Manu Bhardwaj

Manu is responsible for managing and building the Center’s relationships with respected thought leaders and research institutions. In addition, he works closely with Mastercard’s Chief Economist and Center’s Chair of Advisory Council in developing the Center’s research agenda to deliver actionable insights around inclusive growth.

Most recently, Manu worked for the U.S. State Department reporting directly to the Under Secretary of State and three U.S. Ambassadors advising them on trade, intellectual property, cybersecurity, Internet-related national security and data privacy matters. Manu had the formal responsibility to communicate the U.S. position to over sixty countries and at the United Nations and other multilateral meetings. Prior to that, Manu was a digital economy advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce where he handled the full range of technology matters. Earlier in his career, Manu served as an advisor at the White House, the U.S. Senate and a U.S. District Court. Over 17 years, Manu served in all three branches of the US government and has also practiced general litigation and telecommunications law at major private law firms.

Manu holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and a BA from Northwestern University.