Biden appoints Indian-American business leader Shamina Singh to serve on President’s Export Council

US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to appoint Shamina Singh, a prominent Indian-American business leader, to the President’s Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade.

Singh, who is the Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, has said that she is "honoured to join the group of esteemed leaders that make up the President’s Export Council.” According to a statement from the White House, on July 14, President Biden announced his intent to appoint Singh to serve in the key role.

“I am deeply honoured to join the group of esteemed leaders that make up the President’s Export Council,” Singh said.

The President’s Export Council serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade. The Council advises the president of government policies and programmes that affect US trade performance, promotes export expansion and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labour and government sectors.

“From the earliest days of my career, I’ve gravitated toward work that helps create long-lasting and inclusive prosperity for people and economies in the US and around the world," she was quoted as saying in the statement on Mastercard's website.

Singh also serves as the Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard and is a member of the company’s Management Committee.

She has drawn on over 20 years of global experience to develop a unique social impact model that leverages public and private sector assets. In 2018, Mastercard created the Mastercard Impact Fund with an initial USD 500 million investment. Singh was named President and charged with activating those philanthropic dollars to advance inclusive growth and financial inclusion worldwide.

“Through that work, and particularly at Mastercard, I’ve learned how the dialogue between the public and private sector can open bigger doors more widely than many other approaches. I’ve seen firsthand the catalytic impact that can result from effective cross-sector partnerships. I look forward to bringing this perspective to the Council, serving the Administration and having an opportunity to advance America’s economic interests across the globe,” she said.

Deeply committed to public service, Singh has held senior positions in the White House and the US House of Representatives. Singh was the Executive Director of the first President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In 2015, she was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Senate to a six-year term on the board of AmeriCorps. She served as chair for two years.

Singh co-chairs the Ad Council of America’s Advisory Committee on Public Issues and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellowship and the New York Department of Financial Services Innovation.

Singh has studied at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the Indian School of Business. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. She received the Alumni of Distinction award from both institutions.

Singh becomes the latest addition from the Indian-American community to serve in the key positions in the Biden administration. A record 150-plus Indian-Americans serve in the key positions.