What McLarty Associates does

McLarty Associates is a Washington, D.C.-headquartered global strategic advisory firm founded in 1998 by Thomas F. Mack McLarty III (former White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton) and Nelson Cunningham. Operating as 'McLarty Associates, an Ankura Company' since its 2022 merger with Ankura Consulting, the firm delivers commercial diplomacy, trade strategy, market entry, regulatory/antitrust advisory, risk management, crisis response, and climate/sustainability services to major international corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions. The firm is led by President Ambassador Lee Feinstein and Vice Chairman John D. Negroponte, and draws its bench from former ambassadors, USTR officials, and senior U.S. and foreign government leaders across more than twenty countries.

The firm's core technology is the McLarty Trade Compass, a subscription-based real-time intelligence platform built by former White House and USTR officials that delivers live U.S. trade-policy tracking, expert analysis, and decision-maker mapping. Adjacent branded offerings include McLarty Inbound (U.S. market-entry support), McLarty Media (a film and entertainment advisory practice that has consulted on productions across 40 countries), and regionally organized practices spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe & Eurasia, India & South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East & North Africa.

Commercially, McLarty generates revenue primarily through bespoke, quote-based professional advisory engagements delivered by senior advisors and managing directors, supplemented by Trade Compass subscription revenue. The firm's go-to-market is relationship- and event-driven, anchored by co-hosted roundtables with institutions such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Middle East Institute, expert publications in Foreign Policy, Financial Times, and CFR, and an enterprise field-sales motion targeting global corporations. Since 1998, the firm reports serving clients across 112 countries, with offices in Washington D.C., Brussels, and Beijing.

Name

McLarty Associates

Legal name

McLarty Associates

Website

https://maglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

McLarty Associates is a Washington, D.C.-based global strategic advisory firm founded in 1998 that delivers commercial diplomacy, trade strategy, market entry, and risk management services to multinational corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions through a network of former ambassadors and senior government officials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Management Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI), M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side) (BPAHADAC)

Keywords

• Strategic advisory services
• Commercial diplomacy consulting
• International trade advisory
• Political risk management
• Market entry consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: McLarty Associates generates revenue through providing bespoke strategic advisory services to companies, nonprofits, and educational institutions seeking to navigate global markets, regulatory environments, and cross-border challenges. Services include market entry, relationship development, policy monitoring, risk management, and commercial diplomacy.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

McLarty Associates provides bespoke strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy services to major international corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions navigating global markets, regulatory environments, and cross-border challenges. Core services include market entry strategy, trade and industrial policy advisory, political risk management, stakeholder engagement, and crisis/dispute resolution, supported by the proprietary McLarty Trade Compass intelligence platform.

Product overview

McLarty Associates is a commercial diplomacy and strategic advisory firm that offers a portfolio of consulting services rather than a unified software product. The core offering centers on the McLarty Trade Compass, a real-time intelligence platform for tracking US trade policies. Supporting service offerings include McLarty Inbound (US market entry support), McLarty Media (film and entertainment advisory), Commercial Diplomacy Services, Trade Strategy, Climate & Sustainability Advisory, Competition & Antitrust Advisory, Market Entry Services, Risk Management, and Crisis/Dispute Management. Regional practices cover Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe/Eurasia, India & South Asia, Latin America, and Middle East & North Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McLarty Trade Compass: A real-time intelligence platform built by former White House and USTR officials that delivers live policy tracking, expert analysis, and decision maker mapping for U.S. trade policy navigation.
• McLarty Inbound
• McLarty Media

