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Person

John W. Allen

Nationality:

American
Occupation:

Former Trustee of the Open Society Institute
Residence:

New York, New York

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John W. Allen is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Greater China Corporation as well as several other China-related business ventures. 1 Allen was a former trustee of the left-of-center Open Society Institute, a private grantmaking organization founded by liberal billionaire George Soros, 2 and a trustee of the left-of-center International Science Foundation, which was founded with a $100 million grant from Soros in 1992. 3

Allen has been on the board of or an honorary advisor to several organizations including the United Nations’ World Women Organization, 4 the left-progressive youth organization AIESEC, 5 Chinese Cultural Foundation, 6 and the World Policy Institute (WPI), 7 8 where he led WPI’s “global citizenry” initiative. 9

He has stated a political “mission” to “facilitate the peaceful transition from the nation-state to the global-state.” 10 In a 2019 interview with the Chinese propaganda outlet Xinhua, Allen said the U.S. should “join forces” with China to “combat the threats and challenges we are commonly facing” and commended China’s “multilateral approach” to global challenges. 11 He also called former New York City Mayor and unsuccessful 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg (D) a “very good friend of China” in a 2017 speech at the Chinese Cultural Foundation. 12

Career

John W. Allen is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Greater China Corporation and the owner of Spring Investment Corporation and Turtlesnap Ventures, Inc. 13 He is also an honorary advisor to the United Nations’ World Women Organization, 14 a trustee of the Chinese Cultural Foundation, a co-founder of China Investment Group, 15 on the board of directors of the Chicago-based Global CSR Foundation, and the director of the World Policy Institute (WPI), which has been reconstituted as Broaden. 16 17 Allen led WPI’s “global citizenry” initiative, which links the left-progressive student organization AIESEC with Ashoka, the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders, and others. 18

Previously, Allen was a trustee of the left-of-center Open Society Institute, a private grantmaking organization founded by liberal billionaire George Soros. 19 Alongside Soros and Nobel Laureate James Watson, Allen was a trustee of the left-of-center International Science Foundation, which was founded with a $100 million grant from Soros in 1992. 20

Allen’s has described his political “mission” as to “facilitate the peaceful transition from the nation-state to the global-state,” an idea Allen says was inspired by the book Maskerado, which was written by George Soros’ father in the 1960s. 21

Allen has also been the vice chairman of the United Nations Business Council, 22 chairman of the board for the left-progressive AIESEC and the AIESEC chapter at Yale University, 23 president of the International Securities Exchange Corporation (ISEC), 24 director of the International Business and Academic Council, advisor to the left-of-center Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, and director of the Womensphere Foundation. 25

After graduating from Yale University, Allen worked as an assistant to the former head of the World Bank James D. Wolfensohn and headed the international investment subsidiary of the Bank of Boston, Boston Overseas Financial Corporation. 26

China

John W. Allen has worked with Asia and China for 30 years in the private sector. 27 He is the chairman of the Greater China Corporation 28 and a trustee of the Chinese Cultural Foundation. 29 In a speech to the Chinese Cultural Foundation in 2017, he called former New York City Mayor and future unsuccessful 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg a “very good friend of China.” 30

In a 2019 interview with the Chinese Communist propaganda outlet Xinhua, Allen said the U.S. should “join forces” with China to “combat the threats and challenges we are commonly facing,” called unilateralism “very dangerous,” said that “multilateralism is not an alternative, it is an imperative” in reference to U.S.-China relations, and commended China’s “multilateral approach” to global challenges. 31

Personal Information

John W. Allen holds a B.A. in economics, political science, and physics from Yale University and a master of business administration from Harvard University. 32 He resides in New York, New York. 33

References

  1. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  2. “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/.
  3. “The Role of the Soros Foundation in Disseminating Scientific Information in the former Soviet Union.” American Association for the Advancement of Science. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://www.aaas.org/resources/role-soros-foundation-disseminating-scientific-information-former-soviet-union.
  4. [1] “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/.
  5. “Conference on Global Entrepreneurship: Economic Development for Asia and the U.S. – Biographies.” Asian American/Asian Research Center CUNY. Posted May 6, 2005. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aaari.info/economic2/.
  6. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  7. “World Policy.” Broaden. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://broadenimpact.com/world-policy/.
  8. “John W. Allen.” Global CSR Foundation. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://www.gcsrf.org/en/staff-member/john-w-allen-2/.
  9. “John W. Allen.” AIESEC Life. February 1, 2018. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aieseclife.org/news/1793.
  10. “John W. Allen.” AIESEC Life. February 1, 2018. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aieseclife.org/news/1793.
  11. [1] “’Hang together, or hang separately,’ former UN business leader upholds multilateralism.” Xinhua. November 27, 2019. Accessed December 9, 2021. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/27/c_138587457.htm.
  12. “John W. Allen Remarks at the Chinese Cultural Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Celebration.” YouTube. Uploaded March 30, 2017. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7-ukXeqCk.
  13. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  14. “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/.
  15. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  16. “World Policy.” Broaden. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://broadenimpact.com/world-policy/.
  17. “John W. Allen.” Global CSR Foundation. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://www.gcsrf.org/en/staff-member/john-w-allen-2/.
  18. “John W. Allen.” AIESEC Life. February 1, 2018. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aieseclife.org/news/1793.
  19. “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/.
  20.  “The Role of the Soros Foundation in Disseminating Scientific Information in the former Soviet Union.” American Association for the Advancement of Science. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://www.aaas.org/resources/role-soros-foundation-disseminating-scientific-information-former-soviet-union.
  21. “John W. Allen.” AIESEC Life. February 1, 2018. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aieseclife.org/news/1793.
  22. “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/
  23. “Conference on Global Entrepreneurship: Economic Development for Asia and the U.S. – Biographies.” Asian American/Asian Research Center CUNY. Posted May 6, 2005. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aaari.info/economic2/.
  24. “Advisors.” World Women Organization. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://unwwo.org/advisors/.
  25.  “John W. Allen – Chairman & CEO of Greater China corporation.” The World Technology Network. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://secure.wtn.net/content/john-w-allen-chairman-ceo-greater-china-corporation.
  26.  “John W. Allen – Chairman & CEO of Greater China corporation.” The World Technology Network. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://secure.wtn.net/content/john-w-allen-chairman-ceo-greater-china-corporation.
  27. [1] “About Us.” Chinese Cultural Foundation. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://www.chineseculturalfoundation.org/about-us.
  28. “John W. Allen.” AIESEC Life. February 1, 2018. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aieseclife.org/news/1793.
  29. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  30. “John W. Allen Remarks at the Chinese Cultural Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Celebration.” YouTube. Uploaded March 30, 2017. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7-ukXeqCk.
  31. “’Hang together, or hang separately,’ former UN business leader upholds multilateralism.” Xinhua. November 27, 2019. Accessed December 9, 2021. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-11/27/c_138587457.htm.
  32. “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
  33. [1] “John W. Allen.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-w-allen-8867a4/.
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