David Ruth is Senior Vice President, Global Communications for Elsevier, where he is responsible for public relations, internal communications, the corporate internet, issue advocacy, corporate responsibility and philanthropic programs worldwide. Elsevier is the world’s leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information, publishing more than 2000 journals, 20,000 books, and providing data bases and information solutions for researchers, educators, hospitals and health care practitioners worldwide. He also oversees the Elsevier Foundation, which funds programs to promote access to scientific and medical information in the developing world, expand the participation of women in science, and enhance professional education in health care.
Mr. Ruth previously held senior corporate positions in communications, public affairs and philanthropy with Merck & Co., MasterCard International, the American Express Company, and the United States Council for International Business. His responsibilities have included government affairs, international trade and labor policy, media relations, corporate reputation, crisis communications, employee communications and corporate foundation management. He has worked extensively in Asia, Europe, and Australia, and held positions based in Hong Kong, London and New York. He also served with the U.S. Department of State in Washington in the Clinton Administration, where he was appointed Senior Coordinator for Business Affairs.
He has served on boards and councils that include the Professional & Scholarly Publishers association, Purchase College, the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership, the Merck Institute for Aging and Health, and the Council on Aid to Education. David Ruth earned a Master’s degree from the Columbia University School of International Affairs, with a specialization in international economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Wisconsin. He has two adult sons and lives with his wife in Connecticut.