Photograph of Robert Holleyman

Government Experience

  • Office of the U.S. Trade Representative—Ambassador, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (2014-2017); Member, U.S. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (2010-2014)
  • United States Senate—Senior Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (1987-1990); Legislative Director and Assistant, U.S. Senator Russell B. Long (1982-1987)

Education

  • Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, B.A. (1976) 2012 Distinguished Alumnus
  • Louisiana State University Law School, J.D. (1979)
  • Stanford Graduate School of Business, Certificate (1998)

Admissions

  • Texas
  • Louisiana
Robert Holleyman, Partner Washington, D.C.
rholleyman@crowell.com
Phone: +1 202.624.2505
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004-2595

Ambassador Robert Holleyman is the president and CEO of C&M International and a partner in Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Group.

Robert has significant trade, international business,  economic policy, and legal experience from his service as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, as CEO of a highly successful information technology advocacy association, and work as counsel in the U.S. Senate. He served as Deputy United States Trade Representative from 2014-2017, with the rank of Ambassador.  

In his most recent position, Ambassador Holleyman was responsible for U.S. trade and investment relations with Asia and with regional institutions, including the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) forum. He led USTR’s negotiations with China, including the work of the annual Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) and with India through the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF). In addition, Robert was responsible for global trade policy in the areas of services, investment, intellectual property, and innovation.  

Ambassador Holleyman led the creation of a new Digital Trade Working Group within USTR to focus on trade policy and the digital economy and to advance U.S. negotiating priorities around digital trade. He developed and advanced USTR’s “Digital2Dozen,” a series of groundbreaking measures secured in the Asia-Pacific region that established rules promoting a free and open internet; expanded e-commerce; led to the free flow of cross-border data transfers; and enhanced cybersecurity, consumer privacy, competition in telecommunications networks, and disciplines to eliminate and prohibit barriers to new digital products and services.

Ambassador Holleyman served as a board member of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s global development financing institution. He represented USTR on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), reviewing foreign acquisitions of U.S. commercial entities for their impact on national security. 

While in the private sector, Robert was appointed by President Obama to serve as a member of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN). He previously served as a member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Services for the U.S. Department of Commerce and USTR. In earlier public service, Robert was Senior Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; Legislative Director and Assistant to U.S. Senator Russell B. Long (D-LA); and Judicial Clerk to U.S. District Judge Jack M. Gordon of the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.  

Robert was President and CEO of BSA/The Software Alliance from 1990–2013, where he transformed an early stage enterprise into a global association representing the world’s software powerhouses across 65 countries with 16 foreign offices. At BSA, he positioned companies to address emerging IP, standards, competition, and innovation issues. In his private sector endeavors, he launched Cloud4Growth, a consultancy focused on cloud architecture. Robert has testified frequently before Congress and international bodies, and appeared in major media outlets in the U.S. and internationally on the topics of innovation, IP, emerging markets, export controls, encryption, cybersecurity, e-commerce, and cloud computing. He was named by Managing IP magazine as one of the “50 Most Influential People” in the intellectual property world, by the The Washington Post as a key private sector player in cybersecurity policy, and by Computer Reseller News as one of “20 To Watch” in the software industry. Previously, Robert worked in commercial litigation with a law firm in Houston, Texas.

Robert received his Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he was named its 2012 Distinguished Alumnus. He has studied at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has served as a board member with charitable and civic institutions in the Washington, D.C. area, including the National Building Museum, the Stephen Decatur House Museum, the Bryce Harlow Foundation, and Food & Friends. 


Affiliations

Admitted to practice: Texas, Louisiana

Admitted in Texas and Louisiana Only; Practicing under the Supervision of D.C. Bar Members.

Professional Activities and Memberships

  • National Building Museum, Honorary Trustee
  • Stephen Decatur House Museum, Former Board Member
  • Bryce Harlow Foundation, Former Board Member
  • Food & Friends, Former Board Member

Speeches & Presentations

  • "Prioritizing African Trade: Policies & Practices," Citi & George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affair, Washington, D.C. (April 2017). Presenters: Michael Moore, Anabel Gonzalez, Kimberley Claman and Ambassador Robert Holleyman.
  • "NAFTA: Renegotiation," Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy and Arent Fox, Washington, D.C. (April 2017). Keynote: Ambassador Robert Holleyman.
  • "Trump, China and Trade Wars: Tech in the Trenches," South by Southwest, Austin, Texas (March 2017). Presenters: Laura Sallstrom and Ambassador Robert Holleyman.
  • "International Trade and Cybersecurity," Global Cyberspace Cooperation Summit VII, East-West Institute, Berkeley, California (March 2017). Discussants: Admiral David Simpson, Del Christensen, Ambassador Robert Holleyman.
  • "The U.S. Trade Landscape," Austin Chamber of Commerce Federal Advocacy Council, Austin, Texas (February 2017). Presenter: Ambassador Robert Holleyman.
  • "Keynote Speech on Trade," International Bar Association Annual Conference 2016, Washington, D.C. (September 20, 2016). Keynote Speaker and Presenter: Ambassador Robert Holleyman.

Client Alerts & Newsletters

  • "The Month in International Trade — September 2017," International Trade Bulletin (October 9, 2017). Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Robert Holleyman, Melissa Morris, Evan Yu, Amanda M. Simpson, Michelle J. Linderman, Gordon McAllister, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Eduardo Mathison, Charles De Jager, Daniel Cannistra, Alexander H. Schaefer, Cherie Walterman, Christopher Monahan
  • "The Month in International Trade — August 2017," International Trade Bulletin (September 11, 2017). Contacts: Alan W. H. Gourley, Jeffrey L. Snyder, Melissa Morris, Jenny E. Cieplak, Daniel Cannistra, Adelicia R. Cliffe, John B. Brew, David (Dj) Wolff, Christopher Monahan, Cari N. Stinebower, Edward Goetz, Frances P. Hadfield, M. Yuan Zhou, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Mariana Pendás, Eduardo Mathison, Barry Nemmers, Robert Holleyman, Cherie Walterman, Evan Yu
  • "The Month in International Trade — July 2017," International Trade Bulletin (August 8, 2017). Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Robert Holleyman, Melissa Morris, Tracy T. Huang, Michelle J. Linderman, Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro, Gordon McAllister, Alan W. H. Gourley, Cari N. Stinebower, Carlton Greene, David (Dj) Wolff, Mariana Pendás, Jenny E. Cieplak, John B. Brew, Aaron Marx
  • "PODCAST: U.S. Objectives for Negotiating NAFTA — C&M's Trump: The First Year Series," International Trade Bulletin (July 28, 2017). Contacts: Robert Holleyman, John B. Brew
  • "The Month in International Trade — June 2017," International Trade Bulletin (July 10, 2017). Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Frances P. Hadfield, Edward Goetz, Michelle J. Linderman, Gordon McAllister, Edward Norman, John Laird, Carlton Greene, Cari N. Stinebower, David (Dj) Wolff, Paul Davies, Melissa Morris, Ian A. Laird, John B. Brew, Daniel Cannistra, Eduardo Mathison, Benjamin Blase Caryl, Robert Holleyman, Robert L. LaFrankie

In the News


Firm News & Announcements

Jul.10.2017 Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman Joins C&M International as President & CEO and Crowell & Moring as Partner