Flexport, the global logistics company, announced the hiring of Teresa Carlson to be president and chief commercial officer. Carlson, who previously worked as an executive-in-residence at Microsoft, also was the leader of Amazon Web Services. The press release announcing her hire said she will oversee sales, marketing and the nonprofit arm, and will lead expansion into new markets, verticals and strategic partnerships.

John Sullivan, former deputy secretary of state and U.S. ambassador to Russia, has rejoined Mayer Brown as a partner in the Washington, D.C., and New York offices, the firm announced. Sullivan's practice will center on issues relating to clients' business operations, "including global risk, US sanctions and export controls, international trade disputes and regulation, and foreign investment." Sullivan served as ambassador to Russia from 2020 to 2022 and as acting secretary of state from March to April 2018. He is also a distinguished fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a distinguished senior fellow at Columbia University School of Law's National Security Law Program.

The National Foreign Trade Council has hired John Pickel, a former trade director in the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans, as senior director for international supply chain policy. Pickel also previously served as counselor to the CBP commissioner for trade facilitation and trade enforcement and as a congressional affairs staffer. “John brings a remarkable wealth of expertise and experience in a range of supply chain, trade facilitation and customs issues that are critically important to our member companies,” NFTC President Jake Colvin said.

Akin Gump promoted 15 lawyers to partner, effective Jan. 1. Among the new partners are Alexis Guinan and Jingli Jiang. Guinan's practice, based in Washington, centers on sanctions and international trade laws, the firm said. She has advised clients looking to evaluate sanctions and other trade restrictions "associated with their portfolio companies." Jiang's practice touches on international trade proceedings, "including export controls, sanctions, antitrust and other types of regulatory and corporate advice," the firm said. She is in the Beijing office.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide named Jim Barber, retired in 2020 as chief operating officer for UPS, to its board of directors. At UPS, Barber “was responsible for international operations, U.S. operations, freight forwarding, distribution and logistics, freight brokerage, customs brokerage and more,” a news release said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative this week announced the hiring of two new officials.

Mike Miller recently left his position as head of the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to join the Defense Department as deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, a State Department spokesperson said Dec. 12. Miller previously served as deputy assistant secretary for defense trade in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, where he oversaw a flurry of recent changes and updates to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 2211100023, 2209280038, 2204290032 and 2105200061).

Jerrob Duffy, former head of the Litigation Unit in the Fraud Section of DOJ's Criminal Division, has joined Squire Patton as a partner in the Government Investigations & White Collar practice, the firm announced. Duffy worked for over two decades at DOJ, rising to the role of chief of the Fraud Section's Litigation Unit, where he oversaw matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, securities and other violations, the firm said.

Ian Cohen has been named deputy managing editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Mara Lee has been named senior editor.

Mike Walsh, former chief of staff and acting general counsel at the Commerce Department, has joined Shearman & Sterling as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office's litigation wing, the firm announced. His practice will center on the national security elements of cross-border transactions, including matters involving the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., export controls, Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions and other cross-border investment proceedings. From 2018 to 2021, Walsh oversaw "legal initiatives" at Commerce, including CFIUS, export enforcement functions and appellate litigation. Most recently, Walsh was a partner at Foley & Lardner.