Nick Ackert is an Associate and the Deputy Director of Research and Analytics at The Asia Group. As the lead author of TAG’s daily newswire, The Daily Asia, as well as the firm’s rapid-response Instant Insight memos and other analytic products, Nick investigates emerging business and diplomatic trends to inform clients about risks and opportunities throughout the Indo-Pacific. He also collaborates closely with senior colleagues to expand and develop the firm’s thought leadership efforts.
Nick is an experienced researcher of Chinese foreign policy and Indo-Pacific security affairs, including China-ASEAN relations, the U.S.-China-Taiwan triangle, and violent conflict in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He has lived, studied, and worked in Taipei, Beijing, and London. Prior to joining TAG, Nick was a Research Associate with Harvard Business School’s Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) unit. There, he provided research and data visualization for cases used to instruct business leaders on crisis response and key concepts in international macroeconomics.
Nick graduated summa cum laude and phi beta kappa from Harvard University, where he concentrated in Classics. He is proficient in Mandarin and holds master’s degrees in international affairs, international history, and political science from Peking University, The London School of Economics, and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively. Nick is passionate about the intersection between public service and education. He is the former chair of the Harvard Institute of Politics’ CIVICS program and a co-founder of Heart to Heart, an international NGO dedicated to improving educational opportunities for aboriginal children in Taiwan.