Kenneth S. Courtis

Former Vice chairman, Goldman Sachs Asia

Dr. Courtis is a member of the Canada Growth Council, which advises the government of Canada on major domestic and international economic initiatives, and was one  of the principal proponents of creating the Canadian Infrastructure Bank, which was adopted by the Parliament of Canada in 2017. 

Kenneth Courtis is one of the world's leading investment bankers, investment advisers, and analysts of Asian economies and business in Asia. He has led a number of large, international corporate transactions centred on Asia, and pioneered in several investment banking areas across Asia, such as leading the successful opening and establishment of the Singapore Reit market, the ground-breaking natural gaz transactions between China and Australia, the restructuring of Japanese financial institutions, the restructuring and listing as public companies of major Chinese firms, including  PetroChina and the Bank of China, privatizations, major investments and acquisitions in the telecom, energy, transportation, and financial sectors.

Widely sought after by the heads of major corporations, and investors for his knowledge of how global market forces, finance, politics, and corporate strategy interact, Kenneth Courtis advises clients across Asia, as well as in Europe, North and South America. 

He has also worked closely with central banks, ministries of finance, and heads of government.  He has been called upon to advise the heads of governments of countries in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North America, including four U.S. Presidents.  

Kenneth Courtis has lectured at Keio and Tokyo Universities, Japan's two most prestigious educational institutions, at  l’Institut d’etudes politiques, Paris, and at Universities in North America. Early in his career, he was named tenured professor at l'Universite Laval, in Canada.  

Dr. Courtis received an undergraduate degree from Glendon College in Toronto and an M.A. in international relations from Sussex University in the United Kingdom. He earned an M.B.A. at INSEAD (the European Institute of Business Administration), where he was recipient of the Heath Prize, and received a Doctorat d'Etat with honours and highest distinction, from l’Institut d’etudes politiques, Paris. 

Kenneth Courtis has lived and worked in Asia for more than three decades, and is fluent in English, French and Japanese.