Fred Kempe
Fred Kempe is President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank and public policy group based in Washington, DC. Under his leadership, the Council has experienced industry-leading growth in size, influence, and global reach. Prior to joining the Council, Kempe was a prize-winning Editor and Reporter at the Wall Street Journal for nearly 30 years. He had a prominent career at the WSJ where he won national and international recognition while serving in numerous senior editorial and reportorial capacities. He served as an assistant managing editor, international, and columnist for WSJ New York. Before that, he was the longest-serving editor and associate publisher of WSJ Europe, running the global Journal’s editorial operations in Europe and the Middle East. Kempe has also been a frequent television and radio commentator for CNBC, the BBC, and German radio and television, among others.
Fred Kempe Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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President and CEO
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Managing Editor
Academic History
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Master's Degree
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Bachelor's Degree
THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL
Under his leadership, the Council has achieved historic, industry-leading growth in size and influence, expanding its work through regional centers spanning the globe.
The Council focuses on topics ranging from international security and energy to global trade and next generation mentorship.
He is also the author of the Atlantic Council’s Inflection Points newsletter, a weekly analysis on the global challenges facing the US and how to tackle them.
He has been decorated by the Presidents of Poland and Germany and by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Kempe served as a roving Correspondent based out of London, Vienna Bureau Chief covering Eastern Europe and East-West Affairs, and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Washington, DC.
He served as the Journal's first Berlin Bureau Chief following the unification of Germany and collapse of the Soviet Union.
He covered events including the rise of Solidarity in Poland and the growing Eastern European resistance to Soviet rule; the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev in Russia and his summit meetings with President Ronald Reagan; the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon in the 1980s; and the American invasion of Panama.
RECOGNITIONS
2014 University of Utah’s Distinguished Alumnus Award
2002 The European Voice's 50 Most Influential Europeans
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism’s Top Alumni Achievement Award