Looking Back, Looking Forward: Trade, Technology, and China with Wendy Cutler, Carolyn Brehm, and Francine Lamoriello--Part 1

Season 4, Episode 7--Part 1: In the current series of Diplomatic Immunity, ISD Director of Programs and Research Dr. Kelly McFarland looks back at the first year of the Biden administration's foreign policy and looks forward to the next. 

In the first episode of a three-part series, Kelly is joined by Wendy Cutler, Carolyn Brehm, and Francine Lamoriello to discuss how the Biden administration has approached international trade in the broader framework of its foreign policy for the middle class, technology, and China.

Wendy Cutler joined the Asia Society Policy Institute as Vice President and Managing Director of the Washington DC Office in November 2015. She focuses on building ASPI’s presence in Washington—strengthening its outreach as a think/do tank—and on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade and women’s empowerment in Asia. She served for nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Most recently she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, working on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. In that capacity, she was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, including the bilateral negotiations with Japan. She is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service.

Carolyn Brehm retired from The Procter & Gamble Company as Vice President for Global Government Relations and Public Policy where she created and led P&G’s team of sixty government relations practitioners based in key markets across the globe. She was responsible for public policy and legislative advocacy to protect and grow P&G’s business, advising three Company CEOs over her seventeen years at P&G. She also oversaw a $24 million P&G Fund supporting initiatives in the communities where P&G operates. During a 13-year stint with General Motors Corporation, Ms. Brehm served as Director of International Trade and Investment Policy, supporting GM’s international operations. During two overseas assignments with GM, she established an office in Shanghai in 1984 to conduct countertrade deals and returned to the region in 1996 as Director of Asia-Pacific Trade Policies and Strategy, supporting joint venture projects. She too is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service.

Francine Lamoriello is Executive Vice President of Global Strategies for the Personal Care Products Council and directs all international activities and issues. Prior, Francine served as Senior International and Business Strategy Advisor at Baker, Donelson, PC, where she counseled clients on international business strategy and regulatory affairs, and international trade policy. Previously, she served for seven years as Director of International Trade and Investment Services at KPMG Peat Marwick where she led international strategy and marketing studies for a wide variety of U.S. companies. Lamoriello has also held positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce as Director of the European Community Single Market Program and specialized in US-EU trade policy affecting technology companies. And she too, is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service. 

Episode recorded: February 10, 2022

Image: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, along with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and EU officials, participates in the inaugural U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Ministerial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 29, 2021. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain] [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]

Hosted by Kelly McFarland. Produced by Alistair Somerville and Kelly McFarland. Audio editing by Aaron Jones. Production assistance by Kit Evans and Eleanor Shiori Hughes. 

Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs

Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. 

Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

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