Christopher Burnham

Burnham led reforms of the Connecticut Treasury, modernization of the financial and reporting systems of the U.S. State Department, and instituted sweeping governance reforms as chief management officer of the United Nations. This included the establishment of the first UN Ethics Office, the first United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee, the adoption of new International Public Sector Accounting Standards, the first comprehensive consolidated annual report in the history of the United Nations, and a new whistleblower protection policy that received independent recognition as the “gold standard.”[4] He also implemented financial disclosure reporting by senior United Nations officials and staff, based on the U.S. Government model.

Burnham joined the United Nations[5] after serving as acting Under Secretary of State for Management for Secretary Condoleezza Rice, and as Assistant Secretary of State for resource management and chief financial officer of the State Department for General Colin Powell. Burnham joined the Department of State in September 2001, and has been confirmed twice by the United States Senate.

From 2006 to December 2012, Burnham was the vice chairman and managing director of Deutsche Asset Management, and a member of the Global Operating Committee. In 2008, Burnham co-founded and led Deutsche Bank's direct private equity group, RREEF Capital Partners, the bank's reentry into private equity after an eight-year absence. He also chaired Deutsche Bank's governance committee in Germany, and is a globally recognized expert in the implementation of accountability, transparency, and best practice in government, corporations, and inter-governmental organizations.

Burnham is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserve and retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He volunteered for active duty in 1990 and served as an infantry platoon commander in the Gulf War. He and his men were part of the lead Allied forces to reach and liberate Kuwait City.

He is currently co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Cambridge Global Capital, a venture capital investment firm focused on opportunities in life sciences, cyber and data security, and data analytics.

He has served as a senior foreign policy advisor to Mitt Romney presidential campaign and was a member of the Romney Transition Team, and as a member of the President-Elect Trump Transition Team for Rex Tillerson. He serves on the board of directors of Blue Water Defense, located in Puerto Rico, and only after sanctions were lifted, he was appointed to the board of directors of En+ Group, PLC, a publicly listed Russian holding firm formally owned by Oleg Deripaska, who in return for the removal of sanctions, agreed to sell his stake to less than 35%.

In May 2019, Mr. Burnham was named to the U.S. Department of Defense Business Board, which provides the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense with trusted independent, objective, private-sector prospective advice on matters of importance to the DOD.

Burnham graduated from Kent School in 1975. He studied national security policy at Georgetown's National Security Studies Program, and is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and Harvard Kennedy School[6] where he earned a master's degree in public administration.

Op-Ed: "In the Right Direction," The New York Sun, January 9, 2008, co-authored with Paul Volcker

Op-Ed: "Hold the World Bank to Account," The New York Times, May 21, 2007

• 2011 Elected to Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society, by Washington and Lee University;
• 2007 One To World Fulbright Award for Global Public Service;
• 2005 United States Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service (highest award in the department);
• 2004 Presidential Award for Management Excellence for "Innovative and Exemplary Practices in Budget and Performance Integration;”
• 2004 Association of Government Accountants "CEAR" Award for excellence in financial reporting (one of only four Federal departments);
• 2003 Association of Government Accountants "CEAR" Award for excellence in financial reporting (one of only three Federal departments);
• 2002 Association of Government Accountants "CEAR" Award for excellence in financial reporting (first ever awarded to the Department of State);
• 2000 Finalist, Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award;
• 1997 "Individual Excellence Award" by the New England Association of Comptrollers;
• 1996 National Government Finance Officer's Association Award for excellence in financial reporting (first ever awarded to any state treasury);
• 1996 "Outstanding Citizen" Award, Greenwich Chambers of Commerce;
• 1995 "Friend of Democracy Award" by Connecticut Common Cause for authoring legislation to stop "Pay to Play;”
• 1991 Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation;
• 1988 "Legislator of the Year," Connecticut Children's Coalition.[7]