DON KANAK is the chairman of Prudential Insurance Growth Markets and Chairman of Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc. Kanak is based in Hong Kong and has lived and worked in Asia for over 30 years. From 2008 through 2015, he served as chairman of Prudential Corporation Asia. From 1992 to January 2006, he served in a number of senior positions at American International Group (AIG), and ultimately as executive vice chairman and chief operating officer. Prior to his career in insurance and investment, Kanak was a partner of an international strategy consulting firm. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a director and senior fellow of the Program on International Financial Systems affiliated with the Harvard Law School, a trustee of WWF-Hong Kong, and a member of the National Council of WWF-US. He was also a member of the United Nations Global Environment Facility’s Technical Advisory Group on its 2014-18 climate change mitigation strategy. Kanak co-chairs the Steering Committee of the ASEAN Hub of the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership, a joint venture between the World Economic Forum and the OECD. In 2011-12, Kanak chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Insurance and Asset Management. From 2016 through June 2022, Kanak served as chairman of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, the primary voice for European businesses within the ASEAN region. Kanak holds a JD with honors from Harvard Law School, an MLitt in management studies from University of Oxford (UK), a BA with highest honors in economics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
