NEW YORK – World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder is pleased to announce that Sebastian Thrun, Urs Rohner, Samuel Katz and Soofian Zuberi join Andrew Hruska, Allen Vine and Brad Karp to the WJC Security Advisory Council (SAC).
The WJC SAC is dedicated to advancing the cause of human rights, economic empowerment, historic justice and promoting peace among religions.
Dr. Sebastian Thrun is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University. At Stanford, Dr. Thrun created the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab. Dr. Thrun also founded the Google Brain Project, Google's leading effort on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Social Responsibility. Dr. Thrun is widely credited for the creation of Waymo and the self-driving car. Dr. Thrun is a Co-Founder of STAV Partners, an investment and advisory firm specialized in AI-enabled solutions for key spheres of science, economy and law.
Dr. Thrun is committed to bringing capabilities of AI to the betterment of the world. Ambassador Lauder noted: “Dr. Thrun has demonstrated achievement in human causes through his work with Udacity, a company that provides personal AI mentors for over four million students predominantly in the Arab-speaking countries and has been effective in democratizing access to education and driving economic empowerment around the globe. Udacity graduates have brought hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings to their home countries as a result of their training.”
Mr. Rohner is an international banker, a strategic advisor to globally significant investment organizations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and a member of the Board of Directors of GlaxoSmithKline and of the International Advisory Board of Investcorp. Mr. Rohner was the Chairman of the Board of Credit Suisse Group AG from 2011 to 2021.
Mr. Rohner has been a key member of the Council to Counter Extremism (CCE) co-chaired by Ambassador Lauder and former Director of the CIA Gina Haspel. Mr. Rohner was instrumental in enabling the recent work by Credit Suisse to ensure that the Swiss financial industry would review and accept the responsibility regarding its history and legacy. Mr. Rohner joined Project Righteousness for this purpose and has ensured that unprecedented efforts would be undertaken by commissioning the necessary investigation.
Mr. Rohner’s contribution was recognized in a document addressing the issues of human rights and historic justice which the CCE provided to the President of the United States.
Ambassador Lauder noted: “Mr. Rohner has set an example of moral leadership in the cause that will have far reaching consequences for human rights around the world.”
Mr. Katz is the Founder and Managing Partner of TZP Group, a New York based private equity firm focused on buyouts, growth equity and structured capital investments in founder owned lower middle market companies.
Mr. Katz is the Founder of YRF Darca and serves on Executive Committees of the Board of both YRF Darca and Darca Schools and on the Board of Advisors of Columbia University Medical Center.
Ambassador Lauder noted: “Mr. Katz has played an instrumental role in driving the effectiveness of Darca Schools which has set an example of transforming the lives of tens of thousands of children from underprivileged communities through education. Darca is the number one rated high school network in Israel serving Jewish, Muslim and Christian students in the social and geographic periphery.”
Mr. Zuberi is the Head of Global Equities at Bank of America.
Mr. Zuberi and his son, Zeineddine, set an extraordinary example in the selfless effort to promote peace among religions, restoring the oldest Jewish cemetery in Karachi, Pakistan that had fallen into disrepair for decades with the end of the local Jewish community.
Ambassador Lauder noted: “Mr. Zuberi’s righteous deed makes him a leader in the cause of interfaith healing. Mr. Zuberi’s and Zeineddine’s courage inspire all of us to commit to do more in seeking peace among the religions.”
