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Edward Alden
Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign RelationsEdward Alden is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., and author of Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). He was the project director for the Council’s Independent Task Force report The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills and U.S. Leadership in the 21st Century (2018). His first book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11 (Harper Collins, 2008), was a finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas book prize. He has testified to Congress numerous times, written widely for major newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, and appeared on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, PBS News Hour and Bloomberg Surveillance. Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Alden was the Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times.
Stephen Claeys
Senior Director of Trade Policy at Pfizer Inc.Stephen Claeys Bio
Stephen Claeys is Senior Director, Trade Policy at Pfizer. In addition to covering trade issues involving Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the ASEAN region, he is responsible for developing policy regarding trade-related pharmaceutical and IP pricing issues, digital trade and customs.
Steve has over 25 years of experience advising members of Congress, senior White House and U.S. Department of Commerce officials, and the private sector on international trade law and policy. He has served as Trade Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives for the Committee on Ways & Means’ Subcommittee on Trade, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Operations at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Import Administration and as Special Advisor on National Security Affairs in the White House, Office of the Vice President.
Steve received his B.A., with high honors, from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law.
Everett Eisenstatt
Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy at General MotorsEverett Eissenstat was named senior vice president, Global Public Policy, in August 2018. In this
role he is responsible for leading General Motors’ engagement on key policies impacting the
company’s business, its customers and its employees.
Prior to joining GM, Eissenstat worked in the White House as the Deputy Assistant to the
President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic
Council. Jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council, he
led the White House international economic team responsible for the development
of U.S. policies on international energy, international trade and development finance institutions.
In this role, he also served as the United States’ lead negotiator for the G-20, APEC and G-7
international economic summits.
He has twice served as Chief International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee from
2000 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2017. As chief counsel he drafted legislation implementing
trade agreements and managed their consideration through the U.S. Congress. He also served as
Assistant U.S Trade Representative for the Americas with the United State Trade Representative
(USTR) from 2006 to 2011, where he negotiated and enforced international trade agreements and
partnered with members of Congress on trade legislation. Eissenstat also previously worked as
former Rep. Jim Kolbe’s Legislative Director and as an attorney in private practice in Dallas, TX.
Eissenstat holds a juris doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Oklahoma College of Law
a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a
bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Spanish from Oklahoma State University.
Dr. Kirti Gupta Gupta
Vice President, Technology & Economic Strategy at Qualcomm Inc.Dr. Kirti Gupta is Vice President, Technology & Economic Strategy at Qualcomm Inc., where she serves as an in-house economist, specializing on Intellectual Property (IP) and competition policy and strategy. In this role, she is responsible for managing the substantive direction of the global IP policy and advocacy outreach efforts, and for conducting original research on issues related to IP and competition law and economics. She has been involved in various international antitrust and litigation cases. Kirti has also been responsible for developing economic models for determining Qualcomm’s optimal IP strategy world-wide and on designing algorithms for IP portfolio valuation. Prior to her role as an economist, Kirti spent over a decade as a wireless systems engineering expert, working on research and development of third and fourth generation (3G and 4G) wireless cellular systems and has represented Qualcomm in various global technology standards bodies. She is a co‐inventor of thirty-five patents in the field of wireless communications. Dr. Gupta holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.
Peggy Johnson
Executive Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft CorporationAs executive vice president of business development, Peggy Johnson is responsible for driving strategic partnerships and transactions to accelerate growth for Microsoft and its customers. Johnson works with external partners around the world, ranging from start-ups to large-scale enterprises, to identify areas of collaboration, drive innovation and unlock shared value. In this capacity, she also manages Microsoft’s relationship with the venture capital community and oversees strategic investments through the company’s corporate venture fund, M12.
Prior to this role, Johnson spent 24 years at Qualcomm, where she served as a member of Qualcomm’s Executive Committee. During her time at Qualcomm, Johnson held various leadership positions across engineering, sales, marketing and business development, and ran the Qualcomm Internet Services business unit. Most recently, Johnson was executive vice president of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and president of global market development, where she was responsible for commercializing new business opportunities and developing strategic relationships for the company.
Prior to joining Qualcomm, Johnson worked as an engineer for General Electric’s Military Electronics Division.
Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from San Diego State University. She serves on the board of directors for BlackRock, Inc., and on the advisory board for the nonprofit Huntington’s Disease Society of America San Diego Chapter. She has been recognized by multiple organizations, including Business Insider (“#1 Most Powerful Female Engineer in 2017”), Silicon Republic (“40 Powerful Women Leading Tech Around the World”), Connected World Magazine (“2014 Women of M2M List”), Women in Technology International (“2013 Hall of Fame Award”) and STEM (“100 Women Leaders in STEM, 2012″).
Johnson lives in the Seattle area with her husband, the youngest of their three children, four dogs and one cat.
Peter Lavoy
Senior Director, International Government Relations of Exxon Mobil CorporationPeter joined ExxonMobil in January 2017 after two decades of U.S. government service. Based in Washington, D.C., he provides political and geopolitical insight to ExxonMobil companies, facilitates business in the Asia-Pacific region and informs regional stakeholders about ExxonMobil. Prior to 2017, Peter was Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security Council, where he guided U.S. efforts to promote peace, democracy, economic prosperity and security in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other South Asian states.
From 2014 to 2015, Peter was a partner and head of the Washington, D.C. office for Monitor 360, a San Francisco-based consultancy. From 2011 to 2014, Peter managed U.S. defense partnerships throughout the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. Earlier he was Director for Counterproliferation Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. From 2007 to 2011, Peter served as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis, Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, and National Intelligence Officer for South Asia all in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Peter founded and directed the Center for Contemporary Conflict and taught in the National Security Affairs Department of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He has written numerous journal articles and book chapters on Asian and international security subjects and has edited several books.
He received a B.A. in government from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Peter speaks Hindi, Urdu, and French.
Rohana Mahmood
Chair ABAC 2020 and Chairman RM Capital Partners (RMCP)Dato’ Rohana Tan Sri Mahmood is Chairman and Founder of RM Capital Partners (RMCP), a Malaysian Private Equity fund which is a spin off from the successful Ethos Capital, a Malaysian private equity fund established in 2007, where she was also Chairman & Co-Founder.
RMCP is managing two funds with emphasis on export driven growth stage companies. RMCP has presence in the oil & gas, consumer, healthcare, manufacturing, and education sector.
She sits on all of RMCP’s investee companies.
Dato’ Rohana is the Founding Member and Board Member of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club (KLBC), an exclusive (by invitation only) networking, and business development organisation limited to 100 members of Malaysia’s leading corporate and business leaders
Dato Rohana is the Chair for APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) 2020 and a Lead Member ABAC Malaysia chapter.
Dato’ Rohana is a Distinguished Fellow and Board Member of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and a Member of the Malaysian Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) of which ISIS Malaysia is a regional member. Prior to joining ISIS, Dato Rohana was attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dato’ Rohana is a Member of the Malaysia National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (MANCPEC) and Member of the Asean Circle.
Dato’ Rohana is a Member of Sussex University Asia Advisory Board, United Kingdom.
Dato’ Rohana is a Member of Global Council, The Asia Society, New York.
Dato’ Rohana is also a Board member of various listed and private companies.
Sandra Oudkirk
U.S. Senior Official for APEC and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand, and The Pacific Islands, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at U.S. Department of StateSandra Oudkirk, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, joined the Department of State in 1991 and joined the Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs as U.S. Senior Official for APEC and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands in May 2019. Immediately prior, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy in the Energy Bureau. From 2017-2018 she served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Threat Finance and Sanctions in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. Her previous overseas assignments include consular assignments at AIT/Taipei and Embassy Dublin as well as two assignments in Turkey (trade officer in Ankara 1999-2001 and Deputy Principal Officer in Istanbul 2006-2009), a tour as Narcotics Affairs Section Chief in Kingston, Jamaica and an assignment as the economic counselor in Beijing. She has also served as the East Asian & Pacific Bureau staff assistant, the Burma/Laos desk officer, as a Senior Watch Officer in the Operations Center, and as the Director for the Middle East and Asia in the Energy Bureau.
Ms. Oudkirk was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and Turkish.
Michael Pergine
Vice President, Policy, Communications and Population Health at MerckMichael is the International Policy and Government Affairs leader for the Human Health Commercial business of Merck, known as MSD outside the US and Canada. Merck is US-headquartered Fortune 100 company, with a broad portfolio of medicines and vaccines generating over $40 Billion in annual revenue in more than 125 countries. In this role Michael is a member of the Human Health Commercial Leadership Team, directly accountable to the Chief Commercial Officer, and is responsible for all industrial and healthcare policy and government relations efforts, including integrated policy, communications and patient engagement actions for all countries outside the US.
