The Asia Society, one of the oldest U.S.-based organizations focused on bridging ties between the United States and Asia, announced on Monday that Kevin Rudd, Australia’s ambassador to the United States, will return to lead the organisation as its president and CEO from its global headquarters in New York on March 31.
He succeeds Kyung-wha Kang, who stepped down as Asia Society president and CEO in October to become the Republic of Korea’s top diplomat in the United States. (See earlier interview with Kang here.)
Rudd will also serve as president of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and will assume a leading role with ASPI’s Center for China Analysis, which he established in 2022, the Asia Society said.
During his time as Australia’s ambassador in Washington, Rudd navigated a strained relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, Forbes Australia reported this week.“The ambassador was forced to delete historic social media posts critical of Trump, including comments labelling him a ‘traitor to the West,’” Forbes Australia reported. “That tension surfaced publicly last year during a press conference marking a U.S.–Australia critical minerals deal, when Trump told Rudd, ‘I don’t like you, and I probably never will.’”
Rudd, a diplomat, a Mandarin-speaking China scholar and expert on Asia-Pacific affairs, was the Asia Society’s president and CEO (2021-2023) and the inaugural president of ASPI (2015-2023). Prior to joining the Asia Society, Rudd was Australia’s 26th prime minister (2007-2010, 2013) and as foreign minister (2010-2012). He became ambassador to the U.S. during the presidency of Joe Biden.
Rudd began his career as a China scholar, and worked as an Australian diplomat in Beijing before entering Australian politics. He is the author of two major books on China and U.S.-China relations: On Xi Jinping (2024) and The Avoidable War (2022).
“We are thrilled that Kevin has accepted the Board’s invitation to lead Asia Society at such a critical moment for the institution, the Asia-Pacific, and the world. He is a true statesman and a visionary leader with peerless experience,” said John L. Thornton and Chan Heng Chee, Co-Chairs, Asia Society Board of Trustees.
The Asia Society is an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan, nonprofit global organization dedicated to analysis of developments across the Asia-Pacific region, and to forging partnerships between the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia, the United States, and the rest of the world.
The New York-headquartered Asia Society has cultural centers and gallery spaces in Hong Kong and Houston, and offices in Delhi, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.
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This story was originally published on forbes.com.
