Sans Frontières Chairman Graham Barr describes Washington-based Charles ‘Chip’ Andreae as a "centre of excellence", due to his deep understanding of the US political landscape and his wide international experience.
During 15 years on Capitol Hill, Andreae spent four years with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and five years as Chief of Staff for Senator Richard Lugar, leading many Senate staff delegations to the Near East, Latin America and Africa. He also advised newly-formed political parties in Bulgaria, Romania and South Africa and has served on over a dozen election observer missions around the world on behalf of the US Government.
"I love helping with the process of building new democracies," says Andreae. "It is a real passion of mine." But he is careful to realise that this process is a collaborative effort, where all parties involved must listen first and be guided by local political realities. "We need to ask good questions that result in good solutions," he says, "not impose the answers."
Last year, he founded a not-for-profit, politically bipartisan organisation called ‘Partnership for a Secure America’ (www.psaonline.org), seeking consensus and balance in the world security debate.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1955, Andreae was the son of politically-active parents. "I caught the bug as a young person," he says. "I was always involved in political campaigning of some sort."
He graduated with a BA in Political Science and History from Denison University, Ohio, and an MA in Government from Georgetown University, Washington DC, where he later returned as a visiting professor. After his government work, Andreae formed his own strategic communications consultancy, Andreae & Associates, in 1991, and was a founding partner of Andreae, Vick & Associates in 1996. His corporate clients are mostly from the energy and pharmaceuticals sectors.
Describing the value he can bring to clients, Andreae says: "There are very few countries that are not impacted by the decisions made in Washington, whether the US Government intends this or not. If an international corporation can gain an understanding of the DC political environment, it can use that understanding as a catalyst to add substantial value to its commercial ventures."
Recently, Andreae has been working on strategic communications projects in the Middle East, including Dubai Ports and projects for several major energy companies.
Married with four children, Andreae lives in Washington and Chesapeake Bay, where his family has owned a farm for around 300 years. A keen photographer, he loves snapping people and wildlife on his frequent trips abroad, although he says: "My wife does complain about the large number of elephant pictures…
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