Member Staff News Archives

Kristin Isabelli Joins USCIB as Director of Customs Policy

Published on November 12, 2013
Kristin Isabelli
Kristin Isabelli

We are delighted to welcome Kristin Isabelli as USCIB’s new director of customs and trade facilitation. In addition to staffing USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee, chaired by Jerry Cook (HanesBrands), Isabelli will serve as the International Chamber of Commerce’s representative to the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System Committee, and as a member of the APEC Customs Business Working Group.

Isabelli brings significant Capitol Hill experience on trade and customs. She comes to USCIB from the House Committee on Ways and Means, where she worked as the trade legislative assistant for Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R – MI). Isabelli assisted in the completion of the Colombia, Panama and South Korea free trade agreements and the 112th Congress Customs Reauthorization Bill. She assisted in the creation of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill process and website for the 112th and 113th Congresses.

“With a busy agenda on the customs and trade facilitation, we are fortunate to bring on someone of Kristin’s caliber,” said Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president of policy and government affairs. “With her knowledge of the issues and the key policymakers, in addition to her Hill experience, she will be able to hit the ground running.”

Isabelli obtained a bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Allegheny College, and she is currently working toward a master’s degree in international commerce at George Mason University.

More on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee

Member Staff News — Spread the Word!

Published on September 23, 2013

Maximizing Membership. Optimizing Participation

Member retention is high on our priority list at USCIB. A new series of briefings, entitled “Maximizing Membership. Optimizing Participation,” is designed to increase member engagement through learning about the range of policy issues covered at USCIB, and offers members insight into the scope of USCIB’s advocacy and our 2013 priorities. Our goal is to have every member briefed, to have their questions answered and to have everything they need to get the most value from their investment in USCIB. With briefings offered to new and longtime members alike, both groups have told us they learned something new about what USCIB offers, and that they plan to take the information back to their colleagues to encourage them to get involved. More than 50 companies have participated since the series was launched in February 2013, and we can already point to increased engagement on many of our committees, thereby delivering more value for your membership dollars. To schedule a briefing for your company, contact Alison Hoiem, Member Services Director (ahoiem@uscib.org).

2013 has been a banner year for new corporate membership, with a diverse group of companies from a wide range of industries joining the ranks of USCIB members. These include Darden, Dell, Deutsche Telecom, DIAGEO, McDonalds, Nabors Industries, Mozilla, Nissan NA, Target and TD Bank. While each new member joins us for specific policy issues that are important to their business, they also recognize the critical and unique value USCIB provides to all members – regardless of industry or specific interests – by delivering three things even these very large companies cannot do by themselves:

  1. Global issues management team for…
    • informed analysis of emerging global issues
    • access to and influence with key international policymakers
  2. Peer network of leading global companies for…
    • insight on the experiences and responses of other companies
    • collective action to shape global policy debates
  3. Direct, proactive member support for…
    • amplifying company messaging though our global network
    • timely responses to support members and/or prevent issues

Isn’t it time you told your peers about USCIB? Contact Alison Hoiem, Member Services Director (ahoiem@uscib.org), with prospects you think will benefit from joining USCIB – and Spread the Word!

USCIB Staff News

Diana Jack
Diana Jack
Rachel Spence
Rachel Spence

We welcome two new staff members to USCIB. Rachel Spence has joined us in New York as a Policy and Program Assistant. A graduate of Lafayette College, Rachel received her master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University in May. We also welcome Diana Jack, who has joined our Washington office as a Policy and Program Assistant. Diana is a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the newest members of USCIB:

Darden Restaurants

Greater Des Moines Partnership

To learn more about the benefits of membership in USCIB, please contact Alison Hoiem, Director of Member Services, at 202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org.

Member Staff News:

Published on June 1, 2013
Joseph Alhadeff
Joseph Alhadeff

Oracle’s Alhadeff is New Chair of ICC Digital Economy Commission

In April, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced the appointment of Joseph Alhadeff as the new chair of the ICC Commission on the Digital Economy Alhadeff, chief privacy strategist and vice president for global public policy at Oracle Corp., has served as vice chair of the ICC commission since 2002. He will take over from Herbert Heitmann, executive vice president of external communications at Royal Dutch Shell, who will step down from the post at the commission’s summer meeting in Paris. The commission develops policy positions for the Internet and ICTs on behalf of users, providers and operators of information technology. Alhadeff also chairs the Information Communications and Computing Policy Committee at BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.

USCIB’s Duncan to Head Coordinating Body for Global Carnet System

The World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC), the body responsible for managing the international guarantee chain for ATA Carnets – which allow for temporary duty- and tax-free export and import of goods – has elected Cynthia Duncan, USCIB’s senior vice president of Carnet and trade services, as its next chair. Duncan takes over the leadership role from Peter Bishop, who stepped down after nine years at the helm. Managed jointly by ICC’s World Chambers Federation and the World Customs Organization, the ATA Carnet system enables duty-free and tax-free temporary import of goods of professional equipment, commercial samples, and goods for trade fairs and exhibitions for up to one year. Today the Carnet system is in force in 73 countries.

USCIB Staff News

Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs, participated in a March OECD Business Dialogue on 21st Century Trade Barriers in Paris, where he noted growing member concerns with forced localization requirements, restrictions on cross-border data flows, unfair competition from state-owned enterprises, and customs related impediments. The OECD has released a summary report of the dialogue, which was organized in partnership with BIAC, available at www.oecd.org/trade/tradedev/IBD2013Report.pdf. … Shaun Donnelly, USCIB’s vice president for investment and financial services, has joined the policy advisory committee at Transparency International (TI)’s U.S. chapter. TI is the leading anti-corruption NGO working to combat bribery and extortion worldwide.

Josefa Sicard-Mirabal, who serves as director for North America at the ICC International Court of Arbitration (working out of USCIB’s New York headquarters), was honored in June at the Fourth Annual Latina Trailblazers Breakfast, which celebrates “phenomenal Latinas whose accomplishments serve as a testament to the extraordinary power wielded by smart, creative and energetic Latinas with a conscience.” Congratulations, Josefa! … Joining Josefa’s team as deputy director of arbitration and ADR is Rachel Clarke, who comes to us from Newport News, Virginia where she practiced toxic tort litigation at a boutique law firm. She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Welcome, Rachel!

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the newest members of USCIB:

Merck & Co., Inc.

Nissan North America

PartnerRe

Sherman & Howard

 

To learn more about the benefits of membership in USCIB, please contact Abby Shapiro, Senior Vice President of Business Development, at 617-242-0205 or ashapiro@uscib.org.

Member Staff News: Help Us Keep USCIB’s Member Base Growing

Published on October 1, 2012

USCIB’s membership is growing!  This year, more than ever, we owe our success to USCIB’s volunteer leadership – our current members – who have worked hard to open doors and tell their peers about the benefits of a USCIB membership.  Our 2012 membership campaign, led by USCIB’s Executive Committee and many key members, has resulted in the addition of 21 new members in the first half of 2012 – the most new members in the first six months of any year since 2005.

While that’s great news, now is not the time to sit back.  Competition for membership dollars is at an all-time high, and we need your help to tell the USCIB story to as many prospects as we can.

If you have a contact at a company that could benefit from USCIB membership, here are three simple steps you can take to get the ball rolling:

  1. E-mail or call with testimonial support on the value USCIB brings to your organization.
  2. Invite them to join you at a committee meeting as an observer to see how the process works first-hand.
  3. Offer them a one-year complimentary subscription to International Business.

Then be sure to let us know.  When you reach out, you’ll be helping to enrich your own membership at USCIB by adding more voices to support action on issues that are important to your company.  For more information on how you can get involved, contact me at ashapiro@uscinb.org, or Member Services Director Alison Hoiem at ahoiem@uscib.org. You’ll be glad you did.

Rob Mulligan
Rob Mulligan

Mulligan to Help Lead BIAC Trade Committee

USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan has been appointed by the BIAC (Business & Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD) Executive Board as vice chair of the BIAC Trade Committee.  Rob, who heads USCIB’s Washington, D.C. office, together with Committee Chair Cliff Sosnow and Vice Chair Oliver Wieck, will help guide BIAC’s work on trade, which is currently focused on trade and jobs, global value chains, services trade, export restrictions, non-tariff measures and state-owned enterprises.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the latest additions to USCIB’s diverse membership:

DirecTV Latin America

Dickstein Shapiro LLP

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

WeiserMazars LLP

To learn more about how USCIB membership can benefit your organization, contact Alison Hoiem (202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org).

Member Staff News: New Chair for Trade and Investment Committee

Published on September 20, 2012
Rick Johnston
Rick Johnston

Charles R. (Rick) Johnston, director and senior vice president for international government affairs with Citi, is the new chair of USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee, which coordinates business advocacy among USCIB’s hundreds of member companies, advises the U.S. government on key trade and investment matters, and drives broader international support for open markets.  “We are very excited that Rick Johnston has agreed to lead USCIB’s trade and investment policy work,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson.  “He brings strong leadership and a truly global perspective.”

Anthony Barone
Anthony Barone

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has elevated Anthony Barone, director of global logistics policy at Pfizer, to the chairmanship of its Committee on Customs and Trade Regulations. Having served a year as vice chair, Barone is set to advance the committee’s work program, which focuses on simplifying and harmonizing customs policies and procedures so as to overcome barriers to trade.

 

Stephen Canner
Stephen Canner

At a May reception in Washington, D.C., USCIB members and staff bade farewell and gave a hearty “thank you” to Stephen Canner, who retired after 17 years of service in our Washington office.  Coming to us following a long and distinguished career at the U.S. Treasury, Steve served as USCIB’s vice president for investment and financial services, and more recently as senior advisor. His first-rate track record of advocacy on behalf of U.S. business resulted in a number of important achievements and helped to elevate investment policy to an equal footing with trade policy in terms of its importance to growth, jobs and development. Steve recently completed a term as chair of BIAC’s investment committee, further underscoring his lasting influence on our policy work and that of our affiliates. An accomplished sailor who often treated fellow USCIB staffers to a day out on the Chesapeake, Steve brought good humor and boundless energy – not to mention keen insight – to his work.  We wish him and his wife Sharon much happiness and happy sailing.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the latest additions to USCIB’s diverse membership:

Office Depot
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Frankfurt Kurnit Klien & Selz PC
Jackson Lewis LLP
Patton Boggs

To learn more about how USCIB membership can benefit your organization, contact Alison Hoiem (202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org).

Member and Staff News: USCIB’s Greene Tapped for State Department Advisory Panel

Published on July 15, 2012
Adam Greene
Adam Greene

USCIB Staff News: Adam Greene, USCIB’s vice president for labor and corporate responsibility, has been named to a State Department advisory body on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Joining Adam on the panel is Clifford Henry, associate director of corporate sustainable development with Procter & Gamble and chair of USCIB’s Corporate Responsibility Committee. The OECD Guidelines are voluntary recommendations from governments to multinational enterprises on responsible conduct in such areas as human rights, labor, environment, and corruption. They are the only multilateral, comprehensive code of conduct, endorsed by 43 national governments. The new panel will advise the U.S. National Contact Point, a State Department official who leads the United States work under the Guidelines. For more information, please visit www.state.gov/usncp.

Jason Cox has joined USCIB as a foreign claims examiner for our ATA Carnet department. Jason will issue Carnets along with three other Foreign Claims Examiners. He is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland. Alexandra Akerly is the new executive assistant in the ICC International Court of Arbitration’s North American offices, headquartered at USCIB. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and worked at the office of Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as our newest members:

American River International
Apple Inc.
The Clorox Company
Comcast Corporation
Energy Transportation Group, Inc.
Grant Thornton International Ltd.
International Trade Counsellors
Limited Brands, Inc.

To find out how your organization can benefit from joining USCIB, contact Alison Hoiem, manager of member services, at 202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org.

Reach Out! 2012 USCIB Member-Get-a-Member Drive

Published on December 22, 2011

For over 60 years, USCIB has been the voice for American multinationals around the world by working to shape a level playing field where trade and investment can flourish. You depend on USCIB to represent your interests, both through direct representations to the U.S. and foreign governments, and through our engagement in international policy-making and regulatory bodies. And we count on you, too!

