McCourt Institute Announces Former POLITICO Europe CEO Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson as Inaugural Executive Director

PARIS, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The McCourt Institute today announced Shéhérazade Semsar as its first executive director. Launched earlier this year with founding academic partners Georgetown University and Sciences Po, the institute was established to advance research and engage interdisciplinary experts in developing a digital governance framework to enhance technology and embed ethics into the next generation of the web. The McCourt Institute is part of Project Liberty, a visionary initiative launched by civic entrepreneur Frank McCourt to transform how the internet works and create a more equitable digital economy.

Semsar will lead the McCourt Institute after serving as the founding CEO of POLITICO Europe. Under her leadership, POLITICO became one of Europe's most influential publications. She also helped launch POLITICO's annual AI Innovation and Governance Summit, which convenes key players and stakeholders from across the globe for discussions on the future of AI standards and governance. After leaving her role as CEO in 2021, Semsar remains an advisory board member for POLITICO Europe. Semsar currently serves on the Advisory Board of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and, from 2013 to 2019, was a member of the University's Board of Directors.

"We are thrilled to welcome Shéhérazade to the McCourt Institute and grateful for the expertise, enthusiasm, and leadership skills that she brings to her role as our first executive director," said Frank McCourt, Chairman of McCourt Global, Inc., and founder of Project Liberty. "Shéhérazade's career has been defined by her unique ability to bring diverse partners together around common goals. She understands that, to solve the urgent and systemic problems that today's tech infrastructure is fueling, we need interdisciplinary thinkers working hand-in-hand with technologists to infuse ethics into technology and creating a workable plan for good digital governance. Shéhérazade's deep international experience leading industry shifts and tackling big challenges makes her the perfect person to advance the goals of Project Liberty and spearhead the critical work of the institute."

"Despite technology's many benefits, it's clear that today's tech structure is driving negative outcomes; this is a global problem, not just a U.S. or European problem," said Semsar. "With the launch of the McCourt Institute and Project Liberty, we have an exciting opportunity to embed values and governance into technology while moving quickly and encouraging innovation. I look forward to working with great minds across countries and disciplines to create a much-needed governance framework and help put us on this better path."

The institute will be making additional announcements about inaugural initiatives in the coming months. More information on the McCourt Institute and Project Liberty can be found at projectliberty.io.

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SOURCE McCourt