Ambassador Kenneth Juster

Kenneth I. Juster has over 40 years of experience as a senior government official, senior business executive, and senior law partner.

Juster is currently Senior Counselor at the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP; Senior Adviser at the institutional investor CDPQ; Strategic Adviser at the software company Salesforce.com; and Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Juster recently served as the twenty-fifth U.S. Ambassador to India from 2017 to 2021, where he led the third-largest U.S. Mission in the world, with approximately 2,500 employees representing over 30 U.S. government departments, agencies, and offices.  As part of his responsibilities, he also oversaw the U.S. relationship with the Kingdom of Bhutan.

As Ambassador, Juster participated in the development of the U.S. government’s Indo-Pacific strategy and the relaunching of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue involving the United States, Australia, India, and Japan.  He also participated in three 2+2 U.S.-India Ministerial Dialogues, involving the top diplomatic and defense officials from the two countries, as well as the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, co-sponsored by the United States and India.  In addition, Juster was involved in bilateral cooperation in the wake of the Pulwama terrorist attack in India in 2019 and China’s military buildup on India’s northern border in 2020.  For his service, Juster received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award from the State Department, the Department of Defense Award for Distinguished Public Service, the Director of National Intelligence’s Award for Exceptional Service, and the Secretary’s Excellence Award from the Department of Energy.

Prior to serving as Ambassador, Juster was the Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council.  He was a senior member of both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.  He helped establish the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue and the U.S.-U.K. Economic Dialogue.  He also served as the President’s representative and lead U.S. negotiator (Sherpa) in the run-up to the 2017 G7 Summit in Taormina, Italy.

From 2010 to 2017, Juster was a Partner and Managing Director at the global investment firm Warburg Pincus, where he focused on geopolitical risk, global public policy, regulatory matters, and environmental, social, and governance issues.

From 2005 to 2010, Juster was Executive Vice President of Law, Policy, and Corporate Strategy at salesforce.com.  He oversaw corporate development, legal affairs, global public policy, enterprise risk management, human resources, internal audit, real estate, and procurement.

Juster served as U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001 to 2005, in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Security.  In that capacity, he oversaw issues at the intersection of business and national security, including strategic trade controls, imports and foreign investments that affect U.S. security (CFIUS), and enforcement of anti-boycott laws.  Juster co-founded and served as the U.S. Chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group.  He was also one of the architects of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership initiative between the United States and India, which provided the foundation for the historic civil nuclear agreement between the two countries.  Upon completion of his term, Juster received the William C. Redfield Award, the Commerce Department’s highest honor.

From 1992 to 1993, Juster served as the Counselor (Acting) of the U.S. Department of State, and from 1989 to 1992 as the Deputy and Senior Adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger. Juster was one of the key officials involved in establishing and managing U.S. assistance programs to Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.  He was also part of the five-member team that traveled to Israel directly prior to and during the first Gulf War to negotiate with the Israelis regarding their posture during that War.  Upon completion of his term, Juster received the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award.  He also received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for his contributions to U.S.-German relations, including the reunification of Germany.

From 1981 to 1989 and 1993 to 2001, Juster practiced law at the firm Arnold & Porter, where he became a senior partner.  His work involved international arbitration and litigation, corporate counseling, regulatory matters, and international trade and transactions.  Among his noteworthy cases was the representation of the Government of Panama-in-exile against the Noriega regime.  In that matter, he coordinated a broad legal strategy that secured the overseas assets of the Government of Panama-in-exile and helped institute sanctions against the Noriega regime, which was eventually ousted from office.  The President of Panama subsequently awarded Juster the Vasco Núñez de Balboa en el Grado de Gran Cruz Decoration and Medal.

Juster served as a law clerk to Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals from 1980 to 1981.

Juster is a member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center, the Board of Directors of the American Ditchley Foundation, the Advisory Council of the Bhutan Foundation, and the Council on Foreign Relations.  He has previously served as a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Chairman of Freedom House, the Vice Chairman of The Asia Foundation, and a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Juster has published extensively on international economic and legal issues, including Making Economic Policy:  An Assessment of the National Economic Council (Brookings Institution, 1997) and “The Myth of Iraqgate” in Foreign Policy magazine (Spring 1994).  A Special Counsel appointed by the U.S. Attorney General subsequently investigated the so-called Iraqgate scandal and confirmed all elements of Juster’s analysis.

Juster holds a law degree from the Harvard Law School, a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government (Phi Beta Kappa) from Harvard College.  He was an AFS Exchange Student to Thailand in 1971.