The downgrade of U.S. Treasury securities by Standard & Poor’s in August 2011 brought the spotlight back on rating agencies. Underlying the downgrade, however, is a political and economic flashpoint. Now, six months later, the U.S. and Europe are still hindered by debt, with myriad ramifications in the political sphere as well. On January 10, 2012, Gateway House hosted Deven Sharma, former President of Standard & Poor’s, in discussion with K.N. Vaidyanathan, former Executive Director, SEBI and Gateway House’s Senior Geoeconomics Fellow, to discuss “The politics of no-growth.”
The discussion, not restricted only to financial markets, encapsulated the causes and ramifications of recent policies on the global economy. How deep in debt is the Eurozone really? And is there a way to cushion the negative effects and hasten the recovery process? What role can the developing world play? These and other questions were addressed by the speaker, followed by a round of questions from the audience.
Deven Sharma has been on a special assignment working on Strategic Portfolio Review at Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a financial services unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. and the holding company of Capital IQ Inc. since September 2011. Mr. Sharma served as the President of Standard & Poor’s Corporation from August 30, 2007 to September 12, 2011. Prior to joining McGraw-Hill in 2002, Mr. Sharma was Partner at Booz Allen & Hamilton. He worked for Booz Allen for 14 years and led its strategy, operations performance, sales and marketing, and global expansion engagements for service, marketing and information-intensive companies. He serves as Director of Literacy Volunteers of America, Fairfield Chapter and Asia Society. Mr. Sharma has authored three publications: The Truth About Customer Solutions, Customer Solutions-Pilots to Profits, and Connecting the Demand Chain. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Birla Institute of Technology in India, a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Doctoral degree in Business Management from Ohio State University.
Gateway House meetings are for members and special invitees only, and they are off-the-record and not-for-attribution. If you are interested in becoming a member, click here for more details.