Robert Roche is an international entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist. He has launched, managed, and invested in successful businesses across the U.S. and Asia in a variety of sectors. He founded and is Executive Chairman of Oak Lawn Marketing, a multi-channel direct marketing company in Japan. He developed a top-rated golf course and residential community in Utah, and through Gallup Land Partners, LLC, is developing a carbon-neutral manufacturing complex with an inland port, free trade zone, and residential housing in Gallup, New Mexico.

In addition to his successful business ventures, Roche is an engaged civic leader with a strong record of public service and international engagement. He has represented both the U.S. and Japan in various capacities and contributed as a donor, advisor, and board member to numerous organizations. Roche currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Quad Investors Network (QUIN), a non-profit that facilitates investments, joint ventures, and licensing in critical and emerging technologies across the Indo-Pacific. He also serves on the Board of the Center for New American Security (CNAS), a U.S. national security and foreign policy think tank, and is the co-founder of the Business Forward Foundation. He is the Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and is a member of the Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives) as well as the Trilateral Commission—a global forum of senior policymakers, business leaders, and representatives of media and academe focused on addressing major global challenges. In 2010, President Obama named him to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, a committee he served on until 2014.

Roche is also a passionate philanthropist who is involved extensively in non-profit organizations focused on enhancing education, improving international relations, and building strong, sustainable communities. Endowments from Roche established a Chair for Interreligious Research at Nanzan University in Japan, and a Master of Laws in International Business Transactions at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

Roche received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Japanese studies at Illinois State University and earned his J.D. at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Roche is married with three children and spends time in Japan and the United States. He is fluent in Japanese and proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

To learn more, connect with Robert on Linkedin.