Derek is Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Excelerate Energy, a U.S.-based energy company that operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure around the world.
Derek Wong, MPA.
I grew up near Washington DC and was a bit of a policy nerd. My father and other family members worked for the U.S. government, so delving into politics and policy was largely unavoidable. I studied International Studies and Business in the U.S. as an undergraduate and spent a semester in China, but had limited experience in Europe outside of tourism travel. I wanted to continue my studies in the UK, and the LSE had just created the MPA Programme.
When I arrived at LSE in the fall of 2003, the world was in transition. The U.S. and UK had invaded Iraq, the European Union was preparing for its fifth enlargement, and China was reeling from the SARS pandemic.
I remember taking the Economic Diplomacy course in the International Relations department, taught by Sir Nicholas Bayne and Steve Woolcock. During lectures, Sir Nicholas shared anecdotes from his time serving in the British Diplomatic Service. For me, the most memorable aspect of that course was a simulation of the WTO’s dispute settlement process. The topic was the U.S.-EU dispute over GMOs and I was given the role of the U.S. Trade Representative. My MPA Capstone project evaluated the economic, data privacy, and sociological factors of introducing biometric identity cards in the UK. Some of our findings were incorporated into the LSE’s Identity Project report.
After graduating from the LSE, I spent four years in management consulting, one year working for a start-up, a decade in the U.S. Foreign Service, and now as Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Excelerate Energy in Houston, Texas.
My time at the LSE has helped me navigate a changing world, impacted by geopolitical shocks, technological advances, and evolving models of public-private partnership. As an American diplomat serving at U.S. embassies, I represented U.S. economic interests abroad and communicated policy positions. During my final diplomatic posting in Buenos Aires, I was responsible for arranging VIP visits to Argentina of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Energy, and many others. As such, I had a seat at the table for diplomatic negotiations that I had simulated as part of the Economic Diplomacy course I took more than a decade before.
In my current role at Excelerate Energy, I have seen the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure evolve from a technical solution to a geopolitical tool – particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. I serve as a trusted advisor to the Company’s C-suite and prepare them for interactions with Heads of State, Energy Ministers, and other policymakers. During the 2024 UN General Assembly in New York, we engaged with senior government leaders of Argentina, Bangladesh, Finland, Pakistan, and Vietnam.
It has been encouraging to see how much the MPA Programme has grown since I graduated in 2005. The development of the SPP demonstrates its continued relevance in preparing leaders to confront complex challenges. I am deeply grateful for the tools and experiences that equipped me to apply economic and international relations theory to real world issues including climate change, cybersecurity, immigration, and the energy trilemma.
Derek is happy to connect on LinkedIn.