We know our current members are the best possible source for new members who could benefit from all USCIB has to offer. Every time you recruit a new member, you strengthen USCIB. And a stronger, growing and vital USCIB means greater recognition of our mission and the advancement of our global advocacy to address international regulatory policies affecting your business.

This year, with our “Member-Get-a-Member” drive, we’re made referring a colleague to USCIB easier than ever. There are several ways you can help USCIB grow:

  • You can simply provide us with your colleagues’ names and contact information and we’ll send them a membership information package.
  • You can make a personal introduction, let them know why you support USCIB and ask them to talk with us about membership. Send us their name and contact information and we’ll contact them.
  • You can invite a colleague to join you at a USCIB event or committee meeting to experience USCIB in action. Let us know and we’ll be sure to flag this for follow up.
  • You can direct them to www.uscib.org to see what we offer. Again, let us know your colleagues’ name and contact information so we can follow up.

So help us Reach Out! And together we’ll make 2012 a banner year for membership in USCIB. For more information on how you can help, contact Alison Hoiem, manager of member services, at 202-682-1291, or e-mail her at ahoiem@uscib.org.

Contact Abby Shapiro at 212-703-5064 or ashapiro@uscib.org.

USCIB Staff News: Adam Greene, USCIB’s vice president for labor affairs and corporate responsibility, has been named by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to serve on the National Advisory Committee for Labor Provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements. The recently reconstituted advisory committee provides advice to the Secretary of Labor on the implementation of labor rules in existing free trade agreements, and on the labor provisions of FTAs being negotiated. Adam joins other business representatives (all from USCIB’s membership): Darryl Knudsen of Gap Inc., Ed Potter of The Coca-Cola Company (chair of USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee) and Anna Walker of Levi Strauss & Co. … In October, Charlene Flick, USCIB’s director of intellectual property and competition at USCIB, addressed the Silicon Valley Association of General Counsel in Santa Clara, California. Ms. Flick discussed emerging legal challenges for U.S. companies as they expand internationally, and specifically how USCIB helps American industry navigate an increasingly complex global marketplace… Justine Kharnak has joined USCIB as development assistant for our ATA Carnet department. Justine will support outreach to customers with the goal of growing the Carnet business across the United States. She comes to us from the law firm Jones Day, and is a graduate of Baruch College.

Donnelly Joins USCIB as Vice President of Investment and Financial Services

Published on September 7, 2011
Shaun Donnelly
Shaun Donnelly

New York, N.Y., September 7, 2011 – Shaun Donnelly, a career diplomat who has held several senior executive branch posts, has joined the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), a pro-trade group representing America’s top global companies, as vice president for investment and financial services.

“Shaun Donnelly comes to USCIB at a critical time for investment policy around the world,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson.  “America’s future prosperity depends on opening up new markets for investment, trade and technological know-how.  Shaun’s wealth of experience at the State Department, USTR and in the Washington business community, and his top-notch reputation in commercial diplomacy, will ensure that USCIB continues to play a leadership role in crafting sensible policies that ensure fair competition and a level playing field, both at home and around the world.”

Founded in 1945, USCIB works to advance U.S. industry positions globally through a unique network of overseas business groups and official standing in a number of intergovernmental bodies, including the OECD and the International Labor Organization.  It has been at the forefront of efforts to foster investment-friendly policies in the United States and other countries, and its policy advocacy activities touch on many aspects of multinational business practice and regulation.

Mr. Donnelly will work out of USCIB’s Washington, D.C. office, reporting to Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan.  He brings to USCIB over 30 years’ experience with the U.S. Department of State in a wide range of roles including: principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs; U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka; deputy assistant secretary for international trade; deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Tunisia; and a detail as assistant U.S. trade representative for Europe and the Middle East.  After retiring from the State Department in 2008, Mr. Donnelly held positions with the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  He holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Lawrence University.

Mr. Donnelly succeeds Stephen Canner, a former Treasury Department official who will remain affiliated with USCIB as a senior advisor.  “We are very grateful for Steve Canner’s energetic service with USCIB these past 16 years, and we are glad we will continue to benefit from his expertise,” said Mr. Robinson.

