State Department appoints Pakistani-American as special representative for commercial and business affairs

Pakistani-American businessman and entrepreneur Dilawar Syed (R) poses for a photo with US President Joe Biden (L) posted on Dilawar Syed's Twitter on Nov 7, 2020. (Twitter/FILE)

• Dilawar Syed has worked at the federal and state levels where he advanced commercial and economic policies
• During Obama administration, Syed played important role in promoting State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Program

ISLAMABAD: The United States State Department has appointed Pakistani-American businessman and entrepreneur Dilawar Syed the new Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs.
The special representative is responsible for advancing trade, commercial, and economic policies for America’s workers and the middle-class to help create well-paying jobs and strengthen American communities.
“The Department of State is pleased to announce Dilawar Syed as the new Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs,” a statement from the State Department said. “Special Representative Syed brings a strong background in business and entrepreneurship, having built global enterprises in the fields of technology, health care, and business services.”
Gautam Raghavan, Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel, said he was grateful to Syed for agreeing to take on the role.
“Proud to call this talented leader & public servant a colleague,” he said on Twitter.
Syed immigrated to the US as a college student to attend the College of Wooster in Ohio, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). 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, it added.
The newly appointed special representative has worked at the federal and state levels where he advanced commercial and economic policies that benefitted American workers and businesses, said the State Department.
During the Barack Obama administration, Syed played an important role in promoting the State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Program. He also connected Silicon Valley innovators with emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems in the US.
“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,” the State Department press release said.