Carlos Slim Helú Joins RAND Board Of Trustees

Mexican entrepreneur and philanthropist Carlos Slim Helú has been elected to the RAND Corporation Board of Trustees, RAND President and CEO James A. Thomson announced today.

Slim joined the nonprofit research institutions’ Board of Trustees at its November 2008 meeting.

"We are honored to include such a distinguished leader in business and philanthropy among RAND’s trustees," Thomson said. "Carlos Slim Helú undoubtedly will help RAND build upon our 60 years of success in providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world."

In addition, Thomson announced that former U.S. Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci has been elected "trustee emeritus," a category established by the Board of Trustees to retain the counsel and active involvement of a limited number of former trustees who have given outstanding service to the institution.

Slim is one of Mexico's leading businessmen, with major holdings in telecommunications, construction and many other industries. He was inducted into the Mexican Industrialist Hall in 2005 and was named Industrialist of Year in 2007 by the Mexican Foundation for the Health (Funsalud).

Slim has won several major awards, including the Medal of Honor of Merit from the Business Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (1985), the Golden Plate Award by the Academy of Achievement (1994), the Medal to Merit from Fundacion UNAM (2001), the Order of Leopold II Commander by the Government of Belgium (2002), and the Hadrian Award New York issued by the World Monuments Fund (2004), among many others.

Slim has been active with numerous philanthropic causes in Latin America. He provided a major endowment to the Carlos Slim Foundation, which supports a wide array of projects in education, health, justice, and personal and community development by contributing human and financial resources to equip Mexican society with the necessary tools to succeed professionally and socially.

Carlucci served as secretary of defense from 1987 to 1989 and is a past chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global private equity investment firm located in Washington, D.C. He also served in several other high-level U.S. government posts, including deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, undersecretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, ambassador to Portugal, deputy director of Central Intelligence and deputy secretary of defense.