Charles Adams | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2015 | |
| United States Ambassador to Finland | |
| In office December 8, 2015 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Bruce Oreck |
| Succeeded by | Robert Pence |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Clarence Adams Jr. (1947-08-25)August 25, 1947 (age 78) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | |
Charles Clarence Adams Jr. (born August 25, 1947) is a British-born American diplomat who is the formerUnited States Ambassador to Finland.[1]
Previously, he was an American international arbitration expert[2] and American political and social activist. Based inGeneva, Switzerland, he served as co-chair of Americans Abroad for Obama, aDemocratic Party fundraising and networking organization of Americans living overseas.[3][4] and raised money for Democratic candidatePete Buttigieg.[5]
He also served as a member of the National Finance Committee of the2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a position he also held during the2008 Obama campaign.[6]
He was nominated Ambassador to Finland by PresidentBarack Obama in July 2014 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 24, 2015.[7] He presented his credentials on December 8, 2015, and served until January 20, 2017.[8]
In 2017, Adams became a non-executive director at the Nordic West Office in Finland.[9]
Adams was born inBelfast, Northern Ireland,[10] one of six children of Charles C. Adams, a careerdiplomat with theU.S. State Department, and the former Florence Schneider ofBrooklyn, New York. He was raised in the countries of his father's assignments, includingCanada,France,Germany,Ghana,Morocco andSenegal, as well as theWashington, D.C. area.
He attendedDartmouth College and received hisBachelor of Arts degree in 1968. From 1968 to 1970, he was aPeace Corps volunteer, serving inKenya.[11] Following the Peace Corps, he attended law school atUniversity of Virginia, receiving hisJ.D. degree in 1973.
Adams began practicing international law inWashington, D.C., and moved toParis before establishing residence inGeneva in 1986.
Currently, Adams is partner atOrrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, an international law firm based in the United States. He leads the firm's international arbitration practice, with a focus on high-value disputes, and serves as head of the firm's Geneva office. His practice includes major infrastructure and construction projects, joint venture agreements, intellectual property, insurance, energy, manufacturing, telecommunications and transportation industries.[12]
He occasionally serves on international arbitration panels, and appears frequently on various news media outlets, commenting on U.S. political issues.[13][14]
Notable publications includeEnglish Supreme Court Upholds Party Autonomy in International Arbitration, which examined a 2011British high court decision which called into question tenets of impartiality when setting up international arbitration panels.[15] In 2012, Adams provided historical roots and context to current issues in an article titledThe State of Arbitration, published by a leading international professional journal.[16] In an article published in early 2013, Adams makes a case that as costs rise,Switzerland is an ideal location to conduct international arbitration. "The domestic courts take a hands-off approach, and the non-intrusion...is certainly a benefit. There is also a well developed infrastructure in place and compared to other centers such as London or Paris it is perhaps surprisingly lower in cost," he said.[17]
In addition to English, he speaks French, German and Swahili.
He serves as Executive-in-Residence and on the board of advisers of theTaylor Institute, a research and post-graduate study center ofFranklin University Switzerland.[18][19]
He also serves on the board of advisers ofEnd Human Trafficking Now, a human rights group.[20] He is a past president of the International Center for Humanitarian Reporting, located inCambridge, Massachusetts.[21]
He is a member of the board of trustees of theDubai International Arbitration Centre, an initiative of theDubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.[22]
He is a frequent guest lecturer at theInternational Development Law Organization, theUniversity of Geneva and other institutions of legal education.[23]
He serves as a Member of the Board of Advisors of theGlobal Panel Foundation, an NGO that works behind the scenes in crisis areas around the world.[24]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Finland 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
