World Trade Organization Director-General: "I’m a risk-taker and a masochist"

Fortune

World Trade Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the Fortune Global Forum that she became the first woman and first African to serve in the position at a time when the institution needed reform.

Transcript

00:00I guess I'm a risk taker and a masochist. Look at what is happening to world trade.

00:05Looks like whenever there's a tough job. I left a very nice job at the World Bank where I was

00:11managing director of the number two position to go and be finance minister in my country

00:16and eventually foreign minister, the first woman also. That was a risk. I could have just stayed

00:22where I was and having my salary, I took, I don't know, whatever, 50, more than that, 70 or 80 percent

00:31salary cut, left my family, went back home because we're living in Washington to go and do it. But

00:35what was the motivation? You have to ask yourself, what are you about? And I've always wanted to serve.

00:42I was brought up to know that service to others. You don't get educated just for yourself, but to

00:48serve others. So that's been at the back of my mind. So I considered it an honor and a privilege

00:54to be able to serve my country. That's why I went back. And being finance minister is not,

01:02no one likes a finance minister, okay? No one likes you, not even your boss sometimes,

01:07because you have to say no. So it's not a fun job, but it's a job you're absolutely committed to and

01:13one that gives you policy levers to move the economy. And we did. We tripled the growth rate

01:18during the time I was in office.

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