Ambassador (Rtd) Howard Gutman

Former U.S. Ambassador at Former U.S. Ambassador of Belgium

Speaker

Ambassador Howard Gutman continues to build on an amazing career that has spanned the public and private sectors, both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of the political aisle, from K Street, to Wall Street, to Studio City , to Brussels, the heart of the European Union and NATO, and now globally.

Dubbed by European press as “The Ambassador Who Makes Us Love America Again “ and “the most popular ambassador ever in Belgium,” Ambassador Gutman in 2013 completed four years of service as the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, the third longest serving such ambassador in over 100 years. According to the May 2012 Gallup International Poll, Belgium in this period finished first in the world with the highest increase in its favorability towards U.S. leadership.

Ambassador Gutman has long become one of the most well-known and admired public figures in the heart of Europe, having appeared on European television well over 100 times, ranging from Sunday news shows to late night entertainment programs to awarding the final award for “Song of the Year” on the equivalent of the Belgian Grammy awards. A leading thinker and speaker, Ambassador Gutman speaks often on how the changes in the world and the changes of tomorrow present opportunities and challenges, particularly for our economy today. In 2024, a leading UK advisory organization named Ambassador Gutman as one of the 20 leading experts world-wide that companies, organizations and others should hire to understand and prepare for the second Trump Presidency.

Ambassador Gutman hosts a national weekly radio political commentary show, “As I See It”, co-hosts a live political debate/entertainment series “Politics & Pints,” co-hosts The Washington Commanders Post-Game Gutcheck (a US football post-game show) and is a frequent writer and speaker on the upcoming U.S. Presidential election. And he has long consulted and spoken on how changes in American politics and government affects the European business community (including his previous commentary on “Opportunities to Do Business in the Trump Administration.”) After having listened to one of Ambassador Gutman’s speeches on changes and trends in the energy sector, representatives of 8 of the world’s largest pension funds, the P8 Group, arranged for a private meeting at the EU with then Prince now king Charles of the United Kingdom to discuss our energy future.

Having attended one of Ambassador Gutman’s speeches at an American Battlefield Cemetery, four United States Senators (2 Republicans and 2 Democrats) entered the speech into the Congressional Record of the United States. Ambassador Gutman was also asked by the Turkish Government to assist in mediation with Israel looking towards reconciliation between Turkey and Israel following the “flotilla” dispute.

Ambassador Gutman is currently the Managing Partner of The Gutman Group, through which Ambassador Gutman runs a board, consulting, advisory, project finance, venture capital and speech practice. Clients of The Gutman Group range from giant energy, industrial, logistics, entertainment, chemical, financial and advisory firms to high net worth family offices and start-ups; from Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East; and also include larger advisory or law firms in search of broader reach and greater expertise.

Ambassador Gutman also serves on boards of a variety of public and privately-held companies and concerns.

Ambassador Gutman brought a rich and diverse background to the diplomatic corps.

He previously was a senior partner with the Washington D.C. law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP. Identified as one of "Washington's Top Lawyers" by Washingtonian magazine (December 2004, December 2007) and selected to numerous “Superlawyers” and similar attorney award lists, Mr. Gutman’s areas of practice spanned the full gamut of litigation, investigation, and counseling matters. Earlier in his career, during the Reagan administration, Ambassador Gutman served as a Special Assistant to F.B.I Director William H. Webster, focusing on counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence; as a law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart (retd.) on the United States Supreme Court; and as a law clerk to Judge Irving L. Goldberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ambassador Gutman has served as an adviser to a variety of candidates, including assisting in races for President, Governor, Senate, and Congress.

He assisted the 2008 Obama campaign on constituency work, media and fundraising and was a Trustee on the Obama Presidential Inauguration Committee. He assisted the Gore campaign in the postelection litigation in 2000.

He has been a contributor to numerous television and radio programs, including frequent appearances on the Fox News Network. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, Mr. Gutman appeared in several episodes of the HBO series "K Street," playing (not surprisingly) a Washington attorney and has made other movie and media appearances, including playing Tim Robbins’ lawyer in “Noise” and a high school parent in the 2009 release of “Fame.” On the business side, Ambassador Gutman helped found an alternative energy private equity fund in Washington DC and an independent movie studio in L.A. He has sold both scripted and reality television shows to major studios and producers.

Ambassador Gutman is a 1977 graduate of Columbia University and a 1980 graduate from Harvard Law School. He is married to Dr. Michelle Loewinger, a pop artist represented by galleries in Miami, Brussels Belgium and Lugano Switzerland , and has two grown sons.