It is with great pleasure that we are able to host former Ambassador and fellow Hoya Frank Lavin for dinner this Thursday April 25th at 8:15. Dinner will be held at Lynn which is on Xikang Road (西康路 99-1) near Nanjing West Road. Detailed directions can be found at the following link Lynn. Please RSVP for this event so we have an idea of numbers.
During dinner, Mr. Lavin will present an overview of President Obama’s approach to foreign policy with particular reference to U.S.-China policy followed by a discussion.
Frank Lavin has spent most of his professional life in senior business and government positions involving China and broader Asia issues. He currently works from Hong Kong as an independent corporate consultant, helping companies across the region.
Lavin formerly served as Managing Director and COO of Cushman & Wakefield Investors Asia, responsible for the firm’s private equity business and investor relations. Prior to that role, Lavin served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this capacity, Mr. Lavin served as lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was the senior policy official in the Department responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations across the globe.
Mr. Lavin was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore from 2001-05, where his duties included helping negotiate the landmark U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. From 1996 to 2001, he worked in Hong Kong and Singapore in senior banking and management positions at Citibank and Bank of America.
He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia and the Pacific during the George H.W. Bush Administration, with responsibilities for commercial policy, trade negotiations and assisting U.S. companies with market access. In the Reagan Administration, Mr. Lavin served in the White House as Director of the Office of Political Affairs and on the National Security Council staff. Other government service includes staff positions at the White House and the U.S. Department of State.
Mr. Lavin is also Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo USA Pavilion.
We look forward to seeing you there on Thursday night.
David Whittingham