The Group of Thirty (G30) is a private, nonprofit international think tank founded in 1978, comprising very senior representatives from central bankers, academics, financial leaders in the private and public sectors. It serves as a body focused on deepening understanding of international economic and financial issues, studying global economic, monetary, and financial policy, and exploring the international repercussions of decisions taken in the public and private sectors. The Group's work program is determined by its members, conducting studies and publishing reports on topics including global monetary and financial policy, international financial markets, central banking and supervision, and global economic governance. Leadership includes Tharman Shanmugaratnam as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mark Carney as Chair of the Group, Jacob A. Frenkel as Chairman Emeritus, and Jean-Claude Trichet as Honorary Chairman. The G30 has faced scrutiny regarding potential conflicts of interest, particularly concerning the participation of the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) as a member, with critics including the European Ombudsman arguing that such membership could compromise ECB independence due to the private nature of meetings and inclusion of commercial bank executives.