Ed McMullen, Former Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, joins Adams and Reese
June 2, 2021
Adams and Reese announced that Edward T. McMullen, Former Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, has joined the firm as Senior Policy Advisor. McMullen is a member of the firm’s Intersection of Business and Government Practice Group, where he focuses on counseling a wide range of clients in economic development, public policy, and foreign direct investment (FDI) matters.
From the firm’s newly opened Charleston, South Carolina office, as well as its Washington, D.C. office, McMullen provides economic development and foreign direct investment (FDI) guidance to a broad range of clients. McMullen has worked with clients in public policy, politics, and business nationally and internationally for more than 30 years. He helps clients with investment and economic development opportunities, state incentives, state environmental regulations, and the range of services relating to FDI.
“I am excited to return to the private sector to work with clients on complex public policy challenges and to help them capitalize on opportunities to grow domestically and internationally,” said McMullen. “Adams and Reese presented me with a unique opportunity to serve clients from a new location in Charleston, as well as from the epicenter of policy and trade in Washington, D.C. Our clients have the benefit of first-in-class legal and government relations representation in a single organization. I look forward to working closely with my team members at Adams and Reese to advance clients’ interests in the finance, investment, economic development, and public policy arenas.”
McMullen served as Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from November 2017–January 2021. He has been recognized for developing the strongest bilateral relationship with U.S./Swiss relations in history. Under McMullen’s leadership, Switzerland moved from the eighth-largest to the sixth-largest foreign direct investor in the United States. McMullen is a frequent guest of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Following the completion of his public service, McMullen is now engaged in private equity as a partner in a London firm, serves on the board of a Paris-based communications firm, and serves on the North American boards of several Swiss companies while continuing to build his relationships among investors and corporate leadership in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and throughout Europe.
“Ed brings unparalleled insights on international growth opportunities for our clients. His bipartisan relationships and in-depth experience in economic development, public policy, governmental incentives, and investment benefit our clients as they seek to grow or expand. He also has strong ties with South Carolina’s government and can help clients achieve their goals in the state thanks to his experience and wide-ranging relationships. We are excited to welcome Ed to the firm and look forward to working closely with him representing clients in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast,” said Kenny Bingham, a Columbia, South Carolina-based Government Affairs Advisor who leads the firm’s Government Relations Team.
In addition to his focus on FDI and economic development opportunities, McMullen has significant experience with holding companies, family offices, and private equity firms dealing with finance, trade, and investments. He has developed multibillion-dollar economic development and real estate deals, a testament to his skill in connecting buyers and investors with opportunities.
Prior to his service as Ambassador, McMullen worked in the public policy world as president of a state think tank and established early Washington D.C. contacts assisting the founding president of The Heritage Foundation during the Reagan Administration. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, McMullen founded and served as president of McMullen Public Affairs, a South Carolina-based corporate advertising and public relations firm. McMullen has served as a policy adviser in several national presidential campaigns, as well as statewide political campaigns in Virginia and South Carolina.
McMullen served on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, as Chairman of the South Carolina Endowed Chairs Research Centers Board, and on three different state taxation committees. He also served as a board member of the South Carolina Competitiveness Council and was a leader on the nuclear power subcommittee. McMullen is a member of the Swiss American Foundation’s Board of Directors and serves as a Trustee of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He is a recipient of The Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest honor, awarded by Governor David Beasley.
McMullen received his B.A. in Political Science from Hampden-Sydney College in 1986. A Senior Policy Advisor, McMullen is not a lawyer and does not practice law.
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Celebrating 70 years of service in 2021, Adams and Reese (http://www.adamsandreese.com) is a multidisciplinary law firm with nearly 270 attorneys and advisors strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C. The American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation’s top law firms, the Am Law 200. The National Law Journal also includes the firm among the top 200 on the NLJ 500 list of the nation’s largest law firms.
