Consultant on international law, finance and corporate governance, with diverse global corporate and finance experience. Formerly with leading law firms in Australia, UK and USA and in senior international management roles in law and finance in banks, a private equity firm, a global fund manager, the AsDB, and the World Bank. Former General Counsel of EBRD and founder of its innovative Legal Transition Team.

Prof. John Taylor is Honorary Professor of International Finance and Trade Law at CCLS QMUL, a Policy Fellow of BIICL and a consultant on international law, finance and corporate governance, with exceptionally diverse global corporate and finance experience. He is uniquely qualified to take both intellectual and organisational leadership of CASTL.

John’s academic credentials include an LLB, First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide, followed by an LLM from Harvard Law School (HLS) where he was awarded a Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship (given that year to only two candidates from Australia in an open field) who demonstrated "future promise of leadership, strength of character, keen mind, a balanced judgement and a devotion to the democratic ideal.”

His professional life in law, finance and scholarship has been driven by an unwavering desire to undertake and lead innovative “ blue sky” work in varied international positions in Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe in both the public and private sectors: More than 21 years in legal and banking positions in international banks (the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Development, and Banque Paribas Capital Markets); More than 15 years in major law firms in Australia, the US and the UK; 8 years establishing and co-managing a new private equity firm, and thereafter in a global fund manager; and 7 years with Europe’s largest postgraduate law school.

Within these various organisations, working in different disciplines and sectors, John has searched for new ways for a lawyer to contribute to the common good and successfully headed, built and managed teams of lawyers, corporate finance experts and others for more than 25 years, including as General Counsel at EBRD and elsewhere. In addition, he continued to contribute to a broad range of legal scholarship, including part time teaching/mentoring at law schools, authoring/co-editing two books and numerous articles on legal and financial topics, and arranging and participating in legal conferences and executive training. John has also been an active member for many years of two prestigious international Associations: the Committee on International Monetary Law of the ILA and the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade.

During his career, John has led teams to develop numerous innovations, including: an innovative World Bank guarantee programme that successfully attracted billions of dollars of financing for World Bank projects; the establishment of the “Legal Transition Team” at EBRD that for more than 25 years has provided valuable law reform services for many of EBRD's member countries; an award winning, “best client initiative” international strategy for a law firm, contributing to a substantial increase in the law firm’s international business and profile; and the creation of an innovative digital payment instrument for use in international trade transactions.

An essential component in the success of each of these innovations, was a supportive public/private law environment, without which the innovations would have failed. Today, it is imperative that laws and standards be created or updated to propel much needed sustainable transition and therefore there is a pressing need for the Centre as proposed. John is keen to contribute his leadership and organisational qualities, and his extensive financial experience, to the success of CASTL.