AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin is launching an International Board of Advisors (IBA) to advise the president and executive leadership on developing and implementing an international strategy to expand the university’s global reach and impact. They will come together for their first meeting Sept. 8.
“IBA members will become global ambassadors for UT,” said UT President Gregory L. Fenves. “They will open new doors and create opportunities for our university community that leverage their networks and knowledge.”
Consisting of 12 leading alumni and influencers from around the world, the board will bring diverse cultural perspectives, a range of industry experience and deep understanding of the global economy to bear upon the university’s vision for global engagement.
The board will make recommendations to help achieve the president’s goal of creating an ecosystem that fosters more global educational and collaboration opportunities for students and faculty members, while also expanding relations with international alumni to enhance the presence and impact of the university around the world.
“While our brand is recognized across the continents, we must be intentional in threading global engagement through our mission and vision to assure our students’ confidence and awareness in a multicultural world, while expanding our competitiveness as a top research university,” said Fenves.
By enhancing the university’s global engagement as a strategic priority, the university can increase its impact across key areas of the university’s mission, from educating leaders to accelerating discovery and transforming health care.
The board will hold its inaugural meeting Sept. 8 to discuss and make recommendations on how the university can more effectively engage its international community of students, academic partners, alumni and friends.
Board members represent industries as diverse as energy, media and technology with distinguished records of community service and roots stretching across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Members of the International Board of Advisors are:
Christopher P. Bake
London, United Kingdom
Vitol Group
Christopher Bake is a member of the executive committee at Vitol, a global energy and commodity trading company headquartered in Switzerland. He is also chairman of VTTI, a global provider of storage services for crude oil, refined petroleum products and LPG; and chairman of Vivo Energy, the Shell licensee operating 1,800 retail sites in 16 countries in Africa. During his career with Vitol, he established and ran the company’s office in Dubai and has held several global leadership positions serving in offices in Bahrain, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Houston and London.
Juliet Berkowitz
New York, New York, USA
Fashion Industry Professional (retired)
Juliet Safro Berkowitz was born in England and raised in South Africa and Houston. During her career, she worked in advertising and served as editor for several magazines including Mirabella, Vogue and Mademoiselle in addition to managing publicity for the shoe designer Christian Louboutin. She is involved with several nonprofit institutions in the United States and South Africa, including the Institute of Race Relations and the Kennedy Center International Committee.
William Bollinger
London and Singapore
Chairman, Judico Capital Pte. Ltd.
Co-founder, Egerton Capital (UK) LLP
Bill Bollinger is director and chairman of Judico Capital Pte. Ltd., a hedge fund based in Singapore. He previously was CEO and securities investment adviser for Judico Research Limited, providing equity research and consulting services. Bollinger is also a limited partner of Egerton Capital (UK) LLP, a hedge fund that he co-founded in 1994.
Charles Chao
Shanghai, China
Chairman and CEO, SINA Corporation
Chairman, Weibo Corporation
Charles Chao is chairman and CEO of SINA Corporation, a global online media company that operates Weibo, one of the most popular social media sites in China. After joining SINA in September 1999, Chao served various managerial positions including vice president of finance, chief financial officer, co-chief operating officer and president. He has served as chief executive officer since May 2006 and as chairman of the board since August 2012. Under Chao’s leadership, SINA launched Weibo.com in 2009. Weibo has more than 340 million monthly active users, about the same number of users as Twitter.
Michael Hoffman
London, United Kingdom
Chairman, Hoffman Ventures Limited
IBA Chair
Michael Hoffman currently serves as chairman of Hoffman Ventures Limited. In 1998, he co-founded Palamon Capital Partners LLP, a leading midmarket European private equity firm, where he served as chairman until 2015. Hoffman has served on numerous boards of academic, cultural and performing arts organizations including the RAND Europe Council of Advisors, the Museum of London, Columbia University’s International Advisory Board, and George Washington University’s Board of Trustees and Elliott School of International Affairs Board of Advisors.
