Straits Advisory Group counsels American enterprises and institutions on the geopolitics and economics of Singapore and Southeast Asia — delivered by a vetted network of U.S.-based senior advisors: former diplomats, trade negotiators, economists, and regional executives.
Now vetting senior advisors across the United States — applications reviewed weekly
"The distance between a boardroom in Chicago and a policy shift in Singapore is measured in hours — not miles."
— Founding principle of the firm
Straits Advisory Group was founded in Singapore with a single observation: the Americans who best understand Southeast Asia — the ambassadors, negotiators, defense officials, and regional operators who spent decades there — are scattered across the United States, largely outside the advisory economy. Meanwhile, American institutions facing decisions about the region pay for reports when what they need is judgment.
We exist to close that gap. Our Singapore desk maintains the research spine — monitoring policy, trade flows, and the political calendar across ASEAN. Our advisor network puts seasoned American professionals directly into client engagements: an export-control question answered by the official who once wrote the rules; a market-entry question answered by the executive who ran the region.
The result is counsel that arrives in your time zone, speaks your register, and carries the weight of lived experience — at the pace the region actually moves.
Who we advise
If you spent a career on Southeast Asia — in the Foreign Service, USTR, the Pentagon, the intelligence community, or regional business — the region's questions haven't retired with you. Neither should your answers.
Engagements are matched to your actual expertise — a trade negotiation here, a sanctions question there. Never generic panels. Never busywork.
You approve every engagement before it begins. Most advisors contribute a few focused hours a month — from wherever they live.
Compensation is agreed before every engagement, invoiced monthly, and paid on time. No layers between your work and your fee.
Quarterly virtual salons, an annual gathering in Singapore, and a roster you will genuinely enjoy calling colleagues.
A short application and your CV. A partner — not software — reads every one.
A forty-five minute call to understand your experience, your interests, and the cadence that suits you.
Matched engagements arrive with full context — client, question, scope, and fee. You accept or decline with a single reply.
Scenario planning around U.S.–China dynamics, maritime tensions, elections, and sanctions exposure — grounded in ASEAN realities.
In detailSingapore as the gateway: regional HQ structuring, regulatory navigation, partner diligence, and ASEAN market sequencing.
In detailTariff exposure mapping, rules-of-origin and transshipment analysis, export-control readiness, and friend-shoring options.
In detailMonitoring of MAS, MTI, and EDB policy plus U.S. developments with a regional angle — delivered as early-warning memos.
In detailBoard and C-suite briefings, delegation programs in Singapore, and roundtables with regional operators and officials.
In detailOn-demand access to the network — typically connected within 48 hours — for the question that can't wait for a report.
In detailEvery engagement is staffed by vetted network advisors and supervised from the Singapore desk.