It’s a particular pleasure to receive this award since it marks the first time that it is being given to a person who has made a career in the public sector. This award recognizes that the public sector has an important role to play in promoting the economic health of a country.
Far too often, people think that the private sector is solely responsible for creating wealth, and that the best the public sector can do is to redistribute that wealth. The reality is far more complex. That’s what I want to talk about today: how those complexities give rise not only to challenges, but also to opportunities.