Chairman, Engage China
President and CEO, Financial Services Forum
Rob Nichols has been Chairman of the Engage China coalition since its creation in 2006. He is president and CEO of the Financial Services Forum, non-partisan financial and economic policy organization comprised of the CEOs of 20 of the largest and most diversified financial services institutions doing business in the United States. Nichols supervises all activities of the organization. Working with the member institutions, Nichols provides strategic leadership and coordinates the Forum's efforts to educate the public about the importance of robust capital markets, encourage a competitive global marketplace, and shape the national and international regulatory dialogue.
Nichols is frequently cited by the news media on capital markets and financial services issues. He is regularly quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Business Week and frequently appears on CNBC, Fox Business News and Bloomberg. He has testified on several occasions before the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, two key Congressional committees that oversee the financial services industry.
In 2011, 2010, and 2009, Nichols was recognized by The Hill as one of the most effective trade association leaders in Washington, D.C. In 2010, CEO UPDATE also named Nichols one of the year’s top trade association leaders.
Before joining the Forum, Nichols was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs, a position requiring confirmation by the United States Senate. In that capacity, Nichols oversaw all public affairs efforts for a $12 billion federal agency with 117,000 employees and played a leading role in educating the American people about tax and currency policy, debt management, Social Security and Medicare financing, the U.S. government's strategy to freeze terrorists' assets and restrict the flow of money that enables terror, and a host of international and emerging market issues that impact the U.S. economy. As assistant secretary, Nichols established policies for administering public affairs, business affairs, consumer affairs, and intergovernmental affairs programs in the Treasury Department and its bureaus. Nichols also oversaw the Office of Public Liaison, which conducts outreach to business, advocacy, and financial communities, including Wall Street; elicits information, analysis, and opinions from public and private organizations representing business and consumer interests; and communicates Treasury Department views to these entities. During his four and a half year tenure at the Treasury, Nichols gained a rich understanding of the financial markets, the financial services industry, and a wide breadth of economic matters. Nichols is a recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Before joining the Department of the Treasury, Nichols’ career highlights included service as communications director for the Electronic Industries Alliance, a trade organization that represents 1300 U.S. high-technology manufacturers; as a senior aide on Capitol Hill as Communications Director to U.S. Senator Slade Gorton and Press Secretary to Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, former member of the House leadership; and in the West Wing as an aide in the Office of the Chief of Staff in the George H.W. Bush administration.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Nichols is a graduate of the George Washington University. Nichols and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of two children, Henry Alexander and Martha Lauren.
Nichols is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Presbyterian School. He resides in Maryland.
