Samuel R. Berger is Co-Chairman and co-founder of Stonebridge International, LLC. He is involved across nearly all the firm's engagements and regions, with a particularly strong focus on Asia, Russia and Central Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Berger has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. As former National Security Advisor, Mr. Berger was pivotal in shaping America's role in the post-Cold War era. Through his efforts to build relations with China, managing financial crises in Asia and Latin America, driving critical peace negotiations in the Balkans and the Middle East, and expanding foreign trade, he worked closely with leaders around the world. Mr. Berger's extensive relationship and knowledge of global issues is further strengthened by his corporate background with the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson, where he headed the firm's international trade group. Earlier, Mr. Berger served as Deputy Director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff, Special Assistant to former New York City Mayor John Lindsay and Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Harold Hughes (Iowa) and Congressman Joseph Resnick (N.Y.).