New York, New York, September 11, 2014 — Lionel Barber, the award-winning editor of the Financial Times since 2005, has been named to the Carnegie Corporation of New York Board of Trustees. Distinguished economist Pedro Aspe, who served as Mexico’s minister of finance and public credit, returns to the Corporation board having previously served eight years as a trustee. Board members are limited to two consecutive terms. Barber and Aspe will begin serving four-year terms on December 4, 2014.
“We are fortunate to have two professionals of the highest caliber joining the Corporation board,” said Thomas H. Kean, chairman of the board of Carnegie Corporation and former governor of New Jersey. “Lionel has reported on many of the most important stories of the past three decades and offers a remarkable depth of knowledge and experience. Pedro is a world-class economist and strategic thinker whose observations were of great benefit to the Corporation during his previous tenure. We are deeply grateful for Pedro’s return.”
Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian described Barber as one of the leading journalists in the world. “Lionel is a renowned editor of the Financial Times. His is a voice that is respected around the world. He brings broad and wise perspectives from across the Atlantic. Lionel is an outstanding public intellectual with a great range of expertise and experience. We are fortunate to have him.”
In welcoming Aspe back to the board, Gregorian said, “Pedro is a major international figure and well versed in Latin American finance and economics. We’re delighted that he is rejoining our board. He brings the Latin America perspective as well as the Mexican perspective. We are grateful for the time and wisdom that he has provided in the past.”
Lionel Barber has served as editor of the Financial Times since November 2005. He rose through the ranks during a stellar reporting career, and his association with the newspaper spans nearly 30 years. Previously, he was U.S. managing editor at the paper, as well as editor of the continental European edition. During that assignment, Barber was invited to brief George W. Bush ahead of the president’s inaugural mission to Europe. Other positions at the Financial Times have included news editor from 1998 to 2000, Brussels bureau chief from 1992 to 1998, and both Washington, D.C. correspondent and U.S. editor from 1986 to 1992.
Barber has co-written several books and has lectured widely on U.S. foreign policy, transatlantic relations, European security, and monetary policies in the United States and Europe. He appears regularly on international TV and radio, and graduated from St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University with joint honors in German and modern history.
Barber’s work has been recognized with numerous honors starting in 1981, when he was named Young Journalist of the Year by the British Press Awards. In 1998, he was named one of the 101 Most Influential Europeans by Le Nouvel Observateur, and in 2009 he was awarded the St. George Society Medal of Honor for his contributions to journalism and the international community. In February 2011, Barber was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Tate.
Pedro Aspe is a successful entrepreneur and acclaimed Mexican economist who has held a number of high-level positions in the government of Mexico. He is co-chairman of Evercore Partners, a global independent investment advisory firm based in New York City. In 2006, Evercore merged with the investment consulting and advisory firm Protego, headquartered in Mexico City. Aspe founded Protego in 1996 and currently serves as chief executive officer.
Aspe earned his doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has served as chairman and professor of the economics department at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), from which he received his undergraduate degree. Aspe served as Mexico’s minister of finance and public credit from 1988 to 1994. During that time, he successfully renegotiated foreign debt and gave autonomy to the Central Bank. In addition, Aspe was the founding president of the National Institute of Statistics in Mexico and served as the country’s secretary of budget and secretary of the treasury.
Aspe has also held numerous positions with the boards of public companies including multimedia corporation Televisa, and the McGraw Hill Companies. In addition, Aspe has served on the Advisory Board of Stanford University’s Institute of International Studies; the Visiting Committee of the Department of Economics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the board of the Institute of the Americas.
Aspe was a member of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Board of Trustees from 2004 until 2012 and served on the Investment and Audit Committees.
About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.