Mr. Robert Schiffer – Board member and Co-founder, the Vietnam Foundation
Mr. Schiffer is one of Washington’s leading experts on Vietnam commercial and political issues. His long involvement in Vietnam included an appointment from 1998 to 2001 as Senior Advisor to US Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson.
As the Ambassador’s top political envoy on business matters, he developed new strategies to promote US-Vietnam business and finance, labor standards, and international trade. He is credited for his pivotal role in the successful negotiations of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and the OPIC-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Agreement.
Before his service in Vietnam, Mr. Schiffer was Vice President for Investment Development at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). For nearly two years, he managed the agency’s product development, business and market development, and public affairs strategies.
Schiffer began his federal service in 1993 in the White House where he worked as a special assistant in the Office of Management and Budget on the National Performance Review. From 1993-1997, Schiffer held senior positions at the United States Information Agency (USIA), directing agency activities in Russia, South Africa, China and Vietnam.
From 1981-1992, Shiffer held different management positions at leadingWall Street firms such as Managing Director of the East Coast Public Finance Group at Drexel Burnharm, Managing Director at L.F Rothschild, Senior Vice President at A.G. Berker- later know as Becker Paribas and Vice President at Bear Stearns and Company. He was also a founding partner of a boutique financial firm, Schiffer and Lacey.
Mr. Schiffer’s civic activities have included serving as Chairman of the New York State Real Estate Advisory Board to the Governor, Director and Treasurer of the Board of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Chairman of the Committee for Housing New York and the US Vietnam Trade Council.
Mr. Schiffer received his BA at the University of Tennessee and attended the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Managers in Government.
