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Alexander Soros

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Alexander Soros
Soros in Manhattan in 2012
Born (1985-10-27) October 27, 1985 (age 39)
New York City, U.S.
EducationNew York University (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (MA, PhD)
Occupations
  • Investor
  • Chairman
  • Philanthropist
TitleChair of the Open Society Foundations
PartnerHuma Abedin (engaged 2024)
Parent(s)George Soros
Susan Weber
RelativesJonathan Soros (half-brother)

Alexander Soros (born October 27, 1985)[1] is an American investor and philanthropist. One of the five children of billionaire George Soros, he chairs the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundations[2] and sits on the investment committee for Soros Fund Management. He was also named one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders of 2018.

Early life and education

Alexander Soros is the son of billionaire George Soros and Susan Weber Soros. He was raised in Katonah, New York and has a younger brother, Gregory.[3] Alex attended King Low Heywood Thomas in Stamford, Connecticut.[3] He graduated from New York University in 2009, and in 2018 graduated with a PhD in history from the University of California, Berkeley.[3][4]

On June 11, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported he would be the heir to the Soros fortune and would immediately take over the Soros Open Society Foundation.[5]

Philanthropy

Soros manages the Soros Family Foundation and the Open Society Foundation, which distributes around US$1.5 billion a year to advance human rights and democratic governments.[5] Soros established himself as a philanthropist with his first major contribution to Bend the Arc in 2011.[4]

According to a 2011 profile in The Wall Street Journal, Soros' focus is on "progressive causes."[4] Since then, he has joined the board of directors of organizations including Global Witness (as an advisory board member), which campaigns against environmental and human rights abuses associated with the exploitation of natural resources. In March 2012, he donated $200,000 to the Jewish Council for Education and Research, the organization behind 2008's "Great Schlep" in support of then-candidate Barack Obama.[6]

Alexander Soros Foundation

In 2012, Soros established the Alexander Soros Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting social justice and human rights. Among the foundation's initial grantees are Bend the Arc, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents the rights of 2.5 million domestic workers in the U.S., and Make the Road New York, a social justice organization for Latino and working class communities in the New York metropolitan area.[7]

Alongside the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations, the Alexander Soros Foundation funded the first U.S. national statistical study of domestic workers ("Home Economics: The Invisible and Unregulated World of Domestic Work," released November 26, 2012).[8]

ASF awards

  • In July 2012, the Alexander Soros Foundation presented its inaugural ASF Award for Environmental and Human Rights Activism to Liberian activist Silas Siakor.[9]
  • In 2013, the prize went to Chut Wutty, the Cambodian activist who died defending the Prey Lang forest.[10]
  • In 2014, the prize was awarded posthumously to Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos Pérez, Leoncio Quincima Meléndez and Francisco Pinedo, a group of indigenous leaders from Peru who were murdered because of their work trying to end illegal logging in their community in Peru's rainforest.[11]
  • In 2015, the prize went to Alphonse Muhindo Valivambene and Bantu Lukambo for their dedication to defending Virunga National Park against corrupt interests attempting to open the park to illegal oil drilling and poaching.
  • In 2016, the prize went to Paul Pavol, a villager from Papua New Guinea who is speaking out against the appropriation of rainforest in his home district of Pomio by Malaysian logging conglomerate Rimbunan Hijau.
  • In 2017, Antônia Melo da Silva, a longtime Brazilian environmental activist, received the Alexander Soros Foundation Award for Environmental and Human Rights Activism for her inspiring role leading campaigns to stop the construction of the Belo Monte Dam and other infrastructure projects in the Amazon rainforest.[12]

Investment career

Soros is the only family member sitting on the investment committee for Soros Fund Management, the vehicle which The Wall Street Journal says is managing the $25bn for the family and the charitable foundation.[13]

Other activities

Soros is credited as a producer of several movies, including Trial by Fire and The Kleptocrats.[14] Soros is a visiting assistant professor of political studies at Bard College, where he has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities.[15] Additionally, Soros is a member of the board of trustees at Bard.[16]

Publications

In 2014, Soros contributed an essay to the book God, Faith and Identity from the Ashes: Reflections of Children and Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors.[17]

Soros' writing has appeared in The Guardian, Politico, The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel, and The Forward.[18]

Personal life

Soros lives in Manhattan, and as of May 2024 was dating political consultant Huma Abedin; they made their debut attendance as a couple at the Met Gala on the night of May 6, 2024.[19][5] The couple announced their engagement on July 10, 2024.[20]

References

  1. ^ Castro, Michelle. "Alexander Soros". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Board of Directors - Open Society Foundations". June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Alex (July 18, 2012). "Making Good on the Family Name". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Melanie Grayce West (September 16, 2011). "Younger Soros Tries to Learn From Father's Giving". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Zuckerman, Gregory (June 11, 2023). "George Soros Hands Control to His 37-Year-Old Son: 'I'm More Political'". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ Josh Nathan-Kazis (April 23, 2012). "Soros Next Generation Steps Up". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  7. ^ Heather Joslyn (April 5, 2012). "Soros Philanthropy: the Next Generation". The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
  8. ^ Steven Greenhouse (November 26, 2012). "A Study of Home Help Finds Low Worker Pay". The New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Wade C.L. Williams (July 20, 2012). "Working for Environment: Liberia's Silas Siakor Wins Human Rights Award". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  10. ^ Hodal, Kate (October 2, 2013). "Cambodia: Chut Wutty's legacy creates an opportunity for land justice". The Guardian. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  11. ^ "In Peru, a Fight Over Land Rights". The New York Times. November 27, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  12. ^ "Antonia Melo recognised for her tireless work fighting Brazil deforestation". Global Witnesss. October 11, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "George Soros hands reins of $25bn empire to son Alex". Lucy Hooker. June 12, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Alex Soros". IMDb. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  15. ^ "Alexander Soros". www.bard.edu. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Alexander Soros". www.opensocietyfoundations.org. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  17. ^ Pullella, Philip (December 9, 2014). "Holocaust survivors' descendants help keep memory alive in new book". Reuters. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  18. ^ "Open Society Foundations: Who Are We". Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Eileen Reslen (May 7, 2024). "Huma Abedin spotted leaving boyfriend Alex Soros' NYC apartment morning after making Met Gala debut together". Page Six. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  20. ^ Suter, Tara (July 10, 2024). "Huma Abedin, Alex Soros engaged". The Hill. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
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