Meet Shamina Singh, Joe Biden’s Pick For Global Trade Committee

International

oi-Deepika S

US President Joe Biden is likely to appoint Shamina Singh, a prominent Indian-American business leader, to the President’s Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade.

On July 14, President Biden announced his intent to appoint Singh to serve in the key role, according to a statement from the White House.

The President’s Export Council serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade. The Council advises the president of government policies and programmes that affect US trade performance, promotes export expansion and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labour and government sectors.

Who is Shamina Singh?

Shamina is the founder and president of the Center for Inclusive Growth, Mastercard’s social impact hub.

For more than 20 years, Shamina Singh has been on the frontline of developing and implementing solutions to make the global economy work for everyone, everywhere.

In 2018, Mastercard created the Mastercard Impact Fund with an initial $500 million investment. Shamina was named president and charged with activating those philanthropic dollars to advance inclusive growth and financial inclusion around the world. Her leadership has contributed to Mastercard’s global leadership and reputation of doing well by doing good.

Currently, she sits on the boards of ADL – a global anti-hate organization – and the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas.

“Deeply committed to public service, Shamina has held senior positions in the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives. Shamina was executive director for the historic first President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which was created by executive order in 1999 and has been renewed by each president since,” according to Mastercard’s website.

“In 2015, Shamina was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a six-year term on the Board of AmeriCorps, a $1 billion independent agency that places over 270,000 volunteers with social sector organizations across the U.S. She served as chair for two years,” it added.

Shamina is a lifelong learner who has studied at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the Indian School of Business. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She received the alumni of distinction award from both institutions. Shamina is also a Henry Crown Fellow with The Aspen Institute.

Singh joins the long list of the Indian-American community who serve in the key positions in the Biden administration. A record 150-plus Indian-Americans serve in the key positions.