John Hughes

Adjunct Senior Fellow, Energy, Economics, & Security Program

Director, Global Public Policy at Coupang

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John Hughes is an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Energy, Economics, and Security program at the Center for a New American Security. He is also a Director, Global Public Policy at Coupang. Previously he was a partner at DGA Group and Head of Client Strategy, and before that was the Head of Geopolitical Engagement at Twitter, where he drove the company’s strategy and outreach on priority global issues.

He also previously worked as Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group, where he advised clients on market entry and expansion, government affairs, and managing regulatory issues. Before that, he was Acting Director in the Office of Sanctions Policy and Implementation in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. In this role, Mr. Hughes helped set policy priorities for sanctions regimes around the globe, and served as a key liaison to the private sector. He also served as the Iran Sanctions Team Chief in the office, helping to establish and implement a range of sanctions against the country. During his tenure there, he visited over twenty countries to engage foreign governments and articulate U.S. policies to the private sector abroad, and advised companies on complex policy and regulatory issues. A former Presidential Management Fellow, Mr. Hughes also spent time in the Office of Korean Affairs and Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Before his career in public service, Mr. Hughes served as Director of two educational language centers in San Francisco, overseeing operations to ensure a successful experience for over 250 language clients from more than 30 countries.

Mr. Hughes has discussed business implications of sanctions and geopolitical issues in interviews with Bloomberg, POLITICO, and The Washington Post, among others. He has also been interviewed by several television and radio programs including CBS News, CNBC, and CNN. He earned his M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a B.A. in English, magna cum laude, from Colby College.

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