Patrick C. Hughes has been the senior adviser to major broadcast media conglomerates, both international and regional, as well as other corporate clients in Southeast Europe and governments. Mr. Hughes gained his international experience in the U.S. Government as an international economist with the U.S. Government focusing on specialized transition and post-conflict economic development; international trade policy and negotiations; macro- and micro-economic reform policies and analysis; and trade and investment promotion/advocacy.
Mr. Hughes served as a Foreign Service Officer (Commercial Counselor) assigned to U.S. embassies in: Hungary, Bulgaria/Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia/Slovenia and Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro). He also founded local American Chambers of Commerce (“AmChams”) to foster market reforms and economic liberalization.
While working for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington DC, his portfolio included the Trade Policy Staff Committee, which reviewed complaints by US companies regarding trade/investment barriers (Section 301 cases) and charged with developing trade sanctions lists in high-profile cases. Hughes was a member of the Uruguay Round Market Access Negotiating Team as well.
Following his government service, Patrick Hughes operated as an independent consultant in Belgrade for a DC-based government relations firm and provided political and economic analysis on countries in Southeast and Central Europe targeted by the firm and handled regional clients. Later, he was the director of the Laurus Group based in Belgrade and Washington DC. In partnership with the DC firm Quinn Gillespie, the firm provided strategic services: assisting with political party development and political campaigns (research to field strategy); communications management, media relations; economic advisory and business development.
For many years, Mr. Hughes has been the sole international advisor to the CEO of the largest broadcast media/entertainment conglomerate in Southeast Europe: responsible for corporate communications, building strategic partnerships with international companies and diplomatic missions/governments; and designing strategies for entry/expansion into neighboring markets.
Born in Wisconsin, Hughes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, triple major in Economics, Political Science, and Russian Language & Literature from Boston University; and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Economics from the London School of Economics, London, UK. He speaks Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Russian.