Ep. 31 – WITA’s Friday Exchange: Everything Everywhere All at Once, Tariffs as Leverage, and Bespoke Trade Deals

Wendy Cutler is Senior Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), based in Washington, D.C. In this role, she focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, economic security, and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia.

Cutler joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her time at USTR, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations.

Cutler has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.

Everett Eissenstat, a U.S. citizen, was appointed Executive Vice President starting June 1, 2026. In this role, he is the Bank’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for the operation of the institution and its senior management. He oversees the quality control and risk management of all IDB operations, advises the President on key corporate planning issues, and is responsible for the implementation of business and strategy plans.

Eissenstat is an internationally recognized government affairs executive with more than 30 years of experience, including influential leadership roles in global trade, energy, and international economic policy across both the public and private sectors. He has held senior positions at the highest levels of the United States government, including serving as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, where he advised on and coordinated U.S. international economic policy and represented the President in key global fora, such as the G7, G20, and APEC.

Eissenstat has also played a central role in shaping U.S. trade policy over many years. He served twice as Chief International Trade Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and was also an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas, leading efforts on major trade legislation and advising senior policymakers on complex international economic matters.

His experience also includes senior roles in the private sector, notably as Partner at Squire Patton Boggs and Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy at General Motors. He holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a master’s in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Daniel Mullaney is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and GeoEconomics Center. Most recently, he served as assistant US trade representative (AUSTR) for Europe and the Middle East in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) from 2010 to 2023. He was chief negotiator for comprehensive trade agreements with the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom, as well as trade lead for the US-EU Trade and Technology Council, and was responsible for developing and implementing US trade policy in Europe, Eurasia, Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Before assuming the post of AUSTR, he served as senior trade representative in the US Mission to the European Union in Brussels, where he was the principal voice for US trade policy in interactions with the EU institutions and EU member state governments, the public, and the international press. Prior to that posting, Mullaney was in USTR’s Office of General Counsel for seven years, where he represented the United States in dispute settlement proceedings at the World Trade Organization and led negotiations and acted as legal counsel for free trade and other agreements. Before joining USTR, Mullaney was in private practice for nearly twenty years, specializing in international trade law and litigation; when he entered public service, he was a partner at the law firm of Dorsey and Whitney.

Mullaney is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a BA from Amherst College, and a joint law/foreign service JD/MSFS degree from Georgetown University.

Christopher Padilla is a Senior Advisor based in Brunswick’s Washington, DC office. He brings senior experience from decades spent in government policy and corporate roles, and practical perspective from his time as a supply chain practitioner. He has championed advocacy efforts on trade, tariffs, and tax policy at the highest levels of government worldwide.

Previously, Padilla led global government and regulatory affairs for IBM Corporation for 15 years. He oversaw a team of advocacy professionals in 36 countries, and trade and sanctions compliance for IBM’s global operations.

Before IBM, Padilla held senior roles in the Commerce Department. The President twice appointed him to Senate-confirmed positions, as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, and as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration. He also held roles as an Assistant United States Trade Representative, a Senior Advisor at the Department of State, and as a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Earlier, he spent 15 years in marketing, business development, and international trade relations roles at AT&T and Eastman Kodak Company. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in international economics from Johns Hopkins University.