George Wehrfritz

Editor & International Advisor to the Investment Team

George Wehrfritz joined SaratogaRIM in 2009. He advises Kevin and members of the investment team in research, editorial and communications capacities, and studies the international business strategies of firms under investment consideration. 

Professional Experience

• Foreign correspondent for Newsweek magazine

  • Served as bureau chief in Beijing (1994-98), Tokyo (1998-2003) and Hong Kong (2004 to 2009)

  • Was also the magazine’s Asian Economics Correspondent

• Freelance journalist

Education

• University of California, Davis

  • B.A. Economics

Fun Facts

• Mayor of the town of Cathlamet, WA from 2009-2013

• Speaks Mandarin Chinese

• Has interviewed many of Asia’s top leaders and is the only American ever to be granted a live interview with a sitting Premier of China

• His work with Newsweek garnered several top media awards:

  • Contributed to China packages that won Overseas Press Club Awards for foreign coverage in 1996 and 1997

  • Received a SAIS-Novartis Prize for Excellence in International Journalism in 2001 for his investigative project on Japan’s suicide epidemic

  • Earned the Society for Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for best business reporting in 2002 with his series on Japan’s bad loan crisis

  • In 2009 won another SOPA for human rights coverage with a project on forced labor in Asia

• Played semi-professional basketball in Asia

• Played basketball at UC Davis

• Grew up in Saratoga and Cupertino, CA