Ernest Bower

Ernest Bower is senior adviser and director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program and is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on economics, politics, and business in Southeast Asia. Prior to joining CSIS, he formed BrooksBowerAsia, a consulting firm specializing in the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier, he served for a decade as president of the US-ASEAN Business Council, where he established and built the council from the ground level, working with government and private-sector leaders from the United States and Southeast Asia. During that time, he established a unique network of leaders of governments, businesses, media, and civil society organizations throughout Asia and the United States. Bower is widely recognized as one of the strongest proponents for close ties between the United States and Asia. He has been an adviser and innovator, creating new programs and vehicles to broaden and deepen international and bilateral ties between the two regions. He engineered key private-sector initiatives such as the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Coalition, the U.S.-APEC Business Coalition, and numerous other initiatives. He is regularly consulted as an expert by international media outlets.

In recognition of his work toward strengthening bilateral relations, the King of Malaysia awarded him the Darjah Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), pronouncing him holder of the title Datuk in Malaysia. The Philippine government conferred him with the rank of Lakan, or Commander, in recognition of his work to build U.S.-Philippines ties. He is currently the U.S. chair of the Advisory Council on Competitiveness for the Vietnamese prime minister. He also serves on the boards of the Special Olympics Asia, the United States–New Zealand Business Council, and the United States–Indonesia Society. He has also served on the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on Trade and Investment. Bower holds a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and studied Mandarin Chinese at Middlebury College’s Sunderland School of Foreign Language.