[Free] Trump 2.0 and the Asia Pacific

Event Details

[EVENT IS FULL]

*Light refreshments will be served.

We are pleased to invite you to a breakfast briefing jointly organized by The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, The GR Company, and Vriens & Partners. The session will bring together country experts working on East Asian and a select number of Southeast Asian markets for a deep dive into the impact of the Trump Administration thus far. The discussion will cover the risks and opportunities arising from President Donald Trump's return to office, touching on topics including his focus on trade balances and persisting U.S.-China tensions.

Please note the following details:

The event is held under the Chatham House Rule https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule
Images from the event may be used for AmCham Singapore's post-event information, marketing and promotional purposes.
The personal information provided to us will only be used for event registration and administration.

By registering for this event, you agree and consent to the above.

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

Speakers

Fredrik Lofthagen

Executive Director and Head of Global Advisory, The GR Company

Frederick Chen

Senior Associate, Singapore, Vriens & Partners

Jakob Edberg

President & CEO, The GR Company

Amb. William Heidt

Senior Director, Washington DC, Vriens & Partners

Wei Hsuan Liao

Associate Manager, The GR Company

Juyun Moon

Executive Director and Head of Operation, The GR Company

Jeremy Mullins

Co-Country Director, Thailand, Vriens & Partners

Brasukra G. Sudjana

Country Director, Indonesia, Vriens & Partners

Nguyen Minh Tuan

Senior Associate, Vietnam, Vriens & Partners

Hans Vriens

Managing Partner, Vriens & Partners

Nazhif Yusoff

Country Director, Malaysia, Vriens & Partners

Fredrik Lofthagen is Executive Director of The GR Company, Head of its Global Advisory Practice, and the company’s COO. A seasoned international government relations consultant, Fredrik brings 30 years of expertise as both a consultancy leader and an in-house practitioner.

Based in Singapore, he specializes in leveraging governments and inter-governmental organizations to drive organic growth and accelerate go-to-market strategies. His work is supported by The GR Company’s regional hubs in Singapore, London, and Washington, DC, as well as its 100-strong team in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The company’s global network of top-tier affiliated firms further enhances its ability to serve clients worldwide.

With a legal background, Fredrik began his career in Brussels and went on to establish one of the largest government relations consultancies in Europe. Over the years, Fredrik has had the privilege of working as a government relations practitioner across multiple regions, including Europe, the US, and Asia. His diverse experience has given him a truly global perspective, allowing him to navigate complex governmental landscapes with a deep understanding of regional dynamics. He is also the creator of the world's largest partnership of independent government relations consultancies, spanning 70 markets worldwide. Fredrik's achievements are widely recognized, and he was the first consultancy leader in Europe to receive the prestigious SABRE Award for Government Relations Consultancy of the Year.

He holds a Master of Law from the University of Lund and is fluent in English, Swedish and French.

Jakob Edberg is co-founder of The GR Company, and has over two decades of direct experience in politics and policy-making. Prior to co-founding The GR Company, Jakob was Policy Director at the European Business Council in Japan, where he supervised government outreach and advocacy for over 300 companies in 29 sector committees. He also served as a senior trade officer at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo. Jakob is widely recognised as the leading government affairs practitioner in Japan, with expertise in a range of policy areas including trade, consumer finance, energy and environment, tourism, and others.

Jakob is fluent in Japanese, English and Swedish, and complements degrees in political science and Japanese language with a Masters in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba.

Bill is Senior Director and lead of Vriens & Partners’ presence in Washington, DC. In this capacity, Bill manages the firm’s relationships with the U.S. Government, supports our clients in Washington and in Southeast Asia, and works alongside our partner firm The Scowcroft Group.

Bill is a recognized expert on international trade, investment, and development policy. He served multiple assignments ASEAN countries during his 35-year Foreign Service career and was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia from 2015 to 2018.  During his tenure, Bill launched initiatives to expand trade
and investment between the U.S. and Cambodia, strengthen respect for human rights and democracy, build Cambodia’s nascent technology sector, and empower Cambodia’s women entrepreneurs.

