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Expert Bio
Michael Froman is president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He previously served as vice chairman and president, strategic growth, at Mastercard, chairman of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and a distinguished fellow at CFR.
Ambassador Froman served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the U.S. trade representative from June 2013 to January 2017. Major initiatives under his leadership included the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in the Asia Pacific and negotiations toward a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union; the negotiation of agreements on trade facilitation, agriculture and information technology products at the World Trade Organization; the monitoring and enforcement of U.S. trade rights; and congressional passage of Trade Promotion Authority, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the Generalized System of Preferences program, and the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.
From January 2009 to June 2013, Froman served at the White House as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs, where he was responsible for coordinating policy on international trade, finance, energy, climate change, and development issues. He served as the U.S. sherpa for the Group of Twenty and Group of Eight Summits and staffed the president for the APEC Leaders Meetings. In addition, he chaired or co-chaired the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, the Transatlantic Economic Council, the U.S.-India CEO Forum, and the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. He played a leading role in the launch of several of the Obama administration’s development initiatives, including Power Africa and Trade Africa.
Prior to joining the Obama administration, Froman served in a number of roles at Citigroup, including as chief executive officer of its international insurance business, chief operating officer of its alternative investments business, and head of its infrastructure investment business. He also has served as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund.
In the 1990s, Froman spent seven years in the U.S. government. He served as chief of staff and deputy assistant secretary for Eurasia and the Middle East at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He also worked at the White House, where he served as a director for international economic affairs at the National Security Council and National Economic Council.
Dr. Froman received a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University, a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, and law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
He has published a book and several articles on international relations, international law and trade. He has received numerous fellowships and scholarships, including a White House Fellowship, a Ford Foundation Fellowship in International Law, a Social Science Research Council/MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in International Peace and Security, and a Fulbright Scholarship. In 2016, he was selected by Fortune magazine as one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” and by Politico as one of the “50 thinkers, doers and visionaries shaping American politics in 2016.”
Froman was born in California. He, his wife, Nancy Goodman, and their two children, Benjamin and Sarah, currently reside in Washington, DC.
Affiliations:
- Mastercard, advisor to the CEO
- Walt Disney Company, member, board of directors
- General Atlantic, member, Advisory Board
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External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India discusses India-U.S. relations, India’s G-20 presidency, and diplomacy in the current era of rapid technological evolution.
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Diplomacy and International Institutions
On the eve of his first annual meeting, World Bank president Ajay Banga discusses the bank’s ambitious roadmap at a time it is being called to lead the world in addressing intertwined challenges of poverty alleviation, development, and climate change. The bank’s evolution aims to give the 78-year-old institution a rejuvenated mission and a new approach that focuses on impact, speed, simplicity, and accessibility.The David A. Morse Lecture was inaugurated in 1994 and supports an annual meeting with a distinguished speaker. It honors the memory of David A. Morse, an active Council on Foreign Relations member for nearly thirty years. -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discusses Russia’s war against Ukraine, including the importance of NATO and the transatlantic bond to peace and stability. Inaugurated in 1969, the Russell C. Leffingwell Lecture was named for Russell C. Leffingwell, a charter member of the Council who served as its president from 1944 to 1946 and as its chairman from 1946 to 1953. The lecture is given by distinguished foreign officials, who are invited to address Council members on a topic of major international significance. -
The “Dinner of Extinction” addresses the dangers the world faces due to climate change and rapidly deteriorating ecosystems. Panelists discussed the future of climate change and what can be done to protect food security and the world’s fragile ecosystems.
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Foreign Secretary James Cleverly discusses the United Kingdom’s foreign policy priorities and approach to the seventy-eighth United Nations General Assembly.
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In a conversation with two of his former chiefs of staff, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin discusses his decision-making process and how policymakers should think about economic issues including the national debt, trade, and inflation.
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Bipartisan leadership of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Chairman Mike Gallagher (R) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), discuss the work of the committee to ensure the United States is well positioned to counter growing competition with China, across the trade, technology, development, manufacturing, and military sectors.
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CFR experts discuss the upcoming Group of Twenty (G20) Summit beginning on September 9 in New Delhi.
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NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Senator Angus King discusses Ukraine, U.S. policy toward China, the challenges of emerging technologies, and the prospects of bipartisan cooperation. -
Panelists discuss global vaccine distribution efforts, the barriers to achieving vaccine equity, and what this means for global economic recovery.
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This is the first session of the "The United States and World Trade: Future Directions" symposium.
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Michael Froman discusses the importance of U.S. trade engagement, the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the global race to define the rules of the road for trade in the Asia-Pacific.
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U.S. Trade Representative Michael B.G. Froman sits down with Charlene Barshefsky of WilmerHale to give an update on the status of the United States' current international trade negotiations.