On Thursday, November 30, WITA hosted a webinar to look at what was accomplished at the APEC Summit in San Francisco, what has yet to be achieved, and where IPEF may be heading from there.
This event was held in partnership with the Asia Society Policy Institute.
Featured Speakers:
Wendy Cutler, Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), and Managing Director of the Washington, D.C. office; former Acting Deputy United States Trade Representative
Eric Gottwald, Policy Specialist, Trade and Economic Globalization, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Yeo Han-koo, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics; former Trade Minister of the Republic of Korea
Marc Mealy, Senior Vice President-Policy, US-ASEAN Business Council
Moderator: Paul H. DeLaney, III, Partner, Kyle House Group
Speaker Biographies:
Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Managing Director of the Washington, D.C. office. In these roles, she focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.
Eric Gottwald is a Policy Specialist on Trade & Economic Globalization at the AFL-CIO where he advocates for the effective integration of workers’ fundamental labor rights into trade and investment policy.
Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, Eric was the Deputy Director of the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), where he coordinated programs to end labor abuses in global supply chains, utilizing trade-related complaint mechanisms to hold governments and corporations accountable for upholding international labor standards. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2005, completing human rights fellowships with Oxfam Great Britain and the International Labor Organization. He is fluent in Spanish and licensed to practice law in Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Yeo Han-koo is the former Trade Minister of the Republic of Korea, and he has been Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics since June 2023. His research focuses on international trade policy, industrial policy, supply chain resilience, and economic security and international trade negotiations including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Yeo completed almost three decades of public service as trade minister of the Republic of Korea in 2022, in the final year of the Moon Jae-in presidency.
A veteran international trade negotiator, Yeo has been involved in a number of bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations, including as the chief negotiator for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement, Korea–Central America Free Trade Agreement, Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement. He was also an original participant in developing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity.
While serving as commercial attaché at the Korean Embassy in Washington, he was involved in amendment negotiations of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and Section 232 steel negotiations. As Korean minister of trade, he oversaw conventional trade negotiations, export controls, and investment screening. Yeo also led negotiations for Korea’s export control measures against Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A graduate of Seoul National University, Yeo has served as visiting professor at the Seoul National University Business School, teaching international trade, negotiation, and economic security issues. Yeo holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.
Marc Mealy is the Senior Vice President-Policy at the US-ASEAN Business Council. He manages the production of the Council’s information products, coordinates advocacy efforts across our country and industry committees, and serves as the in-house lead on international trade policy. He joined the Council in 2003 as the Senior Director for Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei Affairs as well as Coordinator of the Council’s ASEAN Financial Services Working Group. He was named the Vice President in 2010.
Marc has over twenty years of experience in international trade and economics.
He began his professional career in 1989 as an international economist with International Trade Policy Division of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Services. While at USDA he was accepted into the United States Foreign Service, and later went on to manage some of USDA’s largest commodity trade finance (GSM) and food assistance programs (PL-480) in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe for USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation.
In 1994-1996, he joined the African American Institute, an international non-profit NGO, as the Director of its Trade and Investment Program and later worked as a consultant to foreign government and international development NGO’s.
Prior to joining the Council Marc spent four years inside the U.S. Congress. From 1999-2001 he was a member of the Professional Staff of the House International Relations Committee. From 2001 to 2003, he served as the international economic and foreign policy advisor to Congressmen Gregory Meeks of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees.
Marc holds a B.A. in Economics and Third World Studies from Oberlin College and an M.S. degree in Economics from the University of Florida.
Paul H. DeLaney, III is a Partner at Kyle House Group. Paul rejoined the firm in the summer of 2022 and brings 20 years of private sector and public service experience working on international economic, policy, political and business issues. Paul leads the firm’s international commercial policy, advocacy, counseling and dispute resolution efforts. He specializes in international trade, investment, tax, supply chain, regulatory and customs advocacy and policy development.
Prior to rejoining KHG, Paul was Vice President for Trade and International at Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of America’s leading companies. Paul partnered with the BRT leadership and the Trade and International CEO Committee Chair to set strategy and engage BRT CEOs on policy priorities and advocacy. Paul worked closely with other U.S. associations to align trade and international policy efforts, and he led the successful USMCA Coalition effort within BRT and with partner associations.
Paul worked at the Kyle House Group for over five years before joining BRT. Prior to joining KHG, Paul served as International Trade Counsel to Ranking Member Orrin G. Hatch for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance where he advised Senators and their staff on trade, investment, customs and international economic issues. Paul assisted with Finance Committee hearings and legislative markups, drafted trade legislation and amendments, briefed Senators and staff, consulted with the Administration and the trade and customs agencies, and met with stakeholders and foreign governments. Paul assisted in managing the Senate floor during the consideration of seven trade bills. He also drafted a bipartisan customs modernization and reauthorization bill, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2013, with Chairman Max Baucus’ staff.
Before joining the Finance Committee, Paul worked as Senior Attorney for Trade and International Affairs at FedEx Express on trade policy and international regulatory issues before the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as with industry and trade associations. His work focused on trade policies, trade agreements and international regulatory policies that impacted the company’s international operations and investments. He was appointed to serve on Industry and Trade Advisory Committee 10 on Services and Finance by the Bush and the Obama Administrations. He helped open the FedEx Express Washington, DC Office of Trade and International Affairs, and he coordinated advocacy efforts with FedEx Express regional and country teams around the world.
Prior to joining FedEx Express, Paul worked at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for three years, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Trade Representatives Rob Portman and Susan C. Schwab. Paul was integrally involved in strategic planning, agency operations and decision-making with senior political and career staff. Paul was the front office point of contact for the White House Staff Secretary, National Security Council, and National Economic Council staff to coordinate interagency actions.
Before joining USTR, Paul was a litigation associate at Vinson & Elkins, LLP in Washington DC. Paul attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. Paul is a Washington DC native, having grown up in Northwest DC and attended the St. Albans School for Boys. He lives in Virginia, with his wife Meghan and their daughters Charlotte and Maia.