Global expertise has never been more valuable: Rhod Shaw

“The world is more intertwined than ever and the U.S. has become more interested in global experiences and expertise” says Rhod Shaw, Principal & Chairman of Alpine Group / FIPRA USA

The Alpine Group team consists of senior advisors with over 30 years of experience in Washington. So we know how to help clients with legislative, regulatory, and reputational needs and have been essential teammates with our clients in these efforts. 

Rhod Shaw is the Principal & Chairman of the Alpine Group in the USA and  is backed by over 20 years of high-level government experience. For the past 10 years he has successfully represented a diverse group of Fortune 500 companies, major international trade associations, state & local governments and other industry leaders on various policy issues before the legislative and executive branches of the government.

Rhod’s key understanding of policy and politics has earned him the distinction of being Washington DC’s top consultant with having an ‘inner circle status’ on a host of issues.

Tell us about your origin story

Rhod: Our firm began in 1996 when a group of friends, who were scattered across a number of firms, realized that there was an opportunity to provide a better kind of service to clients.  In many firms, a major challenge is how to make the full breadth of expertise and personnel available to clients when they need it.  Breaking down the silo effect, where a client knows there are resources available to them but are not deployed on their behalf, is often caused by the nature of internal firm arrangements and compensation models.  Therefore, creating a firm that makes all of its talent available was a major point of emphasis from our outset and is baked into our internal DNA.

 Most memorable career highlights 

Rhod: While tangible success in the legislative process can often be hard to identify, the Alpine Group has an extensive list of specific victories that our clients value.  It is hard to identify a single success story of which we are most proud, but I would have to note that we have achieved profound wins in areas ranging from the enactment of laws that affect the telecommunications/technology marketplace, to the tax treatment of our clients, to shaping fundamental energy policy, to improving the US health care system, and towards impacting the appropriations process.

Distinct characteristics about public affairs in your region?  

Rhod: Since its inception, the Alpine Group’s mission has been to provide our clients and the key policymakers in Washington, D.C. with the best insight and knowledge that will help them make the best-informed decisions possible in order to reach great solutions.  That requires deep substantive knowledge of the issues, a profound understanding of the international, national, and local political dynamics affecting policies, and creative ideas for how to reach a consensus. Using that approach our insights and advocacy have been successful for over 25 years and have stood the test of time regardless of the changing political landscapes. Our team is composed of senior experts from Congress, various administrations, and include luminaries such as a former Chairman of the congressional major committee overseeing energy, health care, telecommunications and other key industries and throughout all of our time the Alpine Group has always been bipartisan in nature. At a time when political discord is pronounced and divisive, the Alpine Group continues to provide integrity, perspective, and ethical conduct in the debate over the major issues facing our clients and US policymakers.

How does the FIPRA Network add value for your clients? 

Rhod: What I would want to share with our FIPRA colleagues is how much I value the ability to tap into the global expertise of the group.  Being able to ask for insights on how an issue is playing out in a given market makes our strategic work for clients all the more sophisticated.  To be able to offer global services is a distinguishing feature that others cannot match in Washington is extremely helpful when talking with potential clients.  And the gravitas of having that kind of global reach is even helpful with policymakers who are typically talking to experts that are limited to just offering US perspectives.  In short, the world is more intertwined than ever and the U.S. has become more interested in global experiences and expertise.