Member of the President's Leadership Council of The Asia Foundation
CEO and Founder, Export Now
Frank Lavin is the CEO and founder of Export Now, a U.S. firm that operates e-commerce stores in China for international brands. Established in 2010, Export Now is the largest off-shore operator of China e-commerce stores, helping brands from around the world in strategy and operations.
In Government, Lavin served as under secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce 2005-2007. In that capacity, Lavin served as lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was the senior policy official in the Department responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations across the globe. Lavin was U.S. Ambassador to Singapore from 2001-05, where his duties included helping negotiate the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
In the private sector, Lavin served in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Edelman, Bank of America, and Citibank.
Previously, Lavin served in the George H.W. Bush and Reagan administrations, working in the Department of Commerce, Department of State, National Security Council, and White House. Lavin served as Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs 1987-89.
Lavin earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Foreign Service (Georgetown); a master’s degree in Chinese Language and History (Georgetown); a master’s degree in International Relations and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins); and a master’s degree in Finance at the Wharton School (Pennsylvania).
He is a columnist for Forbes.com and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other periodicals. Lavin is the co-author of Export Now, (Wiley) on market entry strategies. He also authored a World War II history book, Home Front to Battlefront (Ohio University Press).
Lavin serves as a trustee of The Asia Foundation and as chairman of the International Council of the National University of Singapore School of Medicine He also serves on the Board of Directors of Advanced MedTech Holdings, a medical technologies company, and of SC Health Corp (NYSE). He is a fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors and on the Advisory Board of ECIPE, a Brussels think-tank. Lavin previously served as steering committee chairman of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo USA Pavilion. Lavin served as a Lt Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.
