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Dr. Roger S. Leeds
Professor
Johns Hopkins University, SAIS
Dr. Roger S. Leeds is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. He also is a Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University, Director of the School’s Center for International Business and Public Policy, and an Adjunct Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Leeds’ teaching and research focus on international financial markets, private equity and venture capital investing in emerging markets, financial sector development, and the linkages between corporate governance and access to financial markets.
Prior to joining SAIS in 1999, Dr. Leeds career combined his professional interests in business, finance and public policy. Previous positions include: Managing Director and co-head of the emerging markets practice at Patricof & Co., a New York-based venture capital firm and merchant bank; Partner at KPMG (the Barents Group), where he headed their global privatization advisory services; senior staff member at the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank affiliate that provides financing for private companies in developing countries; and, Associate at Salomon Brothers in New York. He has worked in more than 100 countries in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and Africa. His international career began 35 years ago in Brazil, where he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years.
Dr. Leeds has had longstanding ties to the academic community that pre-date his current position at SAIS. He spent two years at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, teaching and heading a research project on privatization in developing countries. He also has guest lectured at numerous universities around the world. He is the author of a book entitled Financing Small Enterprises in Developing Countries and more than 30 articles and book chapters. He has been a guest commentator on radio and television programs, including CNN, Bloomberg News, CBS News, CNBC and National Public Radio. Dr. Leeds is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, and has served on numerous boards. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, and his M.A. and PhD from SAIS.