Featuring
Wendy Cutler, Asia Society Policy Institute
Ambassador Ahn Ho-Young, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Wendy Cutler is Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) Washington D.C. Office which she joined in November 2015. In these roles, 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 joins ASPI following an illustrious career of 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. Ms. Cutler’s other responsibilities with USTR included U.S.-China trade relations, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, and the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum. She was the Chief U.S. Negotiator for the U.S.-Korea (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement and negotiated a wide range of bilateral agreements with Japan on such issues as telecommunications, autos, and semiconductors. She has extensive multilateral trade experience as the U.S. negotiator for the WTO Financial Services Agreement and several Uruguay Round Agreements. Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Cutler worked on trade issues at the Commerce Department. Ms. Cutler received her master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University. She is married and has one son.
Ahn Ho-Young is the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). He was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the United States of America by President Park Geun-hye in May 2013. He presented his credentials to President Barack Obama on July 18, 2013. Most recently, he served as First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade from February 2012 to May 2013. Prior to this, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Union. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which time he served as President Lee Myung-bak’s sherpa to the G-20 and G8 outreach meetings. Ambassador Ahn joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1978. He was first stationed abroad as Second Secretary at the Korean Embassy in the Republic of India in July 1984. Subsequently, from January 1990 through the end of 1992, he served as First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, DC. In January 1993, he was appointed Director of the Treaties Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as Director of the International Trade Division in 1994, after which he was appointed Counsellor to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. From December 1998 until 2001, Ambassador Ahn served as Counsellor to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. Subsequently, he served as Deputy Director-General of the International Trade Law Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2003, he served as Director-General of the Multilateral Trade Bureau and in 2004 he became Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Ambassador Ahn studied International Relations at Seoul National University (B.A.) and at Georgetown University (M.S.F.S). He also studied International Law at the Korea National Open University (LL.B.) and Georgetown University (LL.M.). He previously taught at Korea University as an adjunct professor of law and diplomacy. In addition, Ambassador Ahn is a recipient of the Great Cross Order of Bernardo O’Higgins, the highest civilian honor awarded to non-Chilean citizens, as well as the Order of Service Merit, which is Korea’s top award for public officials. Ahn Ho-Young is married and has two sons.
Mike Ryan is an Associate Director and global macro economist at IHS Markit, a leading source for insight and analytics. Mike partners with a wide range of leaders in business, finance and government to strategically analyze industry investment opportunities and assess competitive positioning to make smarter, more informed capital allocation decisions. He also heads the company’s Sector Risk Rating service, used by financial clients to monitor and mitigate credit risk exposure. Prior to joining IHS Markit, he started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory where he consulted clients on effective ways to enhance their operational risk management procedures. Mr. Ryan received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from James Madison University, and earned a Master of Science in Banking and International Finance, with Distinction, from University of London’s Cass Business School. He is a Japanese Kakehashi scholar, avid supporter of Animals Asia Foundation, and serves as Vice President of the National Economists Club.