APCAC Officers, Staff and LiaisonChairman
Landis Hicks is Executive Vice President of Pacific Architects and Engineers Incorporated, Los Angeles, Managing Director of Pacific Architects and Engineers Pte Ltd in Singapore, and Chief Representative of PAE Vietnam. PAE provides design, construction management and facilities management services at locations throughout the Asia Pacific region. From 2001 to 2003, Landis served as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and a member of the Board of Governors from 1990-2005. He has been APCAC Vice Chairman for Washington Relations since 1990. He was a founding member of AmCham HCMC, and is a member of the Board of Governors. He lived in Vietnam during 1967-1975 and was a member of AmCham then. Vice Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman
George Drysdale, Jr. is the Chairman and CEO of the Marsman-Drysdale Group. Prior to joining the Group, he was a Managing General Partner of Westar Capital, a private management buy-out investment firm (1988-1991); and a General Partner of Hambrecht & Quist Venture Partners (1983-1987). Before joining the venture capital industry, he practiced corporate, securities, and tax law for Davis, Polk & Wardwell, a large Wall Street law firm (1980-1983). Vice Chairman
Ms Kristin Paulson directs UTC’s government relations activities in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India. She is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with government and industry officials in support of the marketing efforts of the UTC business units. She also is charged with cultivating new business opportunities, monitoring and providing counsel on local rule-making and policy decisions and articulating the company’s point of view to local decision makers. In April 2003, Ms. Paulson was elected chair of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Singapore, and was elected to serve a second year as chair in April 2004. As Immediate Past Chair of AmCham, she serves on the Council of the Singapore Business Federation. Before taking on her current assignment in Singapore, Ms Paulson served as manager of congressional affairs in UTC’s Washington office. She worked extensively in the area of international trade and tax policy, assuming a leadership role in the business community to secure passage of permanent normal trade relations with China and Trade Promotion Authority, among other legislation. Prior to joining UTC, Ms Paulson served as deputy assistant secretary of congressional affairs for the Department of Commerce and director of congressional affairs for the International Trade Administration. Ms Paulson holds her B.A. in international studies from Miami University in Ohio and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is also a member of the Maryland bar. Vice Chairman
Harley Seyedin is CEO of First Washington Group and President of American Chamber of Commerce in Guangdong. Under his direction since 1991, First Washington achieved firsts in many areas in China, including: • the first majority western owned power plant; • the first western invested toll road; and, • the first US accredited Catholic University in China. Strong Growth of AmCham Guangdong Vice Chairman
Thomas Pinansky is engaged in the practice of international corporate law, and he is also substantially involved with international arbitration. He serves as an arbitrator for the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (Seoul); the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva); and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (Hong Kong). In addition, he is included on the informal roster of arbitrators for the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (Washington, DC). Vice Chairman for Small & Medium Enterprise InitiativeJ.A. Chowdary Jakkampudi Adisheshaiah Chowdary, popularly known as J A Chowdary or just J A, is one of the pioneering figures of the Information Technology (IT) revolution that took place in Andhra Pradesh during the 90s. He is sometimes known in India as “the architect of Cyberabad.” He was instrumental in setting up STPI, Hyderabad and selecting the place for the Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy (Hitec City) project. He also played a vital role in conceptualising and setting up the International Institute of Information Techn-ology (IIIT) in Hyderabad. Chowdary has played an important role in the development of the IT industry in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in his capacity as the development commissioner and chairman of the board of STPI for Hyderabad and Chennai. He is President and Managing Director of PortalPlayer, headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in Kirkland, Washington, and Hyderabad, India. PortalPlayer is a leading supplier of advanced semiconductor, firmware and software solutions for the MP3 personal media player market. These products empower consumers to easily purchase, rent, manage, listen to and watch large amounts of digital music, photos and video content. For more information, visit www.portalplayer.com. Vice Chairman for Finance & AdministrationRobert Blume Vice Chairman for Member CommunicationsWalter Blocker, Managing Director Walter Blocker has been a resident of Vietnam since 1995 and has served on the Board of Governors since 1997. He has served as Chairman of the Trade and Membership Committees, Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the Board of Governors, 2002-2004 and 2006. GANNON Vietnam, licensed in Vietnam since 1994, provides warehousing, logistics and labeling, and beverage packaging services under the umbrella of its 100% foreign owned license. GANNON facilitates various services for some of the world’s best-known brands including L’Oreal, Maybelline, Gallina Blance, Universal Robina, Mohawk Carpeting, Freudenberg rubber flooring, Rohm and Haas, Dow Corning, Eastman, and B.F.Goodrich. Walter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampden Sydney College. Executive SecretaryRobert M. Sears Washington RepresentativeBrent S Franzel Brent Franzel assists companies with government relations and with their pursuit of business and investment opportunities worldwide, with a focus on Asia. Prior to his current position, he was Staff Director of the Subcommittee on International Finance of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, where he oversaw the operations of many federal trade agencies including the Export-Import Bank, the International Trade Administration, the Bureau of Export Administration, the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, and the International Monetary Fund. He also served as Staff Director of the Senate Asia-Pacific Study Group. He received his law degree from the Duke School of Law in 1986. He is a member of the bars of Missouri and the District of Columbia. U.S. Chamber of Commerce LiaisonMyron A. Brilliant |
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Ms Kristin E. Paulson
Harley Seyedin
