Today, Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson steps into her new role as chief executive officer of McCourt Global, a private family company with international operations spanning the real estate, sports, technology, media and finance industries, as well as significant social impact activities. She succeeds McCourt Global founder Frank McCourt, who has transitioned from CEO to executive chairman and will continue to work closely with company leadership, as Semsar-de Boisséson takes the helm of the company’s day-to-day operations.
“I’ve had the privilege and benefit of working with Shéhérazade for years and have seen her leadership skills and effectiveness firsthand,” said McCourt. “Shéhérazade’s extensive management experience, values-driven approach and talent for inspiring and unifying teams will ensure McCourt Global’s continued success and enable me to devote more time to Project Liberty’s urgent mission.”
McCourt will simultaneously serve as executive chairman of Project Liberty, the international nonprofit he publicly launched in 2021, which aims to construct a more equitable digital architecture, enable healthier technology and, in turn, strengthen democracy. During 2022, Semsar-de Boisséson served as the inaugural executive director of Project Liberty’s McCourt Institute, which was established with founding partners Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Sciences Po in Paris, to advance effective digital governance by supporting cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary cooperation. McCourt and Semsar-de Boisséson, both Georgetown University alumni, have served together for years on the university’s board of directors.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Frank for many years and have deep respect for what he and McCourt Global’s world-class team have achieved,” said Semsar-de Boisséson. “I’m honored to be the company’s next CEO and look forward to working across its diverse businesses to continue delivering innovative solutions and building for tomorrow.”
Prior to leading the McCourt Institute, from January 2015 to June 2021, Semsar-de Boisséson was the founding CEO of POLITICO Europe, which she made fully profitable after only four years, and built into one of the most influential publications ever launched in Europe. At age 24, Semsar-de Boisséson founded her first company, Drive Innovations Insights, which became the largest and most profitable content and conference business in France. She led that company for 28 years before purchasing European Voice, from The Economist Group, which she later sold to Axel Springer and POLITICO in 2015. Semsar-de Boisséson remains on the advisory board of Politico Media Group.
Semsar-de Boisséson graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1990 with a B.A. and an M.S. in International Finance and served as a member of Georgetown’s board of directors from 2013 to 2019. She currently serves on the advisory board of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and the board of directors of the French-American Foundation. She also serves on the supervisory board of the storied French football club Olympique de Marseille, which was purchased by McCourt Global in 2016.
Semsar-de Boisséson’s appointment is the latest in a series of leadership announcements from McCourt Global and Project Liberty. In recent months, Project Liberty announced Martina Larkin as its first CEO, and Constance Bommelaer de Leusse succeeded Semsar-de Boisséson as the new executive director of the McCourt Institute.
McCourt Global (MG) is a private family company committed to building a better future for all through its work across the real estate, sports, technology, media, and finance industries, as well as its significant philanthropic activities. Founded by civic entrepreneur Frank McCourt, MG is dedicated to extending the McCourt family’s 130-year legacy of merging community and social impact with financial results, an approach that started when the original McCourt Company was launched in Boston in 1893. MG’s multiple businesses include Ligue 1 football club Olympique de Marseille, an international real estate portfolio, a technology development lab focused on creating a healthier digital ecosystem, and a private investment platform with significant permanent capital.
In 2021, MG announced the launch of Project Liberty, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to constructing a more equitable internet, enabling individuals to own and control their personal data, and repairing social media in ways that strengthen democracy, restore trust, and empower people over platforms. In partnership with Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Project Liberty established that McCourt Institute to ensure that effective digital governance is embedded in the next generation of the web. MG powers Unfinished, an impact network reimagining the future to create a thriving democracy and just economy, that hosts the annual Unfinished Live convening in New York City in September. MG’s philanthropic activities include its foundational support for Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and The Shed in New York City.
