Ambassador Michael George DeSombre is a partner at the international law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, where he leads their Asia mergers and acquisitions practice as well as the Korea and Southeast Asia practices. Previously, he served as the US ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand from 2020-2021. During his tenure in Thailand, DeSombre focused on energizing the strategic relationship and strengthening the economic partnership between the United States and Thailand, working closely with the Royal Thai Government on economic reforms to encourage the relocation of supply chains and manufacturing to Thailand.

DeSombre currently serves as a senior diplomatic advisor to the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, and previously served as the chairman of the board of Save the Children Hong Kong from 2015-2020. He holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics, a master’s degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University, and a JD from Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude.