At this WITA Zoom webinar, our speakers discussed how AI‑enabled digital trade platforms are expanding global market access for U.S. businesses, how AI is lowering barriers to exporting and transforming supply chains—and why digital trade, technology investment, and smart trade policy are critical to U.S. exports and job creation.
Featured Remarks:
Bill Guidera, Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Engagement, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Panel Discussion:
Zach Fishbain, Chief Executive Officer, Spread The Love LLC
Scott Jacobs, Head of Global Public Policy, Coupang
Kristin Najdi, Senior Director of Trade Policy, Information Technology Industry Council
Brian Scarpelli, Senior Global Policy Counsel, Association for Competitive Technology (ACT)
Moderator: Scott Friedman, Vice President, Government Affairs, Altana
Bill Guidera, Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Engagement U.S. Department of Commerce
Bill Guidera serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services performing the non-exclusive duties of the Assistant Secretary for Industry & Analysis in the International Trade Administration, where he and his team drive the policy conditions for U.S. digital, financial, supply chain, and other services industries to innovate at home and around the world.
Previously, Mr.Guidera led government and public affairs programs within companies like PrizePicks, Netflix, 21st Century Fox, and Microsoft in federal, state and international arenas. His experience includes specializations in law, public policy, communications, entertainment and internet law.
Originally from Minnesota, Guidera was educated at Bates College and the George Mason University School of Law (now the Scalia Law School).
Zach Fishbain, Co-Founder & CEO, Spread The Love
Zach Fishbain is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spread The Love®, a clean-label nut butter brand he and his wife Val built from a wedding favor into a nationally and internationally distributed business. Spread The Love® products rank among the top sellers in their category on Amazon.com and Walmart.com, and the brand’s bulk offerings serve foodservice accounts across the country. As the company has scaled, Zach has leaned into AI-driven tools to streamline operations, supply chain, and sales, helping drive growth in international markets including Korea. Zach is a proud #GirlDad to two daughters.
Scott Jacobs, Head of Public Policy, Global Government Affairs at Coupang, a U.S. technology and Fortune 200 company (NYSE: CPNG) that provides retail, restaurant delivery, video streaming, and fintech services to customers around the world under brands that include Coupang, Coupang Eats, Coupang Play, and Farfetch. Previously, Mr. Jacobs was a Senior Manager for Trade and Social Responsibility at Amazon, where he led the company’s public policy work and partnerships on human rights, anticorruption, supply chains, U.S.-China trade, and other economic security issues.
Kristin Najdi, Senior Director of Trade Policy, Information Technology Industry Council
Kristin Najdi serves as Senior Director of Trade Policy, bringing over 20 years of experience in U.S. and international trade policy, government affairs, and strategic advocacy. She has extensive experience working with executive branch agencies, foreign governments, and industry stakeholders on complex policy and regulatory issues. Her expertise includes international trade negotiations, technology and intellectual property policy, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional leadership in support of U.S. commercial and economic objectives.
Prior to joining ITI, Kristin was Director for Innovation and Intellectual Property at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the Executive Office of the President where she developed U.S. trade policy as related to intellectual property, negotiated critical trade agreements with trading partners in Europe and South Asia, and represented USTR at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council. She has also held multiple leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she led transatlantic trade initiatives, served as Secretariat for the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, and developed strategies for addressing market access barriers.
Kristin holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University and graduated as valedictorian from Drury University with a Bachelor of Arts in German and French.
Brian Scarpelli, Senior Policy Counsel with ACT, The App Association
Mr. Scarpelli represents more than 5,000 small app makers and software companies in the mobile economy and the app industry which has revolutionized how we work, play, and manage our health. Prior to his employment with the ACT, Mr. Scarpelli worked for the Telecommunications Industry Association and the District of Columbia’s Public Service Commission, which is the public utility regulator for the District of Columbia. Before this, Mr. Scarpelli was employed in the radio broadcasting industry for 10 years and worked for several communications industry trade associations.
Prior to joining Amazon, Scott Jacobs was a Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group, a leading international consulting firm led by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, where he advised multinational clients including Fortune 500s, global investors, foundations, and non-profits on government affairs and business strategy.
In the Obama administration, Mr. Jacobs served in the Office of the United States Trade Representative as Confidential Assistant to the Deputy USTR before being selected to join Ambassador Ron Kirk’s staff as an Advisor and acting Director of the Executive Secretariat. In these roles, he focused on policy and trade matters related to Europe and the Middle East, Western Hemisphere, intellectual property, and small business market access.
Previously, Mr. Jacobs worked in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, where he assisted with special projects and produced weekly reports for then Vice President Joe Biden’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) task force.
Scott Friedman Vice President, Government Affairs at Altana
Scott Friedman currently serves as Vice President of Government Affairs at Altana where he directs the company’s legislative and regulatory strategy while cultivating strong relationships with U.S. and international government agencies. With over a decade of expertise in global supply chains, economic security, and cybersecurity, his career bridges high-level government leadership with impactful private-sector advisory roles. He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at Purdue University’s Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy and a Fellow at George Mason University’s National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School.
Before joining Altana, Scott served as a Senior Policy Advisor on the Committee on Homeland Security, advising on geopolitical threats, matters of trade enforcement, and cyber policy. Notably, he founded and led the office of Trade and Economic Security at the Department of Homeland Security as Acting Assistant Secretary—a pioneering role in which he shaped economic security policy. In this capacity, he served on critical national security bodies, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and Team Telecom, driving policy initiatives to secure vital international investments and telecommunications infrastructure. Previously, Scott served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where he helped develop strategies to protect the nation’s critical cyber and infrastructure assets.
Earlier in his career, Scott worked in the private sector as part of Deloitte’s supply chain practice and began his career as an officer in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He holds a B.A. in International Studies from American University.