Chicago, IL—Kevin Rudd, who served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister, has joined the Paulson Institute as a Distinguished Fellow.
Announcing Rudd’s appointment, Paulson Institute chairman Henry M. Paulson, Jr., said, “Simply put, Kevin Rudd has been a leading thinker and doer—in Australia and on the global stage. Especially during the challenging days of the financial crisis of 2008, he showed great leadership for Australia and the world. It’s that mix of thought and action that defines the Paulson Institute, which I call a ‘think and do’ tank. Our focus is China—a country with which Kevin has had three decades of rich experience. So I am delighted that he will marry his deep knowledge of China to the Paulson Institute’s effort to fashion practical and enduring solutions to the economic and environmental challenges facing China and the world.”
Rudd said, “I am delighted to be joining the Paulson Institute, established by my good friend and colleague, Hank Paulson. We worked closely together in 2008, so I am pleased to be collaborating again with Hank and his team. China is at a threshold moment: it faces very considerable economic and environmental challenges. And what is more, its choices and actions will have a powerful effect on the nature and quality of global growth and environmental protection. I look forward to contributing to the Paulson Institute’s effort to foster cooperative solutions and China’s adoption of lessons and best practices from around the world.”
The Paulson Institute is an independent, nonpartisan center located at the University of Chicago. Established in 2011 by Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the 74th US Secretary of the Treasury and former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, the Institute promotes sustainable economic growth and environmental protection in the United States and China. The Institute is committed to the principle that today’s most pressing economic and environmental challenges can be solved only if leading countries work in complementary ways.
Rudd will be closely affiliated with the Institute’s think tank, a “virtual” institution that commissions, hones, and publishes prescriptive and analytical work from leading scholars and practitioners. The think tank’s work is focused in four areas: (1) financial and capital markets reform in China; (2) macroeconomic and structural reform in China; (3) China and the world economy; and (4) energy and environmental issues.
Rudd will work with the Institute’s think tank on China and US-China relations. He will also participate in projects and initiatives on Chinese economic and environmental policy.
About Kevin Rudd: Kevin Rudd served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister between 2007 and 2010, and subsequently as Australia’s Foreign Minister from 2010 until 2012. He served again as Prime Minister in 2013. Mr. Rudd was elected as Leader of the Labor Party in 2006 and was only the third Labor leader to win government from opposition since World War II. As Prime Minister, Mr. Rudd led Australia’s response during the Global Financial Crisis. Mr. Rudd is internationally recognized as one of the founders of the G20, the premier global economic decision-making institution. He is recognized as a major driving force behind the 2010 decision to expand the East Asia Summit to include the United States in this important regional institution. As Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mr. Rudd also oversaw the doubling of Australian foreign aid over five years, making Australia the seventh largest aid donor in the world. Mr. Rudd remains engaged in major international challenges, including global economic management, the rise of China, and the global challenge of sustainable development. He was a co-author of the 2012 report of the United Nations Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Global Sustainability, Resilient People, Resilient Planet.