Mr. Arnold’s career has demonstrated his strong analytical and negotiating skills, strategic effectiveness, motivational leadership, political sensitivity, a commitment to excellence and a proven performance record of success in challenging situations. His experience and background amply exhibits innovation and operational awareