Citi's Johnston to Spearhead USCIB's Trade and Investment Work

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 1, 2012) - Charles R. (Rick) Johnston, director and senior vice president for international government affairs with Citi, will take the reins on June 20 as chair of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) Trade and Investment Committee. The committee coordinates business advocacy among USCIB's hundreds of member companies, advises the U.S. government on key trade and investment matters, and drives broader international support for open markets.

"We are very excited that Rick Johnston has agreed to lead USCIB's trade and investment policy work," said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. "He brings strong leadership and a truly global perspective. We look forward to working closely with him to advance our strong pro-trade, pro-investment agenda on behalf of the American business community with U.S. and foreign policymakers, utilizing USCIB's unique relationships with the International Chamber of Commerce, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD and the International Organization of Employers."

Responsible for Citi's relationships with governments and political figures in over 100 countries, Johnston is an internationally recognized expert in global trade and investment, and has advised both U.S. and foreign government leaders as well as major multinational corporations on a broad array of commercial and strategic transnational issues. In addition to his service as international trade counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and adviser to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Johnston has been an adjunct professor on international trade at the George Washington University law school, and has written extensively on trade and investment.

"I look forward to continuing and expanding USCIB's leadership on trade and investment issues," Johnston stated. "With the recent release of a new model U.S. bilateral investment treaty, we will work with the U.S. government to further engage China, India and others in meaningful discussions to expand market access and secure greater protections for American companies. We will also press for efforts to move forward on trade liberalization through the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and through new approaches in the WTO."

The Citi executive said he wants USCIB to address emerging trade and investment priorities for its membership, which includes top U.S. global firms, such as increased understanding of global value chains, creating a level playing field with state-owned enterprises and combating growing forced localization requirements.

Johnston will take over as committee chair from R. Scott Miller, director of national government affairs with The Procter & Gamble Company, who will be retiring at the end of June. He will be supported by Rob Mulligan, senior vice president and head of USCIB's Washington, D.C. office, among others. "We have benefited tremendously from Scott Miller's informed, intelligent and capable leadership over the past several years," USCIB's Robinson said. "Backed by a number of key staff additions that have enhanced our capacity, Scott has done a lot to push our work on open markets to the next level."

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation. Its members include top U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.