Michael has been with Merck for more than 23 years, working in the Merck Manufacturing Division, Merck Research Labs, Global Human Health, and since 2016 in Global Public Policy. During his Merck career Michael has had over a dozen roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including the Global Brand Leader for the multi-billion Gardasil and Gardasil 9 portfolio, leading North American supply chain and sales & operations planning efforts for multiple therapeutic areas consistently achieving > $1 billion in global annual revenue, and leading global procurement and contract negotiations supporting MRL Basic Research.
Over his diverse career, Michael has gained deep public and private Market Knowledge, Marketing Strategy and Product Management experience from early stage through Launch and past LOE, Change Management strategy and leadership, Policy and Government Relations leadership and engagement, and P&L management. He consistently influences, improves and impacts beyond his functional role. Michael offers a demonstrated track record of material impact and sustained success, achieved through simplifying highly complex situations, remaining calm under pressure, and an approach based on clarifying and relentlessly pursuing critical objectives. He is widely regarded as an enterprise leader with a unique and diverse set of experiences and expertise, often called upon to engage in the most complex challenges and opportunities the company is facing internally and externally.
Prior to joining Merck, Michael was a Senior Performance Improvement Consultant for Ernst & Young in Philadelphia, PA, and a Senior Logistics Systems Analyst for BDM Technologies in McLean, VA. In those roles he worked with clients across the globe in the chemical, industrial paper and packaging, pharmaceutical, logistics, telecommunications, consumer products and electronics industries.
Michael earned a BS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Penn State University, where he was awarded the John J. Coyle Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. He has also received executive level education in Finance from The Wharton School, in Public Policy from Georgetown, and in Business and Leadership from the Harvard Business School and Duke Executive Education.
Michael is on the Board of Governors for the National Center for APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative, a consortium of twenty-one member countries that border the Pacific Ocean), where he is a member of the Executive Committee and the Compensation and Benefits Committee. He is also a named Male Ally of the Merck Women’s Leadership Development Program.
Karen Reddington
President of FedEx Express in the Asia Pacific at FedEx ExpressKaren Reddington is president of the Asia Pacific Division of FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company.
In this role, which Reddington took up in January 2015, she heads up Asia Pacific from its headquarters in Hong Kong. Reddington is responsible for leading the FedEx Express business across the region, including overall planning and implementation of corporate strategies and operations across more than 30 countries and territories with about 29,000 team members, including TNT team members.
Reddington’s career with FedEx Express began in 1997 as an operations research advisor in Hong Kong. In 2002, she was appointed managing director of network planning. In 2007, she assumed the role of managing director of planning and engineering.
Most recently, Reddington was regional vice president, South Pacific. She served in that role between 2011 and 2014.
Reddington is currently serving as the board chair of JA Asia Pacific, as well as being on the Board of Governors of JA Worldwide. In addition, she serves as the secretary of the International Women’s Forum and sits on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Nayana RenuKumar
Head of Experiences Policy, Americas & APAC at AirbnbNayana RenuKumar is the Public Policy Lead for Airbnb Experiences in Americas and APAC. She helps shape the global policy strategy for Experiences, develop partnerships with government and non-government partners and support various country teams on their policy requirements for Experiences.
Previously she was the Head of Public Policy for Airbnb in India, leading Airbnb’s public policy and government engagement. Nayana has a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and prior degrees in rural management and tourism management.
Sarah Thorn
Senior Director, Global Government Relations of WalmartSarah Thorn is primarily responsible for managing global government relations related to supply chain and trade issues at Walmart. In this capacity, she advocates for Walmart priorities in legislation and trade negotiations that impact the company’s worldwide sourcing, e-commerce and retail distribution rights. She also leads a team that drives global public policy in support of Walmart’s responsible sourcing commitments. Most recently, Sarah has expanded her portfolio to manage Walmart’s UK government relations, focused on BREXIT negotiations.
In 2011, Sarah led the strategy team that developed Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, which is focused on empowering women throughout Walmart’s global supply chain. She is actively involved in the implementation of the initiative, focusing primarily stakeholder engagement and global partnerships. Before joining Walmart, Sarah worked for seven years at the Grocery Manufacturers Association where she led the food, beverage and consumer products industry advocacy on international trade issues. Sarah has also worked as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers on business mobility issues and served as an international relations representative with AMP Incorporated.
