William Kennard

During his time in Brussels, Ambassador Kennard made reinvigorating the U.S.-EU economic relationship and eliminating regulatory barriers his top priorities. He was a key force behind the February 2013 decision to launch negotiations on an ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which aims to expand trade and investment across the Atlantic and contribute to the development of rules that will strengthen the multilateral trading system. He also worked to revitalize the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) so that it could better fulfill its mission of promoting economic growth through increased trade and job creation.

He was also the first U.S. Ambassador to the EU to actively engage with European audiences through social media. One notable event took place in February 2013, when Ambassador Kennard and EU Ambassador to the U.S. João Vale de Almeida co-hosted a "Transatlantic Twittersation," a virtual conversation whose hashtag #AskAmbs reached 1,400,000 impressions worldwide.

In May 2012, the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union awarded Ambassador Kennard its highest honor, the Transatlantic Business Award, for his contribution to improving transatlantic relations, removing barriers to trade, and promoting issues and policies that support U.S. businesses operating in Europe.

Prior to becoming Ambassador, Kennard was Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm with over $100 billion under management. Kennard joined The Carlyle Group in May 2001, where he led investments in the telecommunications and media sectors.

Before joining The Carlyle Group, Kennard served as chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from November 1997 to January 2001. He presided over the agency at an historic time. During his tenure, he shaped policies that created an explosion of new wireless phones, brought the Internet to a majority of American households, and resulted in billions of dollars of investment in new broadband technologies. At the same time, he implemented bold new policies to bridge the digital divide in the United States and around the world.

Before his appointment as FCC Chairman, Kennard served as the FCC's general counsel from 1993 until 1997. He joined the FCC from the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand (now DLA Piper) where he was a partner and member of the firm's board of directors.

William Earl Kennard (born January 19, 1957) is an American attorney who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union (2009–13) and chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (1997–2001). He was nominated as ambassador to the EU by President Barack Obama in August 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November. Prior to this appointment, Kennard was Managing Director of the global private equity firm the Carlyle Group. He was also chairman of the FCC after being appointed by President Bill Clinton in November 1997, serving from November 3, 1997 to January 19, 2001. He is also an advisor for the transatlantic think-tank European Horizons.