Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Legatum Institute

LONDON, January 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Will Lead Initiatives to Promote Liberty and an Expansive Understanding of Global Prosperity

The Board of Directors of the Legatum Institute announced today that Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Legatum Institute, a leading policy think tank. He will assume the post on 1st March 2011. Dr. Gedmin joins the Institute following nearly four years as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty where he directed broadcasting and operations in almost 30 languages.

Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin said, "The Legatum Institute offers an unparalleled platform upon which to shape ideas and policy in the world today. I am honoured to be appointed to this prestigious post and look forward to leading the Legatum Institute in developing fresh ideas and translating them into action."

Based in London and global in scope, the Legatum Institute is an independent, non-partisan think-tank that researches and advocates an expansive understanding of prosperity. Recognised as one of the UK's leading think tanks, the Institute recently published the fourth annual Legatum Prosperity Index, covering 110 countries, which redefines prosperity in terms of both wealth and well-being and includes factors such as entrepreneurship, liberty, opportunity, security and overall human flourishing.

Mark Stoleson, CEO of the Legatum Group, said, "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Gedmin to the Legatum Group. His appointment marks the next stage of the Legatum Institute's rapidly evolving leadership in ideas and action relating to global prosperity and human flourishing. With his extensive international experience, proven thought leadership and organisational acumen, Dr. Gedmin will shape the ideas and policy recommendations that will promote global prosperity and its key drivers of individual liberty, free markets and entrepreneurship."

About the Legatum Institute

The Legatum Institute is an independent, non-partisan think tank that researches and advocates for an expansive understanding of global prosperity. Based in London, the Institute encourages the adoption of sound policies grounded in a holistic understanding of the human person, the wisdom and prudence of free markets, and a comprehensive approach to international development. The Institute undertakes original and collaborative research, publishes scholarly literature and popular distillations, and cultivates a distinguished group of advisors and fellows. It seeks to assist policymakers, business leaders, opinion-formers, scholars and the general public in the adoption of sound ideas and best practices. For more information please visit http://www.li.com for the Legatum Institute and http://www.prosperity.com for the 2010 Prosperity Index.

About Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin

Before heading Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dr. Gedmin was Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, an independent non-profit and non-partisan organisation for international affairs and transatlantic relations. Prior to this, he was a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, D.C. At AEI, Dr. Gedmin also served as Executive Director of the New Atlantic Initiative, a coalition of top policymakers, journalists and business executives dedicated to the revitalisation and expansion of the Atlantic community of democracies. Dr. Gedmin is a regular columnist for Die Welt. His articles on foreign and defence issues and US public diplomacy including NATO, US-EU relations, missile defence, and Balkan security, have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, Die Welt, and elsewhere. He is the author of The Hidden Hand: Gorbachev and the Collapse of East Germany (1992) and the editor of European Integration and the American Interest (AEI Press, 1997). He was Executive Editor and Producer of the award-winning PBS television program, The Germans, Portrait of a New Nation. He has taught at Georgetown University and is an honorary professor at the University of Konstanz in Germany. He holds a Doctorate in German area studies and linguistics from Georgetown University, a Master's degree in German area studies from the American University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Arts in music from the same institution.

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