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation.  Its members include top U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world.  With a unique global network encompassing the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

More on USCIB’s Financial Services Committee

Member Staff News Summer 2011

Published on July 1, 2011

New Co-Chairs of China Committee

We welcome Jianmei Feng of General Electric and Tad Ferris of Holland and Knight as co-chairs of USCIB’s China Committee. Previously vice chairs of the committee, Ms. Feng, senior counsel for public policy at GE China, and Mr. Ferris, a partner in Holland and Knight’s China team, succeed Clarence Kwan, national managing partner for Chinese services at Deloitte. We are extremely grateful for Mr. Kwan’s longstanding support and dedication to our China work. His leadership of the committee over the past eight years has helped shape USCIB’s positions on Chinese trade policy, and he has also served as the chair of the BIAC China Task Force.

USCIB’s Amanda Barlow
USCIB’s Amanda Barlow

Amanda Barlow, USCIB’s Carnet development manager, presented at FedEx’s Irving, Texas center in May to over 100 individuals gathered to successfully kickoff “Trade Texas Style,” a public-private partnership that supports President Obama’s National Export initiative. This state-wide trade initiative – composed of 37 private- and public-sector organizations including USCIB, the U.S. Commercial Service, Reed Exhibitions, JPMorgan Chase and FedEx – came together to present the value of expanding trade to small and medium-sized businesses in Texas. Fred Schardt, CEO of FedEx Trade Networks, and Mayor Herbert Gears of Irving both spoke at the event. Following the kickoff, over 500 first-round invitations went out asking Texas companies to consider joining and receiving the benefits from the counseling and planning support offered by the supporters of “Trade Texas Style.” Both USCIB and Carnet service provider Roanoke Trade Services exhibited at the event, drawing attention to the value of ATA Carnets as well as ICC Incoterms® 2010 for Texas business.

Send your USCIB member news to news@uscib.org.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the latest additions to USCIB’s diverse membership:

American Council of Life Insurers

Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc.

To learn more about how USCIB membership can benefit your organization, contact Alison Hoiem (202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org).

Member Staff News: New Chair for ICT Committee

Published on April 1, 2011

Spring 2011

New Chair for ICT Committee

Amb. David Gross
Amb. David Gross

Ambassador David Gross, the former top State Department official on international communications policy, now at Wiley Rein, is the new chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee. He will lead the development and delivery of business views on information technology and Internet policy developments worldwide. Mr. Gross succeeds Arthur Reilly, who has retired from Cisco Systems, Inc….Pfizer executive Anthony Barone has been appointed vice chair of USCIB’s Customs and Trade Regulations Committee, in which he is set to advance the committee’s work program and provide support to the committee’s chair, Selig Merber, vice president of GE International. The committee’s work focuses on customs reform, with the aim of simplifying and harmonizing customs policies and procedures so as to overcome barriers to trade.

Send your USCIB member news to news@uscib.org.

New USCIB Members

We are delighted to welcome the following companies and organizations as the latest additions to USCIB’s diverse membership:

The Gap, Inc.

NBC Universal

King & Wood

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

FTI Consulting

American Farm Bureau Federation

Center for Information Policy Leadership

Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

To learn more about how USCIB membership can benefit your organization, contact Alison Hoiem (202-682-1291 or ahoiem@uscib.org).

Staff News

Josefa Sicard-Mirabal, Director of Arbitration and ADR, North America of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, has joined a new Sanctions Committee under the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which will investigate and sanction all new corruption allegations…  Alexandra Garcia and Kira Yevtukhova have joined USCIB as program development assistants supporting the policy team. Prior to joining USCIB, Kira interned at the British Council‘s New York office working with the Programming and the Partnerships teams.  She holds a Bachelors Degree from Mount Holyoke College in International Relations and a minor in Russian Eurasian Studies. After the completion of her undergraduate degree, she participated in Columbia University’s 2010 Hertog Global Strategy Initiative, which focused on historical analysis and policy making in the field of Nuclear Nonproliferation. She is a Russian speaker and is proficient in French. Alexandra obtained Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Affairs and Communication Studies from Northeastern University.   She studied abroad in Italy and South Africa and lived in Geneva, Switzerland while she worked as a Junior Professional Officer for the Implementation Support Unit of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.  She is fluent in Spanish and is currently learning French.