Sarah began her career in Washington as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Information Agency. She holds a Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative area studies and comparative literature cum laude from Duke University. She has been recognized as a Top Lobbyist by The Hill magazine and serves on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and Secretary of the Board of the Washington International Trade Association.
In 2011, Sarah led the strategy team that developed Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, which is focused on empowering women throughout Walmart’s global supply chain. She is actively involved in the implementation of the initiative, focusing primarily stakeholder engagement and global partnerships. Before joining Walmart, Sarah worked for seven years at the Grocery Manufacturers Association where she led the food, beverage and consumer products industry advocacy on international trade issues. Sarah has also worked as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers on business mobility issues and served as an international relations representative with AMP Incorporated.
Sarah began her career in Washington as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Information Agency. She holds a Master of Arts degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative area studies and comparative literature cum laude from Duke University. She has been recognized as a Top Lobbyist by The Hill magazine and serves on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and Secretary of the Board of the Washington International Trade Association.
Kurt Tong
Partner at The Asia Group LLCAmbassador Kurt Tong is a Partner at The Asia Group, where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and the broader East Asia region. A leading expert in diplomacy and economic affairs in East Asia, Ambassador Tong brings thirty years of experience in the Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer and member of the Senior Foreign Service.
Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau, leading U.S. political and economic engagement with that important free trade hub. Prior to that role, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s institutional strengthening efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 2011 to 2014, where he played a key role in setting the stage for Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and supporting Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2013, he received the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers for his outstanding success in advancing U.S. economic interests by reducing trade barriers, increasing market access for American products, and enhancing international cooperation across the Asia Pacific region.
Prior to these positions, Ambassador Tong served as Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2011, leading the U.S. chairmanship of the organization during one of the most productive periods for APEC. As Director of Korean Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, he played a leadership role in negotiations with North Korea as part of the Six-Party Talks and in securing the release of captive Americans held there. He was one of the original architects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement during the Bush and Obama administrations, including while serving as Director for Asian Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council from 2006 to 2008.
Earlier in his career, Ambassador Tong served as Economic Minister-Counselor in Seoul, Counselor for Environment, Science and Health at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Deputy Treasury Attaché in Tokyo, and as an economic officer in Manila. He published research on Japanese macroeconomic trends and U.S.-Japan economic diplomacy as a Visiting Scholar with Tokyo University’s Faculty of Economics, and before joining the Foreign Service, was an Associate with the Boston Consulting Group in Tokyo.
Ambassador Tong holds a B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and studied economics at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. He has also studied at the Beijing Institute of Education, Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taipei, Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo, and International Christian University in Tokyo.
Ambassador Tong speaks and reads both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. He was born in Ohio and raised in New England. The son of a collegiate athletic coach, Ambassador Tong enjoys tennis, golf and other sports. He is married to Dr. Mika Marumoto. They have three grown children.
Ann Weeks
Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Conformity Assessment Programs at UL LLCAn officer of UL LLC, Ann Weeks is Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Conformity Assessment Programs. Based in Washington, DC, she leads strategies and initiatives supporting the organization’s interests with governments related to policy, technical regulations, capacity building, and public-private partnerships. Her responsibilities also include UL’s enterprise-wide governance framework that underpins its conformity assessment services and UL’s reputation for quality and integrity. Prior to joining UL in 2003, Ms. Weeks spent 10 years advancing US-China commercial relations in both the public and private sectors, advising large multinational and small and medium-sized companies. She currently serves as Chair of the private sector trade advisory group for the US government on technical barriers to trade, and on the boards of the National Center for APEC and the Public Affairs Council. Ms. Weeks holds an MAIA in International Political Economy (American University) and a BA in economics and political science (Baldwin-Wallace College).
Hairil Yahri Yaacob
APEC 2020 SOM Chair / Deputy Secretary General (Investment) at Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)Mr. Hairil Yahri Yaacob is the Deputy Secretary General (Investment) for the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry and is the Malaysian APEC SOM Chair. He has held many government positions, both in Malaysia and abroad including as Minister Counselor (Economics) for the Embassy of Malaysia in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Hairil Yahri Yaacob has a Master of Arts in Strategy and Diplomacy, from the National University of Malaysia and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics and International Relations, University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom.