David Mulford

  • U.S. Ambassador to India, 2004-2009
  • Chairman International, Credit Suisse First Boston, 1992-2003
  • Under Secretary/ Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Treasury, 1984 - 1992

United States Ambassador David C. Mulford came to India in early 2004, at a time when India-U.S. relations were undergoing a dramatic shift and the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Washington was gaining momentum as the two sides began working closely together on an unprecedented range of issues. Ambassador Mulford has been a major player for five years in the building of a strong partnership between the United States and India, the world’s two largest multicultural democracies. With charm and aplomb, Ambassador Mulford shares his first-hand perspective, taking audiences inside the comprehensive development of one of the most important relationships the U.S. will have with any country in the 21st century.

 

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Talks & Conversations with David Mulford
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The U.S. and India: From a Strategic to a Comprehensive Relationship

The priority for U.S.-India relations is to continue to develop a broad-based, comprehensive relationship touching every field of human endeavor. This will move the U.S. forward in the 21st century to a deep and productive relationship as India becomes a major world power. Ambassador Mulford explore ...

The priority for U.S.-India relations is to continue to develop a broad-based, comprehensive relationship touching every field of human endeavor. This will move the U.S. forward in the 21st century to a deep and productive relationship as India becomes a major world power. Ambassador Mulford explores how the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) initiative allowed the U.S. to open a dialogue generating significant results in a number of sensitive areas, including high-technology trade, civil nuclear cooperation, space, and missile defense.  Both countries have agreed to build on this success and continue today to significantly broaden their engagement.

Reaching New Heights: U.S.-India Relations in the 21st Century

Ambassador Mulford’s tenure witnessed the ties between Washington and New Delhi experience tremendous growth. The U.S. and India are poised for a partnership that will be crucial in shaping the international order in the 21st century. What is the importance of the relationship between the two ...

Ambassador Mulford’s tenure witnessed the ties between Washington and New Delhi experience tremendous growth. The U.S. and India are poised for a partnership that will be crucial in shaping the international order in the 21st century. What is the importance of the relationship between the two great democracies and what impact will this relationship have on the rest of the world?

A New Partnership for Energy

India and the United States have dynamic economies with growing energy needs, and will increasingly work together to reduce our common dependence on fossil fuels in order to have robust growth in the 21st century. Ambassador Mulford discusses the broad range of existing energy cooperation and the de ...

India and the United States have dynamic economies with growing energy needs, and will increasingly work together to reduce our common dependence on fossil fuels in order to have robust growth in the 21st century. Ambassador Mulford discusses the broad range of existing energy cooperation and the development of new avenues of collaboration for all energy issues common to our economies: civil nuclear cooperation and nuclear safety, environment-friendly renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies, coal power and clean coal, and oil and gas.

India and Pakistan

There is a growing fear that the peace initiative pursued between India and Pakistan over the past five years could be reversed by the bitter fallout from the Mumbai attacks. The two nuclear-armed states have been to war three times since the partition of India in 1947 and the threat of further mili ...

There is a growing fear that the peace initiative pursued between India and Pakistan over the past five years could be reversed by the bitter fallout from the Mumbai attacks. The two nuclear-armed states have been to war three times since the partition of India in 1947 and the threat of further military conflict is ever present. Ambassador Mulford discusses why the worsening of Indian-Pakistani relations is bad for everyone - apart from the radical Islamists who would like to topple established governments in South Asia and the Middle East.

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Biography

David Mulford was the United States Ambassador to India from 2004 to 2009. He is currently Vice-Chairman International of Credit Suisse. Dr. Mulford traveled to India in early 2004, at a time when India-U.S. relations were undergoing a dramatic shift and the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Washington was gaining momentum as the two sides began working more closely together on an unprecedented range of issues. Ambassador Mulford has been a major player for five years in the building of a strong partnership between the United States and India, the world's two largest multicultural democracies. With charm and aplomb, Ambassador Mulford shares his first-hand perspective, taking audiences inside the comprehensive development of one of the most important relationships the U.S. will have with any country in the 21st century.

During his tenure, India and the U.S. achieved unprecedented economic cooperation and exponential expansion in business, health, finance, science, agriculture, education and military cooperation. Ambassador Mulford negotiated the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Initiative from March 2005 through its final agreement as The United-States India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act in October 2008. Most recently following the Mumbai terror attacks, Ambassador Mulford facilitated Washington's offer to collaborate with New Delhi by way of information sharing, investigative collaboration and cooperation, strengthening both countries’ pledge in the war against international terrorism.

Before his Government service, Dr. Mulford was a Managing Director and Head of International Finance at White, Weld & Co., Inc., with responsibility for coordinating efforts with Credit Suisse on international financial business (1966 to 1974). During this period, he was seconded to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), where he served as senior investment advisor (1974 to 1983).  His responsibilities included managing the investment of Saudi oil revenues and developing a comprehensive investment program for SAMA. He also served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Treasury as a White House Fellow (1965 to 1966) in the first year of the White House Fellowship Program.

Dr. Mulford received a Doctor of Philosophy degree (D.Phil.) from Oxford University (1966), an M.A. in Political Science from Boston University (1962) and a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI (1959).  He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Lawrence University (1984), the Legion d'Honneur from the President of France (1990), the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University (1992), the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor to be bestowed by the Secretary of the Treasury for extraordinary service and benefit to the Treasury Department and the Nation (1992), the Order of May for Merit from the President of Argentina (1993) and The Officer's Cross of the Medal of Merit from the President of Poland (1995).  Dr. Mulford is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.