Gwen Houston
Seattle, Washington, USA
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, General Manager of Diversity and Inclusion, Microsoft Corporation
Gwen Houston is chief global diversity and inclusion officer for Microsoft Corporation. In her current role, Houston is responsible for the strategic direction, implementation and alignment of Microsoft’s global diversity and inclusion initiatives worldwide to ensure maximum impact on Microsoft’s business growth and talent strategies. With 20-plus years’ experience as a global leader and business strategist, Houston has held similar positions at Campbell Soup Company, Aetna, Nike and FedEx.
Tae Han Kim
Seoul, South Korea
CEO, Samsung BioLogics Co. Ltd.
Dr. Tae Han Kim was appointed chief executive officer of Samsung BioLogics in April 2011. Prior to that, Kim was executive vice president of strategic business development at Samsung Group. During his career at Samsung, Kim spearheaded multiple expansion projects including the creation of a naphtha cracking center, an aromatics plant and styrene monomer production plants. Kim has been a featured speaker for the Cockrell School of Engineering, including during the Chemical Engineering Centennial Celebration in spring 2016.
Ja-Kyun Koo
Seoul, South Korea
Chairman and CEO, LSIS Co. Ltd.
Dr. Ja-Kyun Koo is the chairman and CEO of LSIS Co. Ltd, an energy company focused on electric power systems, smart grid solutions and photovoltaic systems. He is also the chairman of LS Metal. Prior to joining LSIS in 2005, Koo was a professor at Korea University and Kookmin University. He is active in groups including the Global Smart Grid Federation, National Standardization Council and Korea Electrical Engineering and Science Research Institute. Serving UT in a very important capacity, Koo is the leader of the Korean Alumni Association, one of the largest UT alumni groups outside the U.S.
Henning Kreke
Hagen, Germany
Chairman, Douglas Holding AG
Dr. Henning Kreke is chairman of Douglas Holding AG, a diversified European retail conglomerate that operates Europe’s leading cosmetics retailer Douglas and Germany’s leading book retailer Thalia. He successfully developed Douglas from a diversified retail conglomerate, predominantly operating in Germany, into a leading pan-European specialty retailer.
Peng Ong
Jakarta, Indonesia
Co-founder and Managing Director, Monk’s Hill Ventures
Peng Ong is an entrepreneur who invests in entrepreneurs primarily through his role as managing director at Monk’s Hill Ventures, a technology venture fund based in Southeast Asia that he co-founded. Ong has founded various companies including Encentuate, which was later purchased by IBM; Interwoven Inc., now part of Hewlett-Packard; and Electric Classifieds Inc., creators of Match.com, which is now part of IAC. Ong has co-authored numerous patents for technologies developed at his companies.
Adriana Pacheco Roldán
Puebla, Mexico; and Austin, Texas, USA
Scholar and Community Advocate
Dr. Adriana Pacheco is a scholar of Latin American studies and member of the “Conservative Sensibilities” International Research Network (University of Bergen, Norway) and Mexico’s National Research System. She is a co-founder of the Nineteenth-Century Section of the Latin American Studies Association and co-creator of the scholarly exchange program between Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP) and the University of Bergen. A Texas Book Festival featured author, she is a passionate community advocate and founder of Casa del Sol, an orphanage for 100 children in operation since 1992.
Carlos Quintanilla
Monterrey, Mexico
President and Owner, Quintanilla, Hache Y Asociados (QHYA)
Carlos Quintanilla is the owner and president of Quintanilla, Hache y Asociados (QHYA), a family business focused on investments in the financial services industry in Mexico and industrial park developments in the United States. Quintanilla is a founder and active participant in several financial services companies including securities brokerage houses, asset management companies and banks. He and his wife Clara started an endowed scholarship fund at UT in 2013 to support engineering students of Mexican heritage.
