Arun Venkataraman is Senior Director, Head of International Affairs, advancing Visa’s global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions. Prior to joining Visa, he was Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and U.S. and foreign trade policies. Arun has more than 15 years of experience advising officials at the highest levels of government on trade and economic policy, including in the Office of the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce, and as a Legal Officer in the World Trade Organization. As the first ever Director of Policy at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, Arun helped shape the US government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the US and in markets around the world, including China and India, and led the International Trade Administration’s efforts to conclude negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and secure passage of Trade Promotion Authority legislation. Prior to serving at the Department of Commerce, Arun spent several years in policy and legal roles at the Office of the US Trade Representative. Arun led the development and implementation of US-India trade policy as the Director for India, and, as Associate General Counsel, represented the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization and in negotiations on international trade agreements. Arun also served as a Legal Officer for the Appellate Body Secretariat of the WTO, advising the seven Members of the Appellate Body on a wide range of issues raised in appeals of trade disputes between countries. Arun holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. in International Relations and French Literature from Tufts University.