdner Bank.
Julian is a member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s General Counsel
Committee and a Founding Member of The CXO Group. Julian is on the International
Boards of the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London Business School. He
is also a member of the Bar of the State of New York and a Cornell Class Officer and
Membership Chair.
Julian received his BA from Cornell University (magna cum laude), his Masters degrees
from the London School of Economics and Harvard University and his JD from The NYU
School of Law. Julian is a fluent Chinese speaker (Mandarin and Shanghai dialects).
SOAS Alumni Relations
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Alumni Event in USA
17 July 2009 • Washington DC
A look at the SOAS DC Alumni group
SOAS alumni are no strangers to the Washington,
DC area. The nation’s capital – home to foreign
embassies, international non-profits, international
financial institutions, and the US Departments of
State and Defense – is a natural draw for SOAS
alumni.
A formal SOAS alumni group in DC was initially
started up in December 2003 by alumni, Niall Shanmbag (MA Development Economics
2002) and Mat Mathews (MA International Studies and Diplomacy 2001). Supported by
the central Alumni Relations Office, the first SOAS DC Alumni gathering took place at the
famed Chi-Cha Lounge in February 2004. This location was chosen for its resemblance
to the legendary SOAS bar (before the smoking ban!). The turnout was a whopping three
people: Niall, Mat and Ary Atrushi (LLM 2001). Ary and Mat were friends from SOAS,
having spent a good bit of time cooking Rogan Josh in their Paul Robeson kitchen.
The trio decided to meet once a month and got the word out through the alumni office fondly known as “the Home Office.” Besides being a chance to hang out once a month,
the group’s goals were to raise awareness of SOAS in the DC area, address questions
from interested or prospective students, and to create a network of professionals who
could help alumni find jobs or local subject matter experts.
Before long, the group acquired an online presence.
Niall set up a Yahoo! Group, through which all the
members were able to communicate. In 2006, SOAS
DC Alumni lost one of its founding members when
Niall left to work in the Middle East, but by this time,
the group had already grown to include several
regulars. The group has continued to meet, drawing
as many as 35 people to some gatherings.
In December 2008, responsibility for the SOAS DC
Alumni was handed over to Abdul Kargbo (MSc
International Politics 2005), who had become a regular at the gatherings since his return
to DC. Since taking over, Abdul has created a Facebook page for the SOAS DC alumni,
and membership continues to grow. While the original core alumni are still regulars at
our events, the group continues to attract new members and prospective students to
their gatherings. SOAS DC Alumni are also expanding activities beyond the monthly
happy hours to include talks, barbecues, cultural outings, and more. As the group
continues to grow, Abdul and team look forward to establishing a strong alumni
community in Washington DC and fostering closer relations with the Alumni Relations
team in London.
SOAS Alumni Relations
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