Dilawar Syed, a Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur, has been appointed U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs.
“Special Representative Syed brings a strong background in business and entrepreneurship, having built global enterprises in the fields of technology, healthcare, and business services,” the State Department said Tuesday.
Syed has a wide-ranging experience in business innovation and management over two decades, and President Joe Biden has also nominated Syed for Deputy Administrator at the Small Business Administration, pending Congressional approval.
In a statement, the business tycoon said it would be an honor to serve as the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs.
“Today, I am entering public service. It’s an honor of a lifetime to represent the United States and promote American business and ingenuity on the global stage as the State Department’s Special Representative for Commercial & Business Affairs.”
Regarding his confirmation process on Capitol Hill, Syed said he “will continue to pursue my Senate confirmation of the SBA role— it’s an honor that President Biden renominated me earlier this year. I’m excited that I can get to work to advance the economic interests of the American people, especially at this critical moment.”
“Over the course of last year, a diverse coalition has stood up in my support. I am grateful for the passionate advocacy of so many leaders and organizations around the country. I have seen their hearts and I am privileged to call them friends for life.”
Syed said his elevation from an immigrant college student to a diplomat could only happen in America. “Thirty years ago, when I immigrated to this country as a student, I could have never imagined that I would have the honor of being an American diplomat. A story only possible in America.”
Working out of California, Syed built and run companies in the fields of software, consumer, and now health care and artificial intelligence. He was the president of Freshworks, where he helped scale the software company’s products to thousands of small and medium businesses.
He immigrated to the United States from Pakistan as a college student to attend the College of Wooster in Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics and computer science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In his new position as Special Representative Syed will also draw on his experience working at the federal and state levels to advance commercial and economic policies that benefit American workers and businesses, the State Department said.
In the Obama administration, it said, he played an active role in promoting the State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Programme and connecting Silicon Valley innovators with emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. As the founding Chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force, Special Representative Syed drove inclusive entrepreneurship that bridged coastal regions with the state’s rural heartland and helped small businesses struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Serving in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs advances trade, commercial, and economic policies for America’s workers and the middle-class to help create well-paying jobs and strengthen our communities,” the announcement said.
“Special Representative Syed will lead efforts to support the export activities of U.S. companies through approved commercial advocacy and to create and advance a level playing field for U.S. workers and companies overseas.”|
