Matt Ingeneri is a Vice President at The Asia Group where he oversees projects in Maritime Southeast Asia, developing and supporting the implementation of sophisticated investment and government relations strategies to help clients navigate evolving geopolitical dynamics and leverage broader regional and sectoral trends.
Prior to joining The Asia Group, Matt spent 22 years in the Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer specializing in trade and investment matters in Southeast Asia and India. Abroad he served in a range of economic, security, and political related policy and management positions at U.S. embassies and consulates in Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Guangzhou, Kinshasa, and Pretoria. In Washington, Matt was Deputy Director for Economic Policy and the Philippines Desk Officer in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs, Senior Asia Trade Officer in the Economic Affairs Bureau, and Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
As Deputy Director for Economic Policy, Matt helped design the Luzon Economic Corridor project supporting port, rail, and logistics investments connecting Manila with Subic Bay and the Clark economic zone in the Philippines. He also helped lead expanding support for infrastructure by the Quad – the U.S. partnership with Australia, India, and Japan – focusing on the expansion of secure undersea internet cable systems in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and enhancing the capacity of project managers in Southeast Asia to engage in public-private-partnerships. Matt served as Deputy Economic Counselor in Kuala Lumpur, playing an instrumental role in facilitating Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, improving protection of intellectual property rights, enforcing U.S. sanctions, and organizing the U.S. response to the MH370 aviation disaster. At USTR, Matt managed implementation of U.S. FTAs with Singapore and Australia, as well as the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Vietnam, negotiating resolution of regulatory challenges that threatened over USD 100 million in U.S. agriculture exports.
In India, Matt led support of negotiation of an updated Investment Incentive Agreement facilitating over USD 2 billion in new clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing investments by the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, restoration of air cargo services during COVID-19 lockdowns, and assisting U.S. investors in India with antitrust investigations and digital taxation issues. As the government co-chair of the U.S.- India Aviation Cooperation Program, Matt led trade delegations and worked with industry to engage Indian Ministers and senior officials to support over USD 34 billion in new U.S. exports.