Richard Frank is Darby’s Chief Executive Officer, responsible for management of firm-wide activities and Chairman on the firm’s Private Equity, Mezzanine Finance and Venture Capital Investment Committees.

Frank joined Darby in July 1997 after a long and distinguished career at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington. In his last assignment he chaired the Private Sector Group, coordinating the private sector activities of the World Bank, IFC, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). During his career at the World Bank Group as Managing Director, Mr. Frank oversaw the South Asia and Latin America operations and chaired the Banks Finance Committee.

Mr. Frank is Director of Templeton International Funds and on the Boards of several Latin American companies and banks. He is member of the Board of Georgetown University; the International Strategic Board of Banco Finantia; Inter-American Dialogue; Institute of International Finance; Bretton Woods Committee and former Chairman of the Latin American Venture Capital Association. He earned a Bronze Star for his service as Captain in Vietnam. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the S D School of Mines and Technology and an MS from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Frank has learned from his experience as a soldier to have steadiness when facing risks in all areas. For example, now with the upcoming elections in the U.S., he thinks the potential winner may slow the momentum towards free trade.

In this rapidly changing world he has a word for all law students that are about to start their professional careers: “There are great opportunities for lawyers seeking a career in a globalized economy. The fields of trade and cross border investments are booming.”

Given his experience in international public and private organizations, he thinks that in the future these organizations will be required to show more results in order to keep relevant. He mentions that multilateral banks must reform to meet the new reality of a global economy and the flow of private capital. Mr. Frank adds that countries that have followed a market-based economy are the ones that have evolved most favorably.