After his studies at Oxbridge, El-Erian settled in the US in 1983, taking a position at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. where he rose to become Deputy Director.
He moved to the private sector in January 1998, working in London at Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup before being recruited by PIMCO to lead its work on emerging markets.

After a stint at PIMCO as a managing director and head of the emerging market portfolio team, he was appointed CEO and President of Harvard Management Company, the entity that manages Harvard's endowment and related accounts.
He served as a member of the faculty of Harvard Business School.
As of 2020, he is a member of the Harvard Global Advisory Council.
El-Erian returned to PIMCO in December 2007 as CEO and co-CIO.
As CEO of PIMCO, El-Erian was responsible for setting the strategic direction of the firm and leading its operations globally.
As co-CIO with PIMCO co-founder Bill H. Gross, El-Erian oversaw investment policies and strategies for all the company's portfolio management activities.
He helped deliver investment performance for clients and grow PIMCO's assets under management from under $1 trillion to $2 trillion.

On December 21, 2012, President Obama announced the appointment of El-Erian as the chair of the president's Global Development Council, leading the Council in its role of informing and providing advice to the President and other senior U.S. officials on global development policies and practices.

On January 21, 2014, El-Erian resigned from PIMCO as of mid-March 2014, stating he decided to leave after receiving a letter from his daughter outlining important events in her life that he missed.
However, it was widely reported that his resignation was triggered by conflicts with Gross, raising questions about the company's succession plan as El-Erian was widely perceived as heir apparent to the 69 year old Gross.
Despite this, El-Arian praised Gross as "a brilliant investor ... anchored by three things that you hardly ever find in an investor: Strong fundamentals including economics, a really good feel for the market and strong bond math" when Gross departed Pimco.

El-Erian remains a member of the parent company's (Allianz) international executive committee, chairs its International Advisory Committee, and is an advisor to the management board.

El-Erian has published widely on international economic and finance topics.
He is a member of the Financial Times "A-List" of writers, has a monthly column in Foreign Policy and is a contributing editor at the FT.
He is also a regular op-ed contributor to Project Syndicate.
His columns have appeared in The Atlantic, Bloomberg, The Economist, "Business Insider", Financial Times, Fortune, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Financial Express, and other outlets.
He is a columnist for Bloomberg.
 His first book When Markets Collide was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller.
The book won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award in 2008, was named a book of the year by The Economist, and called one of the best business books of all time by The Independent.
His second book, The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the Next Collapse, was also a New York Times bestseller.

El-Erian was named to Foreign Policy's list of Top 100 Global Thinkers four years in a row: for 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
He appears regularly on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg as well as other media outlets.

In April 2013, Foreign Policy named him as one of the 500 most powerful people on the planet.
In 2017, he again was listed on Worth's "power 100."
He was inducted into the Fixed Income Analysts Society Hall of Fame on April 14, 2011.
In 2011, 2012, and 2013, he was included in Investment Advisor's annual IA 25 list honoring the most influential people in and around the advisor community.
In December 2012, Marketwatch named him one of "30 leaders who will set the agenda in 2013" – the publication's annual list of the people who will shape economic currents in the coming year.
After his studies at Oxbridge, El-Erian settled in the US in 1983, taking a position at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. where he rose to become Deputy Director. He moved to the private sector in January 1998, working in London at Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup before being recruited by PIMCO to lead its work on emerging markets.
After a stint at PIMCO as a managing director and head of the emerging market portfolio team, he was appointed CEO and President of Harvard Management Company, the entity that manages Harvard's endowment and related accounts. He served as a member of the faculty of Harvard Business School. As of 2020, he is a member of the Harvard Global Advisory Council. El-Erian returned to PIMCO in December 2007 as CEO and co-CIO. As CEO of PIMCO, El-Erian was responsible for setting the strategic direction of the firm and leading its operations globally. As co-CIO with PIMCO co-founder Bill H. Gross, El-Erian oversaw investment policies and strategies for all the company's portfolio management activities. He helped deliver investment performance for clients and grow PIMCO's assets under management from under $1 trillion to $2 trillion.
On December 21, 2012, President Obama announced the appointment of El-Erian as the chair of the president's Global Development Council, leading the Council in its role of informing and providing advice to the President and other senior U.S. officials on global development policies and practices.
On January 21, 2014, El-Erian resigned from PIMCO as of mid-March 2014, stating he decided to leave after receiving a letter from his daughter outlining important events in her life that he missed. However, it was widely reported that his resignation was triggered by conflicts with Gross, raising questions about the company's succession plan as El-Erian was widely perceived as heir apparent to the 69 year old Gross. Despite this, El-Arian praised Gross as "a brilliant investor ... anchored by three things that you hardly ever find in an investor: Strong fundamentals including economics, a really good feel for the market and strong bond math" when Gross departed Pimco.
El-Erian remains a member of the parent company's (Allianz) international executive committee, chairs its International Advisory Committee, and is an advisor to the management board.
El-Erian has published widely on international economic and finance topics. He is a member of the Financial Times "A-List" of writers, has a monthly column in Foreign Policy and is a contributing editor at the FT. He is also a regular op-ed contributor to Project Syndicate. His columns have appeared in The Atlantic, Bloomberg, The Economist, "Business Insider", Financial Times, Fortune, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Financial Express, and other outlets. He is a columnist for Bloomberg.  His first book When Markets Collide was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award in 2008, was named a book of the year by The Economist, and called one of the best business books of all time by The Independent. His second book, The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the Next Collapse, was also a New York Times bestseller.
El-Erian was named to Foreign Policy's list of Top 100 Global Thinkers four years in a row: for 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. He appears regularly on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg as well as other media outlets.
In April 2013, Foreign Policy named him as one of the 500 most powerful people on the planet. In 2017, he again was listed on Worth's "power 100." He was inducted into the Fixed Income Analysts Society Hall of Fame on April 14, 2011. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, he was included in Investment Advisor's annual IA 25 list honoring the most influential people in and around the advisor community. In December 2012, Marketwatch named him one of "30 leaders who will set the agenda in 2013" – the publication's annual list of the people who will shape economic currents in the coming year. 
Mohamed A. El-Erian