Dear Concordia Community,
After considerable reflection and close collaboration with my co-founder and the Board of Directors, I am writing to share three pieces of news that together mark a significant milestone for Concordia and for me personally.
Following the 2026 Annual Summit, I will transition from my role as President & CEO to Executive Chairman of Concordia, effective October 1st, focusing my time on the organization’s development, strategic planning, and key stakeholder relations. I want to be very clear: I am not going anywhere and remain as dedicated to Concordia as I have been since 2011. It is with great pride that I also announce the Board has unanimously appointed Rodney Ferguson, our current Vice Chairman, as CEO Designate, assuming the role fully on October 1st to lead the organization into its next chapter. Alongside my work as Executive Chairman, I will devote my time to Montfort Group, my strategic advisory firm working at the intersection of geopolitics, capital, and relationships, serving heads of state, institutional investors, senior executives, and sovereign entities. We work across geopolitical and macro risk, strategic network development, business intelligence, communications, and capital introduction that is guided by the belief that the most consequential challenges require not just expertise, but the right relationships, cultivated over time, deployed with precision, and guided by trust, care, and integrity.
As a founder, identifying the right moment to transition leadership, in a way that sustains the growth and strength of the organization, has been one of the most difficult decisions of my career. Over the past 16 years, I have invested myself completely in building Concordia into the institution it is today. That it now convenes influential global summits, fosters dynamic discourse, and is home to a thriving community and committed leadership bodies is a testament to the extraordinary foundation we have built together, and to you who represent it. It is precisely because of the strength of that foundation, and the talented and dedicated team stewarding it, that I feel the time is right. I am profoundly grateful for the remarkable privilege of leading this organization, and I want to express my gratitude to those of you who have helped me along the way.
None of what Concordia has become would have been possible without my co-founder, Nick Logothetis. To have spent nearly two decades building something meaningful alongside him, believing in this vision when it was little more than an idea, and pouring ourselves into it with conviction ever since, is among the great privileges of my professional life. His partnership and guidance have shaped both the institution we have built and the leader I have become in the process. I have deep gratitude for the trust we have built over three decades of devoted friendship, through every challenge and milestone. I look forward to our continued collaboration in support of Concordia’s growth and success. Nick will remain in his role as Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Concordia.
I also wish to express my profound gratitude to George Logothetis, whose generosity of spirit and early, unwavering support for Concordia’s mission has been foundational to everything we have achieved. I am sincerely grateful for his guidance, his counsel, and above all his steadfast belief in what we were working to build together.
It is with all of this in mind, and with the full confidence that comes from building on a foundation this strong, that I am so proud to introduce the leader who will carry it forward. Rodney is someone Nick and I have had the privilege of knowing and working with in various roles since 2012, first as a programming partner, then Advisory Council member, Board member, and most recently Vice Chairman. Those of you who have encountered him at our Summits already know the quality of mind and seriousness of purpose he brings to complex problems.
His career reflects a sustained commitment to consequential leadership in civil society. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer of The Clearing, advising organizations on peak performance and complex institutional challenges. Before that, he spent a decade as President & CEO of Winrock International, leading a $100 million organization with more than 1,000 employees operating across 40 countries. Prior to Winrock, he spent two decades as one of the country’s foremost nonprofit communications and strategy consultants, advising institutions including the MacArthur Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Rodney graduated summa cum laude from Birmingham Southern College, holds a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and studied at the University of St. Andrews as a Rotary Foundation International Scholar. He brings to Concordia not only an exceptional record, but a set of values in genuine alignment with everything this organization stands for.
I also owe a particular debt of gratitude to our Executive Director, Hanne Dalmut LeCount. Hanne is among the most talented professionals I have had the privilege of working alongside, and her contributions to Concordia’s growth have been immeasurable. Knowing that she will continue to lead alongside Rodney gives me every confidence in what lies ahead.
As this chapter draws to a close, I find myself filled with renewed energy and genuine excitement for what comes next for Concordia, for its remarkable leadership, and for the Concordia community. It has been the defining endeavor of my professional life, and a privilege I will always cherish. Please join me in welcoming Rodney as incoming President & CEO, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you at the Annual Summit in New York this September!
Warm Regards,
Matt
