Paul O’Connell is the President & CEO of WaterEquity LLC, an asset manager dedicated to expanding access to water and sanitation in emerging markets. Paul manages the overall operations of WaterEquity.
Prior to joining WaterEquity in 2019, Paul spent over 20 years as President and Managing Partner of FDO Partners, LLC, managing currency and equity portfolios for sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors.
Paul has deep experience in the research and practice of international finance and has published a variety of academic articles on exchange rate behavior, international capital flows, and labor migration. He served on the Editorial Board of the Emerging Markets Review and the Review
Board for the Research Foundation of the CFA Institute and has spoken at TED about the potential of capital markets to fund sustainable development goals. From 2016–2022, he served on the Board of Water.org. From 2010–2016, he was Chair of the Board of the US arm of Gavi, a global alliance dedicated to expanding vaccine availability in developing countries.
An Irish native, Paul received a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and an A.M. and Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.