Richard Holwill is an experienced business executive and diplomat.  He held several high-level posts in the U.S. Department of State including as U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, and Counselor for Arms Control and Disarmament.

Upon leaving government service, he was a private-sector advisor on trade policy in the Administrations of Presidents Clinton, Bush (43), and Obama.  He supports U.S. multinational companies on international operations and has resolved problems for companies in China, India, Russia, Brazil and other markets.   He is an opinion leader in Washington D.C. where he chaired several committees at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.  He has been a guest lecturer at China’s National University for Law and Politics; Xiamen University, Xiamen China; and at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. 

He earned a BA in History from Louisiana State University and certifications in International Finance at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is a founding member of the American College of National Security Leaders and Ambassador in residence at the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs.