Membership is divided into numbers proportionate to each of the think tank's three regional areas. North America is represented by 120 members: 20 Canadian, 13 Mexican and 87 American. The European group has reached its limit of 170 members from almost every country on the continent; the ceilings for individual countries are 20 for Germany, 18 for France, Italy and the United Kingdom, 12 for Spain and 1–6 for the rest. At first Asia and Oceania were represented only by Japan, but in 2000 the Japanese group of 85 members became the Pacific Asia group, comprising 117 members: 75 Japanese, 11 South Koreans, seven Australian and New Zealand citizens, and 15 members from the
ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand). The Pacific Asia group also included 9 members from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The commission now claims "more than 100" Pacific Asian members.
Leadership As of September 2021
Notable members •
Graham Allison, Director of the
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Dean of the
Harvard Kennedy School •
Alyssa Ayres, Dean of the
Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University •
Catherine Bertini, Professor,
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs •
Antony Blinken,
U.S. Secretary of State 2021–2025, son of
Donald Mayer Blinken, stepson of
Samuel Pisar •
Sophie Boissard, Chief Executive Officer,
Korian Group •
Robert R. Bowie,
Director of Policy Planning 1953–1957,
Foreign Policy Association, co-founder with
Henry Kissinger of
Harvard Center for International Affairs 1958,
Counselor of the State Department 1966–1968,
CFR, CIA Chief National Intelligence Officer 1977–1979 •
Lael Brainard, Chairman of the U.S.
National Economic Council; member of U.S.
Federal Reserve's Board of Governors; former Under Secretary
U.S. Treasury •
Ian Bremmer, president of
Eurasia Group and GZERO Media •
Mark Brzezinski, president and CEO of Brzezinski Strategies LLC, son of
Zbigniew Brzezinski, and
U.S. Ambassador to Sweden 2011–2015 •
George H. W. Bush,
President of the United States 1989–1993,
Vice President of the United States 1981-1989 •
Richard Cannings (British Columbia politician) Canadian Member of Parliament •
Ash Carter, director of the
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at
Harvard Kennedy School,
U.S. Secretary of Defense 2015–2017,
CFR board,
Aspen Strategy Group,
Atlantic Council honorary director •
Jimmy Carter,
President of the United States 1977–1981 •
Caroline Daniel, British journalist,
Financial Times •
John M. Deutch,
Director of CIA 1995–1996,
Aspen Strategy Group) •
Jeffrey Epstein, former
hedge fund manager convicted of sex trafficking in 2008, described as "an enthusiastic member of the Trilateral Commission" in 2002 • Dawn Farrell, President and CEO,
TransAlta Corporation •
Diana Farrell, former CEO and President, JP Morgan Institute, former Head of
McKinsey Global Institute, former Deputy Director, U.S.
National Economic Council •
Laurence "Larry" Fink,
CFR board member,
BlackRock CEO since 1988,
WEF trustee • George S. Franklin, executive director of the
Council on Foreign Relations 1953–1971 •
Jamie S. Gorelick, partner at
WilmerHale,
U.S. Deputy Attorney General 1994–1997,
General Counsel of DoD 1993–1994, defended
BP after
2010 oil spill,
9/11 Commission member,
Amazon board member •
Kelly Grier, former U.S. Chair and Managing Partner,
EY •
Jane Harman, former Member,
U.S. House of Representatives; President Emerita,
Wilson Center •
Linda Hasenfratz, CEO,
Linamar Corporation •
Anniken Hauglie, former Director General, Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, former Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Norway •
Kerry Healey, President of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream; former Lieutenant Governor of
Massachusetts •
Marillyn A. Hewson, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Lockheed Martin Corporation •
Fiona Hill,
The Globalist writer, former Senior Director for Europe and Russia of the
NSC •
Carla Anderson Hills,
CFR co-chair 2007–2017, U.S.
HUD Secretary 1975–1977,
U.S. Trade Representative 1989–1993 •
Max Kohnstamm,
European Policy Centre •
Stephanie Kusie, Canadian Member of Parliament •
Monique Leroux, Former Chair of the Board and CEO,
Desjardins Group •
Tove Lifvendahl, political editor-in-chief of
Svenska Dagbladet •
Cecilia Malmstrom, former European Commissioner for Trade, European Commission •
Heather McPherson, Canadian Member of Parliament •
Judith A. "Jami" Miscik,
CFR vice chair,
CIA Deputy Director for Intelligence 2002–2005, Global Head of Sovereign Risk at
Lehman Brothers 2005–2008,
PIAB chair 2014–2017, president/vice-chair of
Kissinger Associates since 2009 •
Heather Munroe-Blum, Chair,
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board •
John Negroponte, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State 2007–2009,
UN Ambassador 2001–2004, first
Director of National Intelligence 2005–2007, subject of
The Ambassador, brother of
MIT Media Lab founder
Nicholas Negroponte •
Meghan O'Sullivan, Trilateral Commission North American chair,
CFR board,
Aspen Strategy Group •
Henry D. Owen, foreign policy studies director at the
Brookings Institution •
Güler Sabancı, Turkish businesswoman, chair of
Sabancı Holding •
Rajiv Shah,
Rockefeller Foundation president,
Atlantic Council board •
James B. Steinberg,
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State 2009–2011 under
Obama,
Deputy National Security Advisor 1997–2001 under
Clinton,
CFR member,
Aspen Strategy Group,
Bilderberg attendee •
Marcus "Husky" Wallenberg, Swedish banker formerly at
Citibank,
Deutsche Bank,
S. G. Warburg & Co.,
Citicorp and the
SEB Group •
Paul C. Warnke,
Center for Law and Social Policy, Clifford, Warnke, Glass, McIlwain & Finney ==Assessments==