Prior to his service in Cambodia, Bill served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the Department of State. In that role, Bill helped shape U.S. global engagement on international economic, energy, and environmental issues, including Secretarial
initiatives on wildlife trafficking, ocean conservation, and economic diplomacy.

Bill’s other overseas Foreign Service tours include assignments in Jakarta, Indonesia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Warsaw, Poland and Poznan, Poland.  In Jakarta, Bill served successive tours from 2000-07 as Finance and Development Officer and then as Economic Counselor.  Earlier in his career, Bill was awarded the joint Department of State-Department of Labor “Excellence in Labor Diplomacy” award in recognition of his outstanding work in support of workers’ rights and independent trade unions in
Cambodia. Bill also completed domestic economic policy assignments in Washington and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York.

After his completing his assignment as Ambassador, Bill served as Deputy Commandant and International Affairs Advisor at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, a component of the National Defense University. 

Billis holds a B.A. in Foreign Service and International Politics from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in International Relations from George Washington University. He and his wife live in Arlington, Virginia and have one son.

Wei Hsuan Liao has nearly ten years of experience in public policy and government affairs, specializing in policy communication and stakeholder coordination. As the Director of Government Affairs at Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, she actively facilitated cross-sector dialogues among government agencies, industries, and NGOs, driving the implementation of key policies.

She has represented Taiwan in international exchange programs, engaging in in-depth discussions with global think tanks and policymakers to foster international collaboration. She also contributed to advancing cross-border legislative cooperation by supporting the establishment of multiple inter-parliamentary friendship organizations, strengthening policy dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.

Wei Hsuan Liao holds a degree in Political Science from Soochow University and is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English. Leveraging her expertise in policy analysis and international coordination, she provides strategic insights to facilitate cooperation and development between Taiwan and the global community.

Juyun Moon, Executive Director and Head of Operation at GR Korea, is a public affairs and strategic communications professional with history of working both in-house and as an external consultant. She is experienced in implementing public affairs projects across fields such as intellectual property, internet technology and software, environment, and energy. Since COVID-19 outbreak, she has been heavily involved in global health issue, and is providing policy consultation to leading domestic and international partners to combat the pandemic.

Before joining GR Korea, Juyun was a policy analyst for Korea’s dominant telecommunication company, KT, and served as an aide to a very senior member of Cabinet and the National Assembly. Juyun holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Yonsei University, Seoul, and is fluent in English, Korean and Mandarin Chinese.

Jeremy is Co-Country Director of Vriens & Partners’ Thailand office, and Advisor to our Myanmar office. He leads and manages advisory services for Clients, providing insight on political dynamics and developing government affairs strategies. He has worked in Thailand and Myanmar for eight years as a consultant, journalist and market researcher, including as business editor of The Myanmar Times newspaper and a Southeast Asia correspondent based in Bangkok for an international news agency. Jeremy’s previous focuses include the energy, tech, and financial sectors. This varied experienced has enabled Jeremy to build a strong understanding of local political and business dynamics.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in economics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. Previously, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for eight years.

Brasukra G. Sudjana (Brava) is Country Director of Vriens & Partners’ Jakarta office, where he leads and supports client and project management, as well as provides strategic advice on relevant government affairs and public policy issues.

Brava has more than 20 years of experience in public policy, stakeholder engagement strategy, and trade negotiations. He has worked for development and international organizations, as well as the private sector, focusing on economic and trade policies, sustainable economy, and digital economy in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Prior to joining Vriens & Partners, Brava served as Assistant Director for External Economic Relations at the ASEAN Secretariat, where he facilitated negotiations for the upgrade of the ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Area and the implementation of other ASEAN FTAs. He also supported negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Brava was previously Director and Country Representative at Asia Group Advisors, where he led strategic advisory and government relations work across a diverse range of sectors.

Brava was also a World Bank economist and worked for the British Embassy, the United Nations Development Programme , and the Asia Foundation, focusing on climate change and economic projects, private sector development, and trade and investment policies.

Brava has master’s degrees in economics from the University of Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne and Southern Illinois University.

Tuan is an Associate at Vriens & Partners’ Hanoi office where he supports clients’ policy research, analysis, and strategic planning needs. He joined the firm in 2019, bringing 10 years of multi-industry experience in the public and private sector. With a background in education consultancy, retail management, and academic research, he brings a broad range of experiences and cross-sector understanding to the firm’s work. Tuan spent his earlier working years in public institutions, teaching at higher education institution. He also worked for the Vietnam Government’s National Foreign Language Program 2020 within the Ministry of Education and Training to support capacity building program to improve foreign language ability in the country. Tuan completed his BSc in Economics and Finance and MSc in Development Economics, both from University of York (UK). He also holds a Master in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

Hans is the founder and Managing Partner of Vriens & Partners, the leading government affairs, public policy and political risk analysis firm around Southeast Asia. It is headquartered in Singapore and has more than 90 staff and 30 senior counselors around the region. The firm has offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Cambodia.

Hans has lived and worked in Asia since 1990. He is a regular commentator on regional issues. Prior to establishing V&P, Hans was Vice Chairman, Asia at APCO Worldwide. He set up and served as Managing Director of the Indonesia practice for six years.

Prior to this he worked as a political economist at the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy in Hong Kong. Earlier he practiced law in the M&A practice at Clifford Chance and was the Asia correspondent for a leading Dutch financial and economic daily. In 1995, he was elected president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong, then the largest in the world.

Hans serves on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of UWCSEA. He was a founding member of the Europe ASEAN Business Alliance, Chairman of the Foundation Dutch Education at UWCSEA, board member of Eurocham, and founding chairman of DutchCham in SG.

Hans graduated from law school in civil and public law at Groningen University in the Netherlands. During his studies, he was a research assistant in European parliamentary history and public law. In 1982 he took a year off from his studies when he was elected Senatus Rector of the Student Union (VAP).

Hans studied at the Bologna Center of the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University. He also did stints at the Universities of Grenoble in France, and Krakow in Poland.

His family lived in Batavia, Semarang and on Biak off Papua in the Dutch East Indies for several generations until the handover of Papua in 1962. He is married to Katy le Blanc. They have two sons.

Nazhif Yusoff is Country Director at Vriens & Partners’ Kuala Lumpur office. With the team, he consults for clients from various verticals such as technology, healthcare, transportation and tourism, helping them develop their government relations strategy.

Previously, Nazhif was with the trade and investment team at Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation, an agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. At MPRC, he developed the agency’s database of export opportunities for Malaysian oil and gas services and equipment manufacturing companies. He also connected Malaysian oil and gas companies with opportunities in Southeast Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East through the organization of trade and specialized marketing missions.

Nazhif was also a fellow under the two-year Teach for Malaysia program, which places young leaders as teachers in high-need schools throughout the country. He taught English and Malaysian History at Alor Pongsu, Perak. There, he also initiated partnerships with corporate partners, constituency leaders and NGOs to run specialized academic performance improvement programs.

Nazhif earned a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C., majoring in Regional and Comparative Studies (Middle East and Asia). He was a recipient of the Malaysian Public Service Department’s Overseas Degree Program scholarship. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (History) from the Northern University of Malaysia (UUM). In his spare time, he indulges in cooking and Arabic calligraphy.

Sponsors and Partners

AmCham Member

Employees in member company and part of the membership roster

Member PriceComplimentary

Member Company

Employees in member company but not in the membership roster

Standard PriceComplimentary

Non-Member

Attendees that are not part of a member company and/or the membership roster

Standard PriceComplimentary

Connect with 184 people attending this event

CSYYSA

The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

Contact us

Event Details