Program Involvement
Jeffrey R. Williams is a Rajawali Senior Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School, an independent management consultant, and an experienced corporate and non-profit director. He currently divides his time between China and the United States. Williams is currently an advisor to UBS Asset Management in Hong Kong and China. He was formerly an independent director and risk management committee chair of China Universal Asset Management Co., Shanghai’s largest asset management company. He is trustee and audit committee chair of China Medical Board, a foundation with a 100-year history which seeks to advance health, equity, and the quality of care in China and Southeast Asia, and a governing council member of Asian Corporate Governance Association. In 2004-06 Mr. Williams was the president of Shenzhen Development Bank – the first foreign president of a Chinese commercial bank. In 1979-80, soon after the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, he taught at Peking University. Mr. Williams has over 25 years experience in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, beginning with Citibank in Taiwan. In 1988, he opened Citibank’s first China branch in Shenzhen. Mr. Williams was Taiwan country manager for American Express and for Standard Chartered. Most recently, in 2010-2013 he was the inaugural Executive Director of Harvard University’s Center in Shanghai. He has served as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and as chairman of Taipei American School. Williams received his AB, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.