A TOTTINGTON man has landed a role with one of the world’s most influential organisations, the World Bank.

Oliver Kerr, aged 25, a former student of Manchester Grammar School (MGS), was approached by the international financial institution after securing a first-class honours degree in Chinese at Oxford and recent graduation from Harvard University.

He was supported via the prestigious Kennedy Scholarship, bestowed upon him by the family of the former President Kennedy, and which is awarded to only a handful of British students annually.

He will now be working alongside some of the world’s top economic and financial policy advisors and his duties will include advising on sustainable urban development from his base in Washington DC.

Oliver will also spend a significant amount of time in Asia working on the various initiatives run by the bank.

The World Bank was created in 1944 to provide loans to developing countries for programmes such as sanitation and water projects, agricultural research and renewable energy schemes. Unlike private financial institutions, The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty.

Before taking up his position in Washington DC, Oliver will be spending time on the west coast in San Francisco working as a fellow for the Breakthrough Institute, a research organisation that aims to inform policymakers and change the way people think about energy and conservation.

Oliver, whose family lives in Bury and whose parents are both teachers, said: “I am so grateful to my family for the great sacrifices they have made in order to send me to such an outstanding school as MGS.

“It was there that I first began to develop an interest in energy and the environment.

“I am also extremely grateful for the Kennedy Scholarship I received, enabling me to fund my Harvard studies, which has in turn provided me with such fantastic opportunities.

“I am thrilled to be joining The World Bank and hope that as I develop professionally I can play an instrumental role in the continuation of the organisation’s outstanding work in making a real difference to people’s lives.”

MGS High Master, Dr Martin Boulton, said: “He is a phenomenal young man with an exceptional talent and we are incredibly proud of his achievements to date.

“We wish him all the best for his career and hope that he will return to the school to share his knowledge with our pupils in years to come.”