Kurt W. Tong ’86

Ambassador Kurt Tong is Managing Partner at The Asia Group, where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and the broader East Asia region. Before joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong was an American diplomat for 30 years.  From 2016 to 2019, he served as Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau. He was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 2011 to 2014, setting the stage for Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Ambassador Tong was Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2011, leading the U.S. chairmanship of the organization during one of the most productive periods for APEC.  He worked in the White House as Director for Asian Affairs during the George W. Bush Administration and handled negotiations with North Korea on nuclear issues and other matters there and at the Department of State. In addition to Hong Kong and Tokyo, his overseas postings include Beijing, Seoul and Manila.