Biden appoints two Indian-Americans to Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations

PTI

Washington, March 11

US President Joe Biden on Friday named two Indian-Americans -- Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Manish Bapna, CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council -- to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

On Friday, Biden announced his intent to appoint 14 people to the Advisory Committee, which provides overall policy advice to the United States Trade Representative on matters of development, implementation, and administration of the US trade policy.

Among these include negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, the impact of the implementation of trade agreements, matters concerning the operation of any trade agreement once entered into, and other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States, the White House said.

Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, "the global manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products to improve the world".

Since assuming the role in 2019, Advaithi has been responsible for architecting the company's strategic direction and leading Flex through a transformation that is defining a new era in manufacturing, the White House said.

Prior to Flex, Advaithi was president and Chief Operating Officer for the electrical sector business for Eaton, a company with more than USD20 billion in sales and 102,000 employees.

She has also worked at Eaton's electrical sector, Americas, and Honeywell, and serves on the Board of Directors of Uber and Catalyst.org.

Advaithi is a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Advanced Manufacturing CEO Community and joined the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders.

She was recognised on Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business list for four consecutive years and named one of Business Today's Most Powerful Women in India. She holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Manish Bapna is president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), which has been behind many of the most significant environmental milestones of the last half century — from the creation of bedrock environmental laws, to landmark legal victories, and foundational research, the White House said.

During his 25-year career, Bapna's leadership roles have focused on tackling the root causes of poverty and climate change with strategies that are equitable, durable, and scalable. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the World Resources Institute, a research organisation focused on the intersection of the environment and human development, for more than 14 years.

An economist by training, he got his start at McKinsey & Company and the World Bank before pursuing a career in advocacy at the Bank Information Centre. He has master's degrees in Business and Political and Economic Development from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, the White House said.