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New York, NY – June 1, 2017 – Joseph
R. Perella, founding partner and chairman of Perella
Weinberg Partners, will be the new Chairman of the Board of
Japan Society. Following a unanimous vote, the Society's Board
of Directors announced today that Mr. Perella will step into his
role as Chairman effective immediately.
"It is an honor and a privilege to assume
chairmanship of Japan Society during its 110th anniversary
year," said Perella. "As a member of its Board of Directors, I
have witnessed firsthand the Society's capacity to connect the
people of Japan and the U.S. in mutual understanding. I have
been equally impressed with Japan Society's outstanding range of
public programming, whether presenting the best arts from and
inspired by Japan and building a lifelong appreciation for Japan
through educational opportunities and resources, or working
towards better practices in the business and policy sectors and
promoting social welfare globally."
Perella, a financial industry legend who joined
the Japan Society Board of Directors in 2014, and whose
experience with Japan goes back more than 40 years, succeeds
Wilbur L. Ross, who stepped down as Chairman in February 2017
following appointment as U.S. Commerce Secretary.
"Joseph Perella is known the world over for his
pioneering success in investment banking with deep-seated
experience in nearly every industry and region across the
globe," said Alan
S. MacDonald, Vice Chairman Citibank, N.A., who served as
Interim Chairman at Japan Society and who headed the search
committee. "Beyond his impressive background as a business
leader and true Wall Street legend, his influence and integrity
spans substantial philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors. I
can think of no one more suited to lead the Society into its
next era of accomplishment."
"It has been an honor to get to know Mr. Perella
and his deep appreciation for both Japanese culture and the
U.S.-Japan alliance," said Ambassador
Motoatsu Sakurai, President of Japan Society. "We very much
look forward to all that we can achieve together with Mr.
Perella in his position as Chairman."
Perella's first public appearance as Japan
Society's Chairman will take place at the Society's 2017
Annual Dinner, June 14, 7:30 pm, at the Hilton New York
(53rd Street and Avenue of the Americas). The dinner features a
keynote dialogue with Citi CEO Michael
L. Corbat, and honors The
Hon. Caroline B. Kennedy, Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan,
and Kikkoman Corporation Chairman Yuzaburo
Mogi. In recognition of the Society’s 110th Anniversary,
guests of honor will participate in a special kagami
biraki sake
barrel breaking ceremony on stage. Perella and Amb. Sakurai will
give brief remarks.
About Joseph
R. Perella
Joseph R. Perella is
a Founding Partner and Chairman of Perella Weinberg Partners. He
served as Chief Executive Officer from formation in 2006 to June
2014. Prior to founding Perella Weinberg Partners. Perella was a
member of Morgan Stanley’s Management Committee and held several
senior positions at Morgan Stanley, including Vice Chairman,
Chairman of Institutional Securities and Investment Banking, and
Worldwide Head of the Investment Banking Division. In 1988,
Perella co-founded Wasserstein Perella & Co., Inc. and was
Chairman of the Board until September 1993. From 1972 to 1988,
he held senior positions at First Boston and was the founder of
its Mergers & Acquisitions Group. His investment banking
experience of more than 40 years includes strategic assignments
for leading companies in virtually every industry and region of
the world.
Mr. Perella made his first trip to Japan in 1976,
which made a lasting impression. In 1988, six months after
forming Wasserstein and Perella, the company entered into a
major joint venture with Japan's Nomura Securities Co. that
lasted over a decade. In 2007, an alliance was formed between
Perella Weinberg and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG).
Perella is a Director of the American Italian
Cancer Foundation, The Atlantic Salmon Federation, Boys & Girls
Harbor, Inc., Foundation for Italian Art and Culture, Lincoln
Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., and the Italy and the
Holocaust Foundation. He is a Trustee of Lehigh University and
the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, an Advisory Director of the
Board of the Metropolitan Opera Association, and a member of the
Director’s Advisory Board for Yale Cancer Center. He is also a
member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a former
member of the Business Roundtable. He served on Japan Society's
Board of Directors from March 2014 to his appointment as
Chairman. Perella received a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration from Lehigh University and a Masters in Business
Administration from Harvard Business School.
About Japan
Society
Japan
Society is an American nonprofit, nonpolitical organization
founded on May 19, 1907, by a group of prominent New York
business people and philanthropists—including Lindsay Russell,
Hamilton Holt, Jacob Schiff, Ryoichiro Arai, and Dr. Jokichi
Takamine—many of whom shaped the policies of exchange and
collaboration that guided the Society until the outbreak of
World War II. After the war, activities slowly resumed, and the
stewardship of John D. Rockefeller 3rd from 1952 to 1978 led to
a unified vision, a firm financial foundation, and a revitalized
mission "to bring the people of the United States and Japan
closer together in appreciation and understanding of each
other." For Japan Society's full history, visit: http://www.japansociety.org/brief_history.
Japan Society's Board of Directors comprises more
than 40 high-profile global leaders from the areas of business,
public policy, academia and arts & culture. Japan Society's
president Motoatsu Sakurai—previously Ambassador and Consul
General of Japan in New York and former president of Mitsubishi
International Corporation, USA—told the Board upon his
appointment in April 2009: "A deeper, more resonant relationship
between the people of Japan and the U.S. benefits both
societies—and the world. This remains our goal." For the current
list of Japan Society's Board of Directors, visit: http://www.japansociety.org/board_of_directors.
Today Japan presents sophisticated, topical and
accessible experiences of Japanese art and culture, and
facilitates the exchange of ideas, knowledge and innovation
between the U.S. and Japan. More than 200 events annually
encompass world-class exhibitions, dynamic classical and
cutting-edge contemporary performing arts, film premieres and
retrospectives, workshops and demonstrations, tastings, family
activities, language classes, and a range of high-profile talks
and expert panels that present open, critical dialogue on issues
of vital importance to the U.S., Japan and East Asia.
During the 2017-18 season, Japan Society
celebrates its 110th anniversary with expanded programming that
builds toward a richer, more globally interconnected
21st century: groundbreaking creativity in the arts, unique
access to business insiders and cultural influencers, and
critical focus on social and educational innovation,
illuminating our world beyond borders. More at www.japansociety.org.
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