Vice President Of Government And External Affairs, Americas Region

Lisa Errion Saums is Vice President of Government and External Affairs for the Americas Region. In this role, she is responsible for shaping legislation and regulations that support BMW’s business objectives, enhancing BMW’s standing with governments, and positioning BMW as a public policy leader. She also leads the company’s engagement on corporate citizenship and social responsibility.

Saums began her career as an International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1988. Two years later, she became a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, serving for 10 years at posts including Mexico City, Jakarta and Washington. In 2000, Saums settled in Washington, moving to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where she managed trade relations with foreign governments, including Russia, Central Europe and Turkey. In 2007, she transitioned to the private sector, joining Apple as a Senior Manager for Global Government Affairs, where she helped build the company’s government affairs office and represented its policy interests to U.S. government agencies. In 2014, Saums was named Vice President of International Government Affairs for Nielsen, where she developed a public policy agenda that supported Nielsen’s business interests and those of its customers. She assumed her current role with BMW in September 2017.

Saums earned a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she graduated summa cum laude.