Peter Mallinson
By Pamela Babcock

hen Kenan-Flagler leaders needed a global business perspective on the terrorist attacks last fall, they quickly made a list of people they could count on to take part in an on-campus forum in Chapel Hill. Peter G.C. Mallinson (MBA '83; BA, economics '81), a managing director of Goldman Sachs International in London, quickly rose to the top of the list.

On short notice last October, Mallinson flew from London to sit on a panel of business leaders for "Globalization in the Post 9-11 Era," a forum of Kenan-Flagler and Kenan Institute board members, trustees and faculty. During a fascinating discussion, panelists examined what post-Sept. 11 means for the U.S. private sector, cross-border business linkages, international alliances and world economies.

It was classic Mallinson. At age 42, the native Brit and Morehead Scholar continues to immerse himself in the University and demonstrate the real benefit of Kenan-Flagler's overarching objective to be truly international.

"I was given a very good preparation at Chapel Hill, both undergrad and in graduate school, and I do feel that the School and the University community are moving in the right direction internationally," Mallinson said. "Therefore, if I can help continue that, then I feel I am reinvesting back in the School. Not getting involved would make it, on the margin, that much more difficult for the School to brand itself as international and outward-looking."

Mallinson serves on the Morehead Scholar interview committee, on the advisory board of the Honors Program in the College of Arts & Sciences, and on Kenan-Flagler's Board of Visitors. In 2000, he pledged a $1.2 million gift that will encourage faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences to create international classrooms using technology to cross national borders. The gift also provides for the Peter G. C. Mallinson MBA Fellow, a premier international fellowship designed to attract international students to Kenan-Flagler.

A native of Farnham, Surrey, England, Mallinson grew up in South America, Guyana and Brazil, as his father traveled for his job with aluminum manufacturer Alcan Inc. Fresh out of business school, he joined Goldman Sachs in 1983 and has spent his entire financial career with the firm. Mallinson was named global head of Pan European Equities in 1999. Prior to that, he served as head of the Equities Division for Asia in Hong Kong beginning in 1993. Mallinson became a partner at Goldman Sachs in 1994, and a managing director in 1996, when the company incorporated. He also served as a member of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing Committee for two terms.

At Goldman Sachs and abroad, Mallinson has been a champion for Kenan-Flagler. He has worked with Dean Robert S. Sullivan to recruit international students and to ensure that Kenan-Flagler attracts the highest caliber students possible, along with providing opportunities for Kenan-Flagler alumni to secure jobs in equities, generally, and in international business, in particular.

What challenges has he faced as a global leader?

"I work principally in Asia and Europe, and I've been fortunate to be involved at a time when Goldman Sachs has gone global from being predominately a U.S. firm," Mallinson said. Cleary, globalization in the financial arena has been affected by Sept. 11, and Goldman Sachs was no exception. As the World Trade Center tumbled in lower Manhattan, a significant part of the company's business was switched to the London headquarters.

"It, in many ways, makes it more important for us to be global to be truly effective, to have important centers all around the world, since it enables us to respond to a crisis a lot quicker and a lot easier," Mallinson said. "In terms of the flow of information, technology and resources and in terms of serving our clients, we were able to make a quick, global response. We immediately were analyzing the impact 9-11 would have on the companies and economies around the world and came out with a very rapid, cogent view for our clients."

Mallinson and his wife, Elisabetta, have three sons, ages 9, 6 and 1, and live in London. So are the younger Mallinsons destined to be future Tar Heels?

"They've got the Carolina uniforms, all the sweatshirts," Mallinson said with a laugh. "But there are no promises. That's a long way away."