Christopher A. Padilla

Christopher A. Padilla is Managing Director of C&M International, Ltd. He advises clients on international business, trade, and investment matters with a particular focus on Asia, Latin America, export controls, foreign direct investment reviews, and market access issues.

Prior to joining C&M International, Mr. Padilla served as Under Secretary for International Trade of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this position he worked to develop U.S. trade policy; resolved market access problems in China, India, Latin America, and other emerging markets; administered U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty trade laws; participated on the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS); and promoted U.S. companies seeking major international procurement projects. Mr. Padilla was also appointed by President Bush to serve on the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China. Prior to serving as Under Secretary, Mr. Padilla was Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, where he oversaw U.S. regulations governing the export of items controlled for national security, nonproliferation, and foreign policy reasons.

Twice unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate for presidential appointments to senior posts in the Commerce Department, Mr. Padilla's wide-ranging executive branch experience also includes service in the Department of State and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. From 2005-2006, he served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick, with a particular focus on U.S.- China policy, Latin America, Sudan, and international economic matters. From 2002-2005, Padilla was Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, where he built support for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and several other trade agreements and initiatives.

Mr. Padilla has more than fifteen years of private-sector international business experience. Over a ten-year career at AT&T and Lucent Technologies he worked in a number of international positions including marketing, business development, and government affairs. Later, he was Director of International Trade Relations at Eastman Kodak Company. He holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in international studies from Johns Hopkins University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.