René Lake is a business development and communications expert with extensive experience in policy trends, development strategies, international communications and public and private affairs.
In 30 years of professional experience, Mr. Lake has held leading positions at a range of media outlets, corporations, development institutions. As a professional, René Lake has visited more than 40 countries around the world. His business experience includes positions as director for Africa of the National Summit on Africa, as Senior Policy Advisor to WorldSpace, a leader in private international direct broadcast satellite systems development, and as founder and CEO of Le Continu, a printing company in West Africa.
As a journalist specializing in print, radio, and video, René Lake has held positions as Bureau Chief for France of the PanAfrican News Agency, European correspondent for Sud Quotidien , a senior coordinator and investigative reporter for the London-based Panos Institute, Senior Advisor to the Agence de Communication du Theil, in Paris, and Senior Program Manager for Radio France Internationale. Mr. Lake has also served as Senior Editor for Courrier International, as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme and as an International Press Officer for the United Nations.
René Lake is the President and CEO of LTL Strategies and the author and co-author of several books including "Pluralism in Radio Broadcasting in West Africa". He holds advanced degrees in Philosophy of Language, Information and Communications Sciences and in Civil Engineering. Pre-doctorate fellow from the Université de la Sorbonne, Paris III; he holds a Master's and a B.A. from Université de Paris VIII, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Université de Dakar. Mr. Lake has lectured at Northwestern University, Rutgers University and the Université de Paris VIII and published over 200 articles during his career.