Prudential's Tidjane Thiam turns down World Bank That Mr Thiam should be considered for such a position will not surprise his inner circle, given his increasing role as a statesman on the international scene. In January 2011, he was appointed chairman of the G20"s high-level panel on infrastructure investment, which reported to the G20 summit in Cannes in November 2011. The Sunday Telegraph understands that as a result of that role he was invited by Jin Liqun, chairman of China Investment Corporation, to speak at the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF). The forum, which took place in Mexico City a week ago, consists of the world's 20 largest sovereign funds, which together manage in excess of $4.5 trillion (£2.7 trillion). Mr Thiam was asked to speak on the future of infrastructure investing and it is known his candidacy for the IFC role was discussed on the sidelines of the conference. In addition, Mr Thiam is understood to have used five minutes of his presentation slot to highlight the benefits of investing in Prudential, in particular his Asian growth strategy. Shareholders in Prudential are likely to be reassured that he has shown his commitment to remaining with the insurer long term. Despite some concern around his leadership following the collapse of the $35.5bn bid for AIA in 2010, since then he has grown to being highly rated among investors, with Prudential's shares up 33.75pc in the year to date. An IFC spokesman said: "IFC does not comment on rumour and speculation, or on personnel issues. The selection of the new IFC CEO was a decision made by the World Bank president and our board. A Prudential spokesman declined to comment, other than to reiterate that Mr Thiam remains committed to his role as chief executive.