Clifford Sobel


Clifford Michael Sobel is an American business executive, financier, Republican fundraiser, U.S. diplomat and former ambassador. He served as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2001 to 2005 and United States Ambassador to Brazil from 2006 to 2009.
Since 1994, Sobel has been chairman and chief executive officer of SJJ Investment Corp. He is managing partner and founder of the investment firm Valor Capital Group in New York and Brazil. Sobel is the independent director of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.

Career

Sobel was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He first attended the University of Vermont, and in 1972, graduated with honors from New York University's School of Commerce with a bachelor's degree in management. During the 1970s and 1980s, he founded several companies that designed, manufactured, and imported fixtures for the setup of retail stores. These companies became some of the fastest growing and most innovative in the industry, and were awarded the Sears Chairman's Award, and numerous design awards under Sobel's management. From 1985 to 1991 he was a founder and board member of Norcrown Bank. He was also the chairman and president of SJJ Investment Corporation and CMS Realty Company. He then was appointed chairman of Net2Phone, a software/services company whose principal line of business is SIP-based and PacketCable-based VoIP.

Public appointments

By presidential appointment Sobel served on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington, D.C., between 1994 and 1998. From 1987 to 1989, he was appointed to the U.S. Government Industry Sector International Trade Board. He was on the advisory boards of Empower America and the Republican Leadership Council, and served on the board and as a member of the policy committee of Business Executives for National Security. In 1995, he was asked to testify before Congress on fast-track international trade treaties, and from 1993 to 1997, he served as a Secretary of Defense appointment to the board of visitors of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
On July 3, 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Sobel to be the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. He was sworn in by Secretary of State Colin Powell on November 8, 2001. On December 5, 2001, he presented his credentials to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix. Sobel was the 62nd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands.
On May 23, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Sobel to be the United States Ambassador to Brazil. On June 29, 2006, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate, and on July 20, 2006, he was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He presented his credentials to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry on August 2, 2006. Ambassador Sobel was the 53rd Chief of Mission to Brazil. He resigned as ambassador in August 2009.
President George W. Bush appointed Sobel to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
On January 8, 2019, President Trump appointed Sobel to serve as a member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

Republican Party work

He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1996 and in 2000, and served on the Platform Committee and the Sub-Committee on Foreign Policy in 2000. He served as the New Jersey financial chairman of the primary and presidential campaigns for then-Governor George W. Bush. In 1998, he accompanied Governor Bush on a fact-finding mission to Israel. The Sobel Family Foundation, led by wife Barbara Sobel, a Bush 2000 Pioneer and a 2004 Ranger, gave $81,000 to GOP federal candidates and parties in the 2004 elections.

Think tanks

He was on the board of the Lexington Institute. Prior to this he served as chairman of the board of overseers of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution.

Personal life

Sobel is married to Barbara Grober, president of the Sobel Family Foundation. He has three children. He owns a house in Southampton, New York. He has lived in Millburn, New Jersey, Short Hills, New Jersey and Miami.

Honors and awards

In 1999, Sobel was awarded an honorary degree from Kean University in New Jersey.