The board of trustees of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace announced today the addition of Zhang Yichen, chairman and chief executive officer of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited.
“Zhang Yichen is a pioneer in China’s financial market and a global business leader,” said Harvey V. Fineberg, chairman of the board. “He is an engaged global citizen with a deep commitment to our mission, and we’re delighted to welcome him to our board.”
Zhang worked on Wall Street for Greenwich Capital Markets, the Bank of Tokyo, and Merrill Lynch before joining CITIC Group as the president of CITIC Pacific Communications and executive director for CITIC Pacific. He founded CITIC Capital in 2002, which has invested in some of China’s leading companies, including Alibaba, Sina, Harbin Pharmaceutical, SF Express, and Focus Media.
“It is a great privilege to join Carnegie’s board of trustees,” Zhang said. “I admire Carnegie’s many contributions not only in fostering dialogue between China and the wider world, but across its six global centers, as well as its commitment to investing in the next generation of thinkers and doers in international affairs.”
Zhang is a board member of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, a member of the Eleventh and Twelfth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum foundation board.
He obtained a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“We are very fortunate to have Zhang Yichen on our board,” said Carnegie President William J. Burns. “I look forward to working with him to make Carnegie an even finer institution.”