McLarty Associates, the international strategic advisory firm led by Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, III, John D. Negroponte, and Nelson W. Cunningham, is pleased to announce our new, expanded presence on the ground in Southeast Asia — a new Senior Advisor and hub in Singapore, and our long-time Director for the region now basing in Cambodia.  Our presence in Singapore adds to our offices in Washington, Beijing, and Brussels, and our people are in 19 countries.

With the earlier addition of former US ambassadors to Vietnam and Indonesia, McLarty Associates now provides strong coverage in every market of consequence throughout Southeast and East Asia. 

Our new Senior Advisor in Singapore, Steven Okun, joins our team through our new strategic affiliation with APAC Advisors, the firm he founded.  From our new Singapore hub, he will work throughout Southeast and East Asia. He has lived and worked in Asia since 2003, most recently for global investment firm KKR, and previously with global logistics company UPS. Over the years, he has dealt with government affairs in nearly every country in the region, from Australia to Japan and beyond. Mr. Okun has been Chairman of both the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the Asia-wide Asian Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC), and continues to serve on the boards of both.

Angeline Thangaperakasam, Director, has now moved from our headquarters in Washington, DC to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A former Singaporean foreign service officer and manager with the US-ASEAN Business Council, Angeline will work closely with Steven to strengthen our network throughout the region and assist clients on the ground in all Southeast Asian markets.

Finally, we recently welcomed David B. Shear, former Ambassador to Vietnam and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, to our Asia practice as a Senior Advisor, based in Washington.  Earlier we welcomed Robert Blake, former Ambassador to Indonesia, to McLarty Associates.

McLarty’s strong Asia team is led by Managing Director James Keith, former Ambassador to Malaysia and Consul General in Hong Kong.

With our longstanding office in Beijing and new hub in Singapore, we can offer our clients in-depth local and regional coverage in every market of consequence.

McLarty Associates’ East Asia team includes:

• Ambassador James Keith, who leads our Asia practice, served as US Ambassador to Malaysia and Consul General in Hong Kong
• Ambassador John D. Negroponte, our Vice Chairman, was US Ambassador to the Philippines and had diplomatic postings in Vietnam and Hong Kong
• Ambassador Thomas C. Hubbard, was US Ambassador to Korea and the Philippines, as well as lead negotiator with North Korea
• Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., served as US Ambassador to Indonesia and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia
• Ambassador Christopher LaFleur, based in Tokyo, was US Ambassador to Malaysia, Deputy Chief of Mission in Tokyo, and Deputy Director of the American Institute in Taiwan
• Ambassador David B. Shear served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and US Ambassador to Vietnam
• Ambassador William H. Itoh was US Ambassador to Thailand
• Ambassador Jorge Guajardo was Mexico’s Ambassador to China
• Angeline Thangaperakasam, based in Phnom Penh, was a Singaporean foreign service officer
• Steven Okun, who leads our Singapore hub, has run government affairs strategies in Asia since 2003 for KKR and UPS
• Lihui Zhang, who leads our Beijing office, has extensive experience representing foreign corporate interests in China
• John Mullen was the President and CEO of the US-New Zealand Council
• Virginia B. Foote, based in Hanoi, is President of the US-Vietnam Trade Council
• Mari Pangestu, based in Jakarta, served as Indonesia’s Minister of Trade and Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy
• Roberto Romulo, based in Manila, was Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines

Our collaboration with The Scowcroft Group on China includes:

• General Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to Presidents Ford and Bush 41
• Robert Goldberg served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing and Consul General in Guangzhou
• Kevin Nealer was a Fulbright professor in China

Ryan Hass served as the Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the National Security Council and is Brookings Institution fellow