Ashlande Gelin, a former attorney at the Commerce Department's Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance, left the agency to join Sidley Austin as a managing associate, she announced May 8 on LinkedIn. Gelin joined Commerce in 2021 after serving as a law clerk and attorney in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Seko Logistics announced Vanessa Rambo will join the company as chief compliance officer, the company said in a news release May 5. Rambo, a licensed customs broker, was previously with Lamb Weston, Nestle, Meggitt and Bostik. The company also said Brendan Belz is joining as chief transformation officer, and Alain Chimene is joining as regional president for the Asia-Pacific.
Kelly Ann Shaw, a senior White House trade and economics official during the first Trump administration, has joined Akin Gump's lobbying and public policy practice. The law firm said she was a "key architect" of the administration's trade policies and a negotiator for the U.S.-China phase one trade deal.
Three former officials at the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration have joined The Bristol Group, the firm announced. Emily Halle, former program manager at ITA, and Andre Gziryan, former senior policy analyst, have joined the firm as senior advisers. In addition, Scarlet Jaldin, former international trade compliance analyst at ITA, joined as an international trade analyst.
Scott McBride, a longtime trade official at the Commerce Department, told us that he has retired from the agency. McBride served at Commerce for about a quarter of a century, initially joining in 2000 as an attorney in the office of the chief counsel for import administration, then working up to associate deputy chief counsel for trade enforcement and compliance -- a position he held since October 2022. McBride said he chose to retire under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and that he starts at a private firm on May 5.
Dominic Bianchi, former general counsel of the International Trade Commission, has joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in the firm's Section 337 litigation and trade remedies practice, the firm announced. Bianchi spent 24 years at ITC, serving as general counsel since 2013.
Canadian transportation and logistics firm Mullen Group announced that it has acquired customs brokerage firm Cole Group. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter, also includes the acquisition of Cole International and Abco International Freight.
Clete Willems, a former National Security Council official and Akin Gump trade lawyer, is joining Netflix as its chief global affairs officer, he said on LinkedIn. Willems served in the first Trump administration as a senior international economics official and sherpa to the Group of 7 and Group of 20.
Julia Bonestroo Banegas, former attorney at Husch Blackwell, joined Jones Walker as special counsel in the maritime practice group and member of the maritime regulatory team, the firm announced. Banegas' practice will center on advising clients on "federal and state maritime regulations" and "establishing compliance programs that support uninterrupted trade and efficient operations."
CBP Chief Counsel Fred Smith announced his retirement from CBP in a recent LinkedIn post. Smith, who said he will be retiring at the end of March, has been with CBP over 10 years. A successor has not yet been named on CBP's website.