YOU ARE INVITED to attend a U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), www.USUBC.org, members Roundtable Discussion with the two new top members of the U.S. Embassy Commercial Section, Martin Claessens, Senior Commercial Officer and Charles Phillips, Commercial Officer (see bios below) on Friday, March 16, 2018, 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. followed by a light reception at the Conference Room in the offices of SigmaBleyzer in Kyiv (see directions below). The meeting will be in English.

Martin Claessens and Charles Phillips will present brief remarks on the current state of the U.S.-Ukraine trade and investment relations and their program of work in Ukraine which will be followed by an open discussion/Q&A session.  The moderator for the USUBC Roundtable Discussion will be Morgan Williams, President, U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), www.USUBC.org.

You do not want to miss this important USUBC Roundtable Discussion with the two new top members of the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section. 


RSVP:  Registration is required for attendance. To register please e-mail Ludmyla Dudnyk at ldudnyk@usubc.org. There is no charge for the meeting. USUBC expresses its appreciation to member SigmaBleyzer for hosting this event.

U.S. EMBASSY’S NEW COMMERCIAL SECTION TEAM --------

1.  Martin Claessens, Senior Commercial Officer (arrived Dec 2017) -----

Martin Claessens joined the U.S. Embassy team in Kyiv at the very end of last year. Before that, he managed an office of 11 trade professionals at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia where he and his team assisted U.S. companies with market access and trade promotion in Colombia and in the Andean region.

 

For three years prior to Colombia, Martin managed a team of 12 in Mumbai, India, attracting major investments to the United States and helping U.S. companies land multi-billion dollar export contracts. Prior to India, Martin helped Chicago-area companies with their export strategies. Before joining the Commercial Service, Martin worked at the World Trade Organization as an Economic Affairs Officer, training developing countries on the WTO agreements. Martin also taught trade policy courses in Spanish and helped national governments revise their trade legislation in Colombia, Ecuador, Jordan, Mongolia, Peru, and Zambia.

From 2001 to 2008, Martin worked in the Import Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. As an International Trade Analyst conducting anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, Martin traveled to a wide range of countries to do on-site investigations of foreign companies. Subsequently, he served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations and as Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. In these capacities, Martin advised the Deputy and Assistant Secretary on all aspects of trade policy.  Before joining Commerce, Martin was a Legal Assistant at O’Melveny & Myers, assisting attorneys in the defense of foreign companies involved in international trade disputes in front of Import Administration and at the Court of International Trade.

Martin attended The George Washington University, graduating with a B.A. in International Affairs, a concentration in International Economics, and a minor in Spanish.  He also studied at the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid. Martin is fluent in Spanish and speaks conversational French. He is a lifetime percussionist and avid scuba diver.

2.  Charles “Chas” Phillips, Commercial Officer (arrived Nov 2017) ----

Charles Phillips is a Commercial Officer in Kyiv, Ukraine.  Previously, he served as a Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, assisting U.S. companies in several sectors including aerospace, energy, education, and industrial and agricultural equipment.  He joined the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service in 2013.

Previously he served on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the U.S. House of Representatives, first as Senior Counsel and then as Chief Counsel for Policy. He had primary responsibility for the oversight, modification, and implementation of policies pertaining to agency management and organization, information policy and technology, and procurement. Prior to returning to Capitol Hill, Mr. Phillips served as a public policy attorney at a large international law firm in Washington DC, where he advised broad range of Fortune 500 companies, associations, and public entities on legislative and policy matters.

Mr. Phillips began his career in Washington as Counsel to a senior U.S. Senator, serving as the Senator's principal advisor on legal, economic, and trade policy. In addition, he directed the Senate Information Technology Caucus.  He received his law degree from William & Mary in Virginia, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

INVITE – NEW U.S. EMBASSY COMMERCIAL SECTION TEAM

U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) Members Roundtable Discussion with

Martin Claessens & Charles Philips - New Team, U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section (U.S. Department of Commerce)

Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 16, 2014, 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., followed by a light reception 
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DIRECTIONS TO KYIV OFFICES OF SIGMABLEYZER:  The SigmaBleyzer offices are in the Arena City/Mandarin Plaza complex across the street from the Bessarabsky Market. The entrance to the SigmaBleyzer offices is inside the open-air inner courtyard of the complex, NOT inside the Mandarin Plaza shopping center. There are several entrances to the inner courtyard of the Arena City/Mandarin Plaza complex. Please note that cars are not allowed inside the courtyard.

(1) IF DRIVING FROM TARAS SHEVCHENKO BOULEVARD/UNIVERSITY AREA, cross Khreshchatyk Street and enter through an arch with stairs and a ramp under a red Arena canopy next to the Pinchuk Art Centre across the street from Bessarabsky Market. If you missed this entrance, you can go from Baseyna Street through main entrance to the Mandarin Plaza shopping center after turning right onto Baseyna Street. Take elevators or escalators up one floor from the first floor and then go through a corridor between clothing stores; the entrance to the corridor is across the aisle from the elevators.

(2) IF DRIVING FROM LEO TOLSTOY SQUARE/OLYMPIC STADIUM AREA, go through the large entrance on the corner of Khreshchatyk Street and Skoropadsky Street next to the Nebo nightclub.

(3) IF DRIVING FROM LESY UKRAYINKA BOULEVARD/PECHERSK AREA, make a left on Skoropadskyy Street leaving the Arena City/Mandarin Plaza complex on your right, pass the entrance to the underground parking; enter through an arch past the Burger Restaurant (the steps go down first, and then up to the courtyard).

(4) IF WALKING FROM KHRESHCHATYK STREET, go into the shopping center under the intersection of Khreshchatyk Street and Taras Shevchenko Boulevard (where the Lenin statue used to be), there are glass doors with Arena sign on them, behind the doors are the stairs and an escalator from the shopping center to the inner courtyard.

WHEN INSIDE THE OPEN-AIR INNER COURTYARD and facing the entrance to the large white canopy which is a restaurant, bear right leaving the white canopy on your left. The top of the building has a large Mandarin Plaza sign in red on the top floor. You will see the double doors next to the Armani clothing store with the SigmaBleyzer sign on them (as well as a LG sign).

Enter through the double doors, go up a few steps to the two elevators which also have the SigmaBleyzer sign in between them, take an elevator to the 8th Floor.  In case you are still unclear as to the location of SigmaBleyzer’s office, call SigmaBleyzer office at +38 (044) 284-1290.

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U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC)

1030 15th Street, N.W., Suite 555 W, Washington, D.C.
www.USUBC.org, Luda Dudnyk, ldudnyk@usubc.org 
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Power Corrupts & Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.