Harry Is Ready for Global Aviation Market Access

Harry Sullivan - Professional Profile

Introduction

Harry Is Ready for Global Aviation Market Access

30-year diplomacy and trade executive, negotiates air agreements and defends market access.

Falls Church, VA

About

I turn geopolitical friction into clear decisions, safer deals, and sustained market access.

Most of my career has lived in the moments where a single policy choice changes who can fly, who can trade, and what risk a company inherits overnight. I have worked across trade negotiations, national security operations, and aviation agreements, translating complexity into agreements that hold up when the pressure hits.

I have spent my career in high-trust rooms where access is the product, and the downside is real. At DOT, I work on the formulation, negotiation, and enforcement of U.S. air transport agreements, the kind of market access decisions that directly shape revenue, competition, and capacity.

Before aviation, I built the muscle to navigate trade rules and sensitive cross-border issues. At USTR and State, I worked bilateral and multilateral services negotiations and chaired the e-commerce team for the U.S.–Singapore FTA, translating policy into terms businesses can actually use.

I also know what happens when policy meets operations in the field. I advised senior operational leadership at SOCCENT across 20 countries, and I have served in security-heavy postings where sanctions, AML concerns, and interagency coordination are not theoretical. Across 4 U.S. institutions, my lane has been the same, make complex decisions executable, defensible, and durable.

If you know a leader in airline or aerospace market access, a trade controls and sanctions team, or an aviation finance or lessor government affairs group, I would value a warm introduction. If this resonates, a LinkedIn share with one sentence about what I do best would also mean a lot.

Target roles: VP, International Market Access and Regulatory Affairs, Director, Geopolitical Risk, Sanctions, and Trade Controls, Head of Global Policy and Strategic Partnerships

Get in Touch

Hi, I'm Harry. I'm a senior foreign policy executive passionate about negotiating international trade agreements and enhancing aviation policies. Would love to chat if you're working in the aviation or international trade sectors.

Harry Sullivan linkedin.com/in/harry-sullivan

Harry Sullivan is a niche dealmaker with over 30 years of experience in trade, security, and aviation, uniquely positioned to navigate complex geopolitical landscapes.

Experience

Director, Aviation Negotiations Office at U.S. Department of State (July 2024 - Present)

Policy Advisor at U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) (July 2022 - June 2024)

Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy (July 2019 - July 2022)

African Affairs Director at Office of the United States Trade Representative (June 2018 - June 2019)

Acting Director, Office of African Economic and Regional Affairs at U.S. Department of State (July 2016 - June 2018)

Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy (July 2014 - July 2015)

Principal Officer at U.S. Consulate (2011 - 2014)

Principal Officer at U.S. Consulate (2007 - 2010)