In 1998, Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, III and Nelson W. Cunningham left the White House to found a new type of professional services firm that would bring diplomatic and policy expertise to aid corporate decision-making and solve clients’ problems in global markets.

McLarty Associates helped define the field of private sector diplomacy in a relentlessly results-driven way, drawing from McLarty’s extensive business experience as CEO of a Fortune 500 natural gas company, in a multi-generation family transportation company and as an investor in Latin America and Asia.

In the 25 years since its founding, McLarty Associates has grown from a three-person firm specializing in Latin America to a truly global firm, complemented by practice areas dedicated to trade and tech policy and sustainability. McLarty Associates is led by Lee A. Feinstein, with nearly 100 professionals, offices in four countries, and people in over twenty countries around the world. Our approach is hand-on and proactive, with a view toward helping clients to pursue international trade and investment opportunities, remain agile before a shifting geopolitical landscape, and troubleshoot global challenges.

In 2022, McLarty Associates joined Ankura Consulting, an independent global expert services and advisory firm. The Ankura-McLarty combination delivers comprehensive solutions to handle disputes, navigate distress, manage risk, address financial and operational challenges, and execute programs that resolve policy, regulatory, government, and diplomatic issues that companies face anywhere in the world.