Arun Venkataraman, an Indian American, has been nominated by Joe Biden for a key position in the administration
Arun Venkataraman, an Indian American, has been nominated by Joe Biden for a key position in the administration
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On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Indian-American Arun Venkataraman to a key position in his administration relating to international trade.

According to the White House, Venkataraman is the nominee for Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, as well as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets.

Venkataraman is currently the Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the department on trade and other international economic matters, and has over 20 years of experience advising companies, international organisations, and the US government on international trade issues.

He was a senior director at Visa before joining the Biden-Harris administration, where he oversaw global government engagement strategy on a variety of international policy issues such as the digital economy, trade, taxation, and sanctions.

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Venkataraman previously worked at Steptoe & Johnson LLP as a trade and investment policy advisor, where he advised multinational corporations and other businesses on e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and US and international trade policies.

Venkataraman helped shape the US government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the country and in markets around the world, including China and India, as the first ever Director of Policy at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration under President Barack Obama, according to the White House.

He led the development and implementation of US-India trade policy as Director for India at the US Trade Representative (USTR), for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership.

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Venkataraman also served as associate general counsel, representing the United States in World Trade Organization (WTO) litigation and international trade agreement negotiations.

Venkataraman worked as a legal officer at the World Trade Organization (WTO) before joining the USTR, advising the organisation on a wide range of issues raised in trade dispute appeals.

He began his legal career as a law clerk at the US Court of International Trade for Judge Jane A Restani. He graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy with an MA in Law and Diplomacy, and Tufts University with a BA.