Kurt Campbell

Kurt Campbell is Chairman and Co-Founder of The Asia Group (TAG), where he advises global leaders on the intersection of geopolitics, commerce, and strategic competition across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Prior to rejoining TAG, he served as the 22nd Deputy Secretary of the US Department of State, helping strengthen America’s diplomatic standing and modernise the Department to address enduring global challenges. From 2021 to 2024, he also served as the inaugural Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant to the President at the White House.

Over a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, Campbell has operated at the forefront of international strategy, public policy, and business. Widely regarded as one of America’s leading Indo-Pacific strategists, he has worked across government, academia, the military, journalism, and the private sector. A serial entrepreneur and institution builder, he has founded and led multiple businesses and launched one of Washington’s premier national security think tanks. Today, he counsels C-suite executives and global organisations on navigating geopolitical developments, economic trends, and strategic opportunities throughout Asia and the world.

Earlier in his public service career, Campbell served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2009 to 2013, where he is widely recognised as a principal architect of the US “Pivot to Asia.” He began his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, serving aboard surface ships, at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Advisory Unit. He also served as Associate Professor of Public Policy and International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School.

Campbell has received numerous distinguished honors for his public service, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the nation’s highest diplomatic honor. In 2014, he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia by Queen Elizabeth II and named an Honorary Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of his contributions to US relations with Australia and New Zealand. He has also received senior national honors from several Asian and European allies.

Campbell holds a B.A. from University of California, San Diego, a Certificate in Music and Political Philosophy from the University of Yerevan, and a doctorate in International Relations from Brasenose College, Oxford, where he was a Distinguished Marshall Scholar. He is the author or editor of ten books, including The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia.