Michael Ignatieff and Tarek Rizk Join Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Board of Trustees

New York, New York, December 14, 2023 — Carnegie Corporation of New York announced today during its quarterly meeting that two new members have been named to its board of trustees. Michael Ignatieff, professor of history and former president and rector of Central European University, is joined by Tarek Rizk, head of MENA at Balyasny Asset Management. Each will serve a four-year term. “On behalf of the entire board of trustees and staff, we are honored to welcome Michael Ignatieff and Tarek Rizk to Carnegie Corporation of New York,” said Thomas H. Kean, chairman of the board of trustees and former governor of New Jersey. “It is a great pleasure to welcome Michael and Tarek to our board of trustees,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. “I have known and admired Michael for many years while Tarek’s depth of experience in the finance sector will be a real asset to the board.”

Michael Ignatieff is professor of history and former president and rector, Central European University. Born in Canada, he graduated with a doctorate in history from Harvard University in 1975, going on to win a senior research fellowship at King’s College, Cambridge, where he led a research project on the origins of classical economic theory. After Cambridge, Ignatieff spent the next 16 years as a freelance writer and broadcaster, mostly for the BBC, based in London. His most notable project in that period was Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism, a six-part television series that also appeared as a book. Ignatieff was elected to the Parliament of Canada in January 2006, serving as deputy leader, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, and leader of the Official Opposition. Defeated in his reelection bid in 2011, he left politics and returned to academic life. In 2016, Ignatieff accepted an appointment as rector and president of the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, shepherding the university through a tumultuous period when it came under attack by the government of Viktor Orbán. In 2021, having led the university to relocate safely in Vienna, he stepped down and returned to the classroom as a professor in the history department. Ignatieff is the recipient of Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada, and has been awarded 14 honorary degrees. Read full bio here.

Tarek Rizk joined Balyasny Asset Management (BAM) in October 2023 as head of the firm’s MENA office, which is based in Dubai. He is leading BAM’s expansion in the Middle East, an area rapidly becoming a global hub for investment talent. Prior to BAM, Rizk spent over 10 years at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), in his last position as global head of alternative investments. Backing some of the most successful hedge fund launches of the past decade, he established a culturally diverse team that focused on hedge funds, insurance-linked strategies, and niche private markets, contributing to ADIA’s consistent outperformance. Rizk is passionate about education. Throughout his career, he has supported and guided young professionals, including women in the Middle East, empowering them to build self-confidence and excel as leaders in the financial industry. His volunteer work has centered around mentoring and sponsoring groups that are underrepresented in STEM. Born in Egypt, Rizk is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He earned BS and MS degrees in engineering from the American University in Cairo, an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a PhD from the George Washington University, where he was awarded the School of Engineering and Applied Science Scholarship. Read full bio here.