Pamela
Passman

Pamela S. Passman is a senior advisor to boards, chief executives and corporate affairs leaders, with almost four decades of experience helping organizations navigate the intersection of geopolitics, technology, public policy and stakeholder expectations. As Global Chair, Corporate Advisory at APCO, and the global leader of the Technology Sector Practice, she counsels companies on managing geopolitical risk, engaging on the development of artificial intelligence and other technology policy and navigating regulatory scrutiny and market regulation. She lead’s APCO’s research and analysis on the evolving role of corporate affairs in an increasingly complex global environment.

The golden rule — Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Prior to joining APCO, Pamela spent 15 years at Microsoft Corporation, most recently as Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Global Corporate and Regulatory Affairs. During her tenure, she led Microsoft’s global government affairs and public policy functions, regulatory compliance initiatives, philanthropic programs and cross-company corporate citizenship efforts, including development of the company’s first global philanthropic focus and sustainability initiatives. Pamela began at Microsoft Asia, where she led the company’s Legal and Corporate Affairs organization from Tokyo, with a focus on Japan, Korea and China.

Following Microsoft, Pamela founded and served as president of the Center for Responsible Enterprise and Trade (CREATe.org) and was vice chair of the Ethisphere Institute. Through these organizations, she worked with multinational companies to strengthen governance, compliance and risk-management practices across global operations and value chains, with particular focus on intellectual property protection, data governance, cybersecurity, supply chain integrity and business ethics.

Earlier in her career, Pamela practiced law with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., and Nagashima & Ohno in Tokyo. Having lived and worked in Japan on multiple occasions and led business, legal and policy teams across Asia, she brings deep experience helping organizations navigate complex regulatory, political and cultural environments and build trusted relationships with governments, business leaders and other stakeholders around the world.

An experienced public company director and governance leader, Pamela serves on the Board of Directors of Kinaxis Inc., a Toronto-listed enterprise software company, where she chairs the Nominations and Governance Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. She also chairs the Board of Directors of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of unaccompanied and separated immigrant children. Pamela is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Audit Committee. She is affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) as a non-resident senior associate. Pamela earned a Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.