Yale University President Announces 2009 Yale World Fellows

Yale University President Richard C. Levin has announced the 2009 Yale World Fellows.

The Yale World Fellows Program is a core element of Yale’s ongoing commitment to global leadership development. Aiming to build a global network of emerging leaders and to broaden international understanding worldwide, each year the Program invites a select group of highly accomplished mid-career men and women from government, business, the media, and civil society organizations representing countries across the world, for a 4-month leadership program at Yale.

“I am delighted that these extraordinary men and women have chosen to spend time at Yale,” said Levin. “We are certain that their leadership skills will be strengthened, and that the Yale community will benefit greatly from their presence on campus.”

The Yale World Fellows Program has at its core three main goals: to provide advanced training to emerging leaders from diverse disciplines and countries, to link this network of world leaders to each other and to Yale in a tangible way, and to expand and deepen international understanding at Yale.

The 15 World Fellows for 2009 were selected from a pool of more than 900 applicants. Since its inception in 2002, 140 World Fellows from 70 countries have been welcomed to New Haven for this Program.

This year’s World Fellows include a noted Chinese independent filmmaker, the editorial page editor of Russia’s most influential business daily, a Saudi Arabian foundation director and television personality, and an Indian corporate sustainability strategist for one of the largest international banks. A complete list of 2009 World Fellows follows this release.

“Each of the 2009 Yale World Fellows has demonstrated an outstanding record of accomplishment and unlimited potential for future success,” said Program Director Michael Cappello, Professor of Pediatrics, Microbial Pathogenesis, and Epidemiology & Public Health. “This experience will undoubtedly broaden their horizons, and we welcome them into the rich network of global decision makers trained at Yale.

“Yale and the World Fellows Program are offering us an invaluable opportunity,” said Ali Hakan Altinay, a 2009 World Fellow who directs the Open Society Foundation in Turkey. “I look forward to learning about effective leadership, and to discussing a wide range of global issues with students, faculty, and other World Fellows.

From August to December, the 2009 World Fellows will engage in a specially designed seminar taught by eminent Yale faculty; take any of the 3,000 courses offered at the University; participate in weekly dinners with distinguished guest speakers; receive individualized skill-building training; and meet with U.S. and foreign leaders. Past World Fellows have met with then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy, then-UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis, U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, among others.

The Yale World Fellows Program is currently accepting nominations for the 2010 Program. Please visit www.yale.edu/worldfellows for more information.

2009 Yale World Fellows

Muna AbuSulayman (Saudi Arabia)
Executive Director HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation
AbuSulayman is a foundation director and television personality devoted to improving East-West relations and strengthening educational institutions in the Middle East.

Ali Hakan Altinay (Turkey)
Executive Director, Open Society Foundation, Turkey
A social change agent, Altinay works toward Turkey’s accession to the European Union and social, educational, and judicial reform.

Unmesh Brahme (India)
Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India
Brahme, a corporate strategist, promotes socially responsible practices involving communities, stakeholders, and businesses.

Alexander Evans (United Kingdom)
First Secretary, British High Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan
A key diplomat with expertise in South Asia, in particular Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and Kashmir, Evans is currently serving in the UK Embassy in Islamabad.

Emmanuelle Ganne (France)
Economic Affairs Officer, Accessions Division, World Trade Organization
Ganne is a primary negotiator for countries acceding to the WTO, including Lebanon, Bosnia, Iran, Russia, and Vietnam.

Vusi Gumede (South Africa)
Chief Policy Analyst, The Presidency
An economist by training, Gumede supervises major analytical projects within The Presidency’s Policy Coordination and Advisory Services and is expert in socio-economic issues pertaining to South Africa and Africa more broadly.

John Hendra (Canada)
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Vietnam
A career UNDP officer, Hendra is working at leading edge of UN reform efforts, including the pilot project “One UN Initiative.”

Azeem Ibrahim (Scotland)
Chairman & CEO, European Commerce and Mercantile Bank
Chairman, Ibrahim Foundation
Ibrahim is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and government advisor specializing in geopolitical strategy.

Tim Jarvis (Australia)
Associate Director, URS Corporation UK
Jarvis is an environmental sustainability advisor to developing countries, with expertise in natural resource management planning and Environmental Management Systems design. He is also a noted explorer and advocate for environmental causes.

Jian Yi (China)
Founding Director, Participatory Documentary Center
As an internationally recognized independent filmmaker and director of the Participatory
Documentary Center, Jian promotes social change and civic empowerment through the
medium of film.

Claudia Lopez (Colombia)
Political Researcher, New Rainbow Corporation and Civil Society Electoral Mission
Columnist, Semana.com
Lopez is a respected journalist and political analyst notable for bringing to light government corruption and politicians’ ties to paramilitary groups.

Maria Machado (Venezuela)
Co-Founder & Chairman, SUMATE
Machado devotes herself to defending democratic institutions and civil liberties through SUMATE, the nation’s leading watchdog for electoral transparency.

Beatrice Mategwa (Kenya)
Producer/Head of Television, United Nations Mission in Sudan
A broadcast journalist with pan-African experience, Mategwa currently covers the North-South conflict in Sudan and has expertise on how war impacts communities.

Zafar Sobhan (Bangladesh)
Op-Ed Editor and Columnist, The Daily Star
Editor, Forum Magazine
As an opinion shaper in Bangladesh, Sobhan edits and contributes to Bangladesh’s paper of record as well as the nation’s first “think magazine.”

Maxim Trudolyubov (Russia)
Editorial Page Editor, Vedemosti
Trudolyubov is the editorial page editor and a columnist for Russia’s most influential, independent business daily.