[In-Person] The U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation: In Conversation with Arun Venkataraman

Event Details

The U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation (PGI) was launched in October 2021 with a focus on driving commercially meaningful outcomes for U.S. businesses in Singapore. Join us to understand how your organization can play a role in supporting inclusive growth through strengthening trade and investment collaborations in new and forward-looking areas.

Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, will be in Singapore to discuss PGI and the opportunities it holds for businesses in the region. The AmCham PGI whitepaper, A Partnership of Possibilities: Industry Recommendations on Advancing Cooperation under the U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation, will also be officially launched at this event followed by networking with the representatives from the Singapore business community, U.S. Government and Singapore Government.

For sponsorship opportunities, please email Lee-Mey Goh at lmgoh@amcham.com.sg.

By paying for your ticket before the event, you help make sure that AmCham can continue to offer meaningful programming for our members.

* For any enquires please contact the AmCham Programming and Events Team at pe@amcham.com.sg.

* Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be provided for cancellations. Replacements will be accepted.

Speakers

Arun Venkataraman

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General at U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service

Jane Lim

Deputy Secretary (Trade) at Ministry of Trade and Industry

Melissa Yoong

Head of Public Policy, Singapore at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Arun Venkataraman is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. He was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 7, 2022, to lead the federal government’s efforts to promote exports abroad and attract inward investment. He was officially sworn in on April 25, 2022.

Venkataraman has over 20 years of experience advising companies, international organizations and the U.S. government on international trade issues. Most recently, he served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Department of Commerce on trade and other international economic matters. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Arun was a Senior Director at Visa, leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions. He also served as Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights and U.S. and foreign trade policies.

During the Obama Administration, Venkataraman served as ITA’s first-ever Director of Policy, where he helped shape the U.S. government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the U.S. and in markets around the world, including China and India. He also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) where he led the development and implementation of U.S.-India trade policy, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership. He also served as USTR’s Associate General Counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization and in negotiations on international trade agreements. Prior to USTR, Arun was a Legal Officer at the World Trade Organization, and served as Law Clerk for Judge Jane A. Restani at the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Born in Coimbatore, India, and raised in Houston, Venkataraman holds a juris doctorate from Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University.

Jane Lim is the Deputy Secretary (Trade) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI),Singapore. MTI promotes sustainable and inclusive economic growth. She is responsible forSingapore’s trade and external economic relations. This includes the negotiation andimplementation of Free Trade Agreements and Digital Economy Agreements with Singapore’s trading partners, as well as promoting Singapore’s interests and regional economic integration at regional and multilateral fora.

Prior to this, Jane was the Assistant Chief Executive of the Sectoral Transformation Group in the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore. She led the drive for digital transformation of industry sectors and enterprises to accelerate the growth of Singapore’s digital economy. In 2020, she was nominated to the inaugural list of Singapore’s 100 Women in Technology. She is on the board of National Library Board, the Customs Advisory Council and the Advisory Board of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies.

During her career in the public service, she has also held a range of portfolios such as public finance and social policies, energy market planning, manpower planning and policy, and intellectual property policy development.

Jane has an MBA from the Sloan Fellows Program in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds a Masters in Political Science with MIT and majored in both Biological Sciences and Government at Cornell University. She is married with two daughters.

Melissa Yoong is Head of Public Policy, Singapore at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she drives AWS’ engagements with policymakers and regulators in Singapore on the adoption of cloud computing and emerging technologies, as well as realising the potential of the digital economy.

Prior to joining AWS, Melissa served in the Government of Singapore as part of the Ministry of Communications and Information, where she developed policies on tech and media regulation, data protection and innovation, and digital trade; as well as the Ministry of Law, where she worked on real estate policy and COVID-19 relief for small businesses. She also did stints at the Info-Communications & Media Development Authority, where she worked on data sharing and international partnerships.

Melissa obtained her BA in Politics, Psychology and Sociology from the University of Cambridge, and her MA in Political Science and Arabic from the American University in Cairo.