Karan Bhatia serves as Vice President and Senior Counsel, Global Government Affairs & Policy, for General Electric. In this role, he oversees GE's engagement on public policy issues with governments around the world, and works to expand the company’s presence in global markets. Before joining GE, Bhatia served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, a Presidential appointment with the rank of Ambassador, overseeing U.S. trade policy with respect to Asia and Africa. Previously, he was Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2003-2005. Bhatia previously served in the Department of Commerce as Deputy Under Secretary and Chief Counsel for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Government agency that administers U.S. export controls. Bhatia has written and spoken widely on international trade and transportation policy, and has testified on many occasions before Congress. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Center for APEC, and is a member of the Boards of the National Foreign Trade Council, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy.