We are pleased to welcome Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, and former Ambassador to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. A career member of the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Blake will head our India & South Asia practice, and will support our Southeast Asia and Central Asia practices. 

Ambassador Blake’s broad diplomatic and leadership experience in Asia will advance our practices in some of the world’s fastest growing economies. Through his distinguished career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Blake brings with him firsthand experiences and an incredible depth of knowledge to help companies navigate complex regulatory issues throughout the most dynamic regions of Asia. 

Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr.

Ambassador Blake served for 31 years in the State Department in a wide range of leadership positions. In 2009, he was nominated by President Obama to be Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, serving from 2009-2013, for which he was awarded the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award. From 2006-2009, he served concurrently as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in India from 2003-2006, where he was named the worldwide DCM of the Year by the State Department.

Most recently, from 2013-2016, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, where he focused on building stronger business and educational ties between the U.S. and Indonesia, while also developing cooperation to help Indonesia reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Ambassador Blake has held a wide variety of key State Department positions as well, including Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 2001-2003, Deputy Executive Secretary for the Department of State from 2000-2001, and Senior Desk Officer responsible for economic and political relations with Turkey from 1998-2000. He has also served in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Nigeria.

Ambassador Blake holds a B.A. from Harvard College, and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.