Roderick Abbott, Former WTO Deputy Director-General, Joins APCO Worldwide’s Brussels Office
Brussels (November 26, 2009) - Roderick Abbott, former deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization, joins APCO Worldwide’s Brussels office as a senior counselor, Garry Walsh, Brussels managing director, announced today.
“Mr. Abbott has spent more than 40 years in the multilateral trade system and has been involved in almost every aspect of trade policy, with particular emphasis on negotiations and trade disputes,” said Walsh. “These issues continue to be at the forefront of governments’ policy agendas and are of tremendous importance to APCO’s clients around the world. Mr. Abbott’s substantive policy experience will be a valuable resource for our team.”
Prior to assuming his position at the WTO, Abbott was the deputy director-general in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade, and before that the organization’s ambassador and head of delegation in Geneva. In that capacity he attended each of the four WTO Ministerial Conferences, from Singapore to Doha, and was heavily engaged in the work of the new WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
During the 1990s Abbott was a member of the European Commission’s steering group which developed the EU’s negotiating positions in the Uruguay Round, as well as the lead negotiator for the tariff negotiations. During the 1980s, he was a regular participant in QUAD (United States, EEC, Japan and Canada) meetings of trade ministers and attended the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Ministerial meetings in 1982 and 1984. He was lead Commission negotiator for the GATT aspects of the European enlargements in 1981 and 1985 (and again in 1995). He has also represented the EU in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Trade Committee and the European Cooperation for Space Standardisation (ECSS).
Abbott started his career with the European Commission in Geneva in the late 1960s, during the implementation phase of the Kennedy Round, and was Chairman of the GATT Balance of Payments committee in 1970-71.
“I am excited to join this distinguished group of colleagues,” said Abbott. “I am very pleased to share my knowledge and experience to help address the business challenges APCO’s clients face.”
Abbott joins a team of distinguished trade experts at APCO Worldwide, including Eugene K. Lawson, former head of the U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC); Don Bonker, former U.S. congressman; Sergio Marchi, former Canadian trade minister and ambassador to the WTO and United Nations Agencies in Geneva; Rachel Thompson, a former Australian trade negotiator and OECD official who now leads APCO’s regional corporate responsibility practice; and Marc Ginsberg, former U.S. ambassador to Morocco.
About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. APCO offers services related to business, industry and finance; media, public opinion and society; and government and public policy. The firm is a majority women-owned business. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.
###
Contact:
Dr. Steven King
+44.207.526.3654
sking@apcoworldwide.com