Christopher A. Padilla

Christopher A. Padilla is Vice President for the Government and Regulatory Affairs at the IBM Corporation. He is a former Under Secretary for International Trade within the United States Department of Commerce. He was nominated to this position on September 4 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 19, 2007. From 2002-2008, Christopher Padilla worked within the Bush administration with a focus on international trade and economic issues. On September 29, 2006, he was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration by the U.S. Senate.

From 2005 to 2006, he had served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick, with a particular focus on U.S.-China policy, Latin America, Sudan, and international economic matters. From 2002 to 2005, Padilla was Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, and he was heavily involved in building support for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and several other trade agreements and initiatives.