WASHINGTON – The Office of the United States Trade Representative today announced that Sushan Demirjian will serve as the Assistant United States Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness. Since joining USTR in 2007, Demirjian has served in several senior roles at USTR, most recently as the Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for the same office.
“Sushan is a proven advocate for our nation’s small businesses and a key part of our effort to innovate across trade policy,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “Her work will be central to building trade policy that promotes a resilient, sustainable and equitable economy at home, and strengthens supply chains for the U.S. and world economy. I thank her for leading the Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness office on an interim basis and look forward to working with her as we follow through on President Biden’s pledge to build our economy from the bottom up and middle out.”
The Office of Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness develops, negotiates, and implements U.S. trade policy related market access for American manufacturers, and helps ensure that USTR’s trade policy efforts address the challenges facing smaller American businesses. The office works closely with other USTR offices to address key tariff and non-tariff barriers affecting U.S. industrial goods, including through the negotiation, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of trade agreements. The office also leads a number of industrial sector policy initiatives. Across these activities, the office engages in extensive outreach and consultation with stakeholders, including through the Interagency Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs).
Sushan Demirjian, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness
Sushan Demirjian is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing U.S. trade policy related to a broad range of U.S. manufacturing and industrial sectors, such as information and communications technology, autos, capital goods, machinery and equipment, chemicals, energy, steel and other metals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, forest products, and consumer products. She also oversees USTR’s efforts to expand trade opportunities for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses.
Ms. Demirjian joined USTR in 2007 and has led market access and industrial goods negotiations in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and with the United Kingdom, Kenya, Japan, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). She also worked on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round negotiations related to non-agricultural market access (NAMA).
Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Demirjian was Director of International Trade at the American Chemistry Council, the key association representing the U.S. chemical industry. She also worked at the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, where she coordinated programs and activities related to international commercial law.
Ms. Demirjian holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
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