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RAZMIK PANOSSIAN APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES DEPARTMENT
Of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
LISBON - The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announced today the
appointment of Dr. Razmik Panossian as the new Director of the
Armenian Communities Department in Lisbon. He will assume the post
on 1 February 2013.
Panossian holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and
Political Science, where he also taught. He has published widely
on Armenian-related issues, including a critically acclaimed book
on Armenian national identity. He has extensive experience in
senior management, including the administration of multi-million
dollar programmes, as well as the allocation and distribution of
international development grants. For many years he served as the
Director of Policy, Programmes and Planning at a Canadian governmental
organisation based in Montreal. He has worked for the United Nations
Development Programme. He is fluent in English, French and Armenian.
"I am both thrilled and humbled by this appointment," said Panossian.
"This is one of the most important positions in the Armenian diaspora.
I am looking forward to continuing the work of my predecessors and
further strengthening and expanding the activities of the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation in a focused and systematic manner within
Armenian communities around the world."
Martin Essayan, the Trustee responsible for the Armenian Communities
Department, and great grandson of Foundation founder Calouste
Gulbenkian, said: "I am delighted that Dr. Panossian will be the
new Director of the Armenian Communities Department. He comes with
outstanding credentials for this role and brings the international,
integrative perspective we need. The appointment followed a
global search during which we were able to consider many excellent
candidates."
For further information contact: Elisabete Caramelo, Director of
Communications, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: [email protected]
Tel: +351217823320/ +35121217823217 Website: Armenian Communities
Department
Notes to Editors
Razmik Panossian is the author of The Armenians: From Kings and Priests
to Merchants and Commissars (Columbia University Press/Hurst & Co.,
2006). He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and
Political Science. His thesis won the prestigious Lord Bryce Prize for
Best Dissertation in Comparative and International Politics in the UK
(2001) granted by Britain's Political Studies Association. He received
his MA from York University in Toronto, Canada, and his BA (honours)
from McGill University in Montreal. Panossian has taught at the
London School of Economics and at the School of Oriental and African
Studies (University of London) on the subjects of nationalism, ethnic
conflict, post-Soviet transition/democratisation, and comparative
politics. In 2004 he assumed the position of Director of Policy,
Programmes and Planning at the International Centre for Human Rights
and Democratic Development, a Canadian federal institution devoted to
the promotion of democracy and human rights. He managed the Centre's
international programming in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East
and Asia. His work took him to countries as diverse as Afghanistan,
China, Haiti, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco and Congo. Between 2010 and
2012 Panossian worked as an international consultant, including at
UNDP in New York. He has delivered numerous lectures and conference
papers throughout the world, has participated in Turkish-Armenian
workshops and the Armenia-Diaspora conferences. He has published
many academic articles on Armenian national identity and nationalism,
as well as on Armenia-diaspora relations. Razmik was born in Lebanon
and immigrated to Canada at the age of 12. He has lived in English
and French Canada as well as the UK.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is one of the top ten Foundations in
Europe and one of the largest in the world with assets of ~@3 billion
and annual spend of around ~@100 million. It operates in four areas
defined in its statutes: Arts, Education, Science, and Social Welfare.
It was founded by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, an Armenian businessman
and art collector who became a British citizen, conducted much of
his work in Britain and France, and finally settled in Portugal. The
Foundation was established in Portugal in 1956, a year after his death.
The Foundation headquarters are in Lisbon and consist of the
administration, which deals with grant-giving throughout the world,
together with a Museum housing the founder's art collections -
recognised as one of the world's best small museums - a Modern Art
Centre, an art research library, a centre for scientific research,
concert halls, an open-air theatre, exhibition galleries and conference
halls, an orchestra and a choir. The Foundation also has offices in
London and Paris.
The Armenian Communities Department dates back to the creation of the
Foundation and was set up by the founder's son-in-law Kevork Essayan.
Since then the trustee in charge has always been a member of the
founder's family. The mission of the department is: "to create a viable
future for the Armenian people in which their culture and language
are preserved and valued". Its work is inspired by the example of the
founder who never forgot his Armenian roots but sought to engage with
non Armenians and to bring different groups together.
Of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
LISBON - The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announced today the
appointment of Dr. Razmik Panossian as the new Director of the
Armenian Communities Department in Lisbon. He will assume the post
on 1 February 2013.
Panossian holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and
Political Science, where he also taught. He has published widely
on Armenian-related issues, including a critically acclaimed book
on Armenian national identity. He has extensive experience in
senior management, including the administration of multi-million
dollar programmes, as well as the allocation and distribution of
international development grants. For many years he served as the
Director of Policy, Programmes and Planning at a Canadian governmental
organisation based in Montreal. He has worked for the United Nations
Development Programme. He is fluent in English, French and Armenian.
"I am both thrilled and humbled by this appointment," said Panossian.
"This is one of the most important positions in the Armenian diaspora.
I am looking forward to continuing the work of my predecessors and
further strengthening and expanding the activities of the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation in a focused and systematic manner within
Armenian communities around the world."
Martin Essayan, the Trustee responsible for the Armenian Communities
Department, and great grandson of Foundation founder Calouste
Gulbenkian, said: "I am delighted that Dr. Panossian will be the
new Director of the Armenian Communities Department. He comes with
outstanding credentials for this role and brings the international,
integrative perspective we need. The appointment followed a
global search during which we were able to consider many excellent
candidates."
For further information contact: Elisabete Caramelo, Director of
Communications, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: [email protected]
Tel: +351217823320/ +35121217823217 Website: Armenian Communities
Department
Notes to Editors
Razmik Panossian is the author of The Armenians: From Kings and Priests
to Merchants and Commissars (Columbia University Press/Hurst & Co.,
2006). He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and
Political Science. His thesis won the prestigious Lord Bryce Prize for
Best Dissertation in Comparative and International Politics in the UK
(2001) granted by Britain's Political Studies Association. He received
his MA from York University in Toronto, Canada, and his BA (honours)
from McGill University in Montreal. Panossian has taught at the
London School of Economics and at the School of Oriental and African
Studies (University of London) on the subjects of nationalism, ethnic
conflict, post-Soviet transition/democratisation, and comparative
politics. In 2004 he assumed the position of Director of Policy,
Programmes and Planning at the International Centre for Human Rights
and Democratic Development, a Canadian federal institution devoted to
the promotion of democracy and human rights. He managed the Centre's
international programming in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East
and Asia. His work took him to countries as diverse as Afghanistan,
China, Haiti, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco and Congo. Between 2010 and
2012 Panossian worked as an international consultant, including at
UNDP in New York. He has delivered numerous lectures and conference
papers throughout the world, has participated in Turkish-Armenian
workshops and the Armenia-Diaspora conferences. He has published
many academic articles on Armenian national identity and nationalism,
as well as on Armenia-diaspora relations. Razmik was born in Lebanon
and immigrated to Canada at the age of 12. He has lived in English
and French Canada as well as the UK.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is one of the top ten Foundations in
Europe and one of the largest in the world with assets of ~@3 billion
and annual spend of around ~@100 million. It operates in four areas
defined in its statutes: Arts, Education, Science, and Social Welfare.
It was founded by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, an Armenian businessman
and art collector who became a British citizen, conducted much of
his work in Britain and France, and finally settled in Portugal. The
Foundation was established in Portugal in 1956, a year after his death.
The Foundation headquarters are in Lisbon and consist of the
administration, which deals with grant-giving throughout the world,
together with a Museum housing the founder's art collections -
recognised as one of the world's best small museums - a Modern Art
Centre, an art research library, a centre for scientific research,
concert halls, an open-air theatre, exhibition galleries and conference
halls, an orchestra and a choir. The Foundation also has offices in
London and Paris.
The Armenian Communities Department dates back to the creation of the
Foundation and was set up by the founder's son-in-law Kevork Essayan.
Since then the trustee in charge has always been a member of the
founder's family. The mission of the department is: "to create a viable
future for the Armenian people in which their culture and language
are preserved and valued". Its work is inspired by the example of the
founder who never forgot his Armenian roots but sought to engage with
non Armenians and to bring different groups together.