Don Kanak

SENIOR FELLOW

Kanak has been a Senior Fellow of PIFS since 2007 and a director since 2017. His research and writing has focused on climate change policy, including solutions for reducing deforestation, and financial frameworks for achieving energy transition. He has also written on capital market development in emerging economies. 

Don Kanak retired (Oct 31, 2022) as Chairman of Prudential Insurance Growth Markets and Chairman of Prudence Foundation (part of Prudential plc). Don is an independent director of Manulife Financial Corporation. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Prudence Foundation.  He is based in Bellevue, Washington. 

Don lived and worked in Asia for over 35 years. From 2008 to 2015, Don served as Chairman of Prudential Corporation Asia and from 2012 to October 2020, as Chairman of Eastspring Investments, the asset management business of Prudential plc. From 1992 to January 2006, Don held senior positions at American International Group (AIG), ultimately Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. Before moving to Asia in 1986 he was a partner of an international strategic consulting firm.

Early in his career Don worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and he has maintained a strong interest in sustainability throughout his career. Don is a member of the National Council of WWF-US. He previously served as a trustee of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Hong Kong, Chairman and executive board member of the EU-ASEAN Business Council 2016-2022.  He was member of the global Steering Group of the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership (SDIP), a joint project of the World Economic Forum and OECD and co-chaired the SDIP’s ASEAN Hub Steering Group 2016-22.  He was a member of the United Nations Global Environment Facility’s Technical Advisory Group for the GEF’s 2014-18 climate change mitigation strategy. In 2011-12 Don chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Insurance and Asset Management and has served on several other Forum councils including Social Security, Southeast Asia/ASEAN, Development Finance and SDG Investments. Don is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Don holds a J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School (1980), an M.Litt in Management Studies from University of Oxford (U.K.) (1989), a B.A. with highest honors in economics (1975) from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the CLU and the ChFC designations from the American College.