Products and services

• McLarty Trade Compass A subscription-based real-time intelligence platform that delivers live US trade policy tracking, expert analysis, and decision maker mapping, enabling organizations to monitor and respond to rapidly evolving US trade policies.
• McLarty Inbound Comprehensive services for clients seeking to do business in the United States, including strategic planning, market access, mergers & acquisitions, corporate communications, and political and economic risk issues.
• McLarty Media Specialized film and entertainment advisory practice providing expertise to major film studios, directors, producers, and screenwriters on international issues affecting film projects, including story development, script content, location requirements, and production logistics.
• Energy and Critical Minerals Practice New practice helping companies across sectors navigate the dynamic global landscape of energy and critical minerals; led by former Assistant Secretary of State Geoffrey Pyatt.
• Commercial Diplomacy Services Institutionalized platform providing actionable advice and solutions to companies and individuals operating in established and emerging markets, including international organizations, non-profits, and educational institutions.
• Trade Strategy Services Strategies for trade, investment and industrial policy, including tariff navigation, trade agreement leverage, and regulatory compliance for global market access.
• Climate & Sustainability Advisory Supports clients in pursuing sustainability strategies and advancing green technology across geographies, including renewable energy, clean hydrogen, sustainable agriculture, and critical minerals.
• Competition & Antitrust Advisory Assistance with global competition and antitrust reviews for major transactions, supporting regulatory strategy across key markets including EU, China, India, Brazil, Korea, South Africa, and Taiwan.
• Market Entry Services Market prioritization, entry strategy planning, local partner identification, and due diligence for clients entering new international markets.
• Risk Management Services Political and security monitoring, scenario planning for market, regional, and geopolitical risks, flash reports, executive briefings, and risk mitigation planning.
• Crisis/Dispute Management Rapid response and crisis resolution services for clients facing international disputes or crisis situations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served clients in 112 countries since 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce - U.S.-Sri Lanka Commercial Working GroupcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2026McLarty Associates co-hosted a high-level roundtable in Washington D.C. with senior representatives of major American corporations and policy institutions, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's U.S.-Sri Lanka Commercial Working Group, to discuss Sri Lanka's economic reforms and investment opportunities.
• Middle East Institute (MEI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025McLarty Associates experts featured as speakers at a Middle East Institute panel discussion titled 'Critical Minerals, the Middle East, and the Future of Global Supply Chains,' examining how competition over critical minerals between Washington and Beijing is reshaping global technology supply chains.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcLarty Associates partners with CSIS on panel discussions and thought leadership, including examining implications for US foreign policy and Western economies seeking reliable mineral partnerships.
• The Scowcroft GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRyan Hass and Lihui Zhang serve as Senior Advisors to the Scowcroft Group in addition to their roles at McLarty Associates, indicating a collaborative advisory relationship.
• U.S.-Indonesia SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbassador Robert Blake serves as U.S. Co-Chair of the Board of the U.S.-Indonesia Society, facilitating bilateral relations and business opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eurasia Group: Founded by Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group is the leading political risk advisory firm for corporations and investors globally. It is the closest direct competitor to McLarty, offering overlapping corporate geopolitical advisory, country risk analysis, and government relations support.
• Dentons Global Advisors: Formed from the merger of Albright Stonebridge Group (founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright) and other senior State Department alumni firms. Uses the same model as McLarty - former US senior officials providing cross-border strategic advisory to enterprises and governments.
• The Scowcroft Group: Founded by former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft. The firm shares Senior Advisors (e.g., Ryan Hass, Lihui Zhang) with McLarty, indicating close collaboration rather than pure competition, but operates with the same ex-NSC-to-private-advisory model on strategic geopolitical and corporate matters.
• Kissinger Associates: Founded by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, this firm provides strategic advisory to corporate clients on geopolitical issues, often at the board and CEO level. Same brand-defining-ex-Secretary-of-State model as McLarty, with a comparable enterprise client base.
• Beacon Global Strategies: Bipartisan national security and strategic advisory firm founded by former senior US government officials including Obama and Trump-era alumni. Offers government affairs, strategic communications, and business advisory overlapping directly with McLarty's practice areas.
• The Cohen Group: Founded by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, the firm provides international business advisory and strategic consulting to companies entering or expanding in foreign markets. Same model as McLarty of senior ex-official-led cross-border advisory to enterprise clients.
• WestExec Advisors: Founded by former National Security Advisor (later Secretary of State) Antony Blinken and other Obama NSC alumni. Provides strategic advisory to corporate boards and CEOs on geopolitical, national security, and policy issues - direct functional rival to McLarty's commercial diplomacy practice.
• BGR Group: Bipartisan government affairs and strategic advisory firm founded by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Combines federal lobbying, international advisory, and strategic consulting, and competes for similar Fortune 500 clients seeking senior-level policy access and relationship development.
• Mercury Public Affairs: Global public affairs firm with bipartisan government relations, strategic communications, and international advisory capabilities. Serves corporate clients needing senior-level government and policy access, overlapping directly with McLarty's commercial diplomacy and strategic advisory offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Dentons: The world's largest global law firm, which acquired Albright Stonebridge Group to create Dentons Global Advisors. While Dentons is a full-service law firm, it represents a broader incumbent with significant policy and trade advisory capability competing with McLarty at the high end of the market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mclarty-associates
• Xx.com/McLartyAssoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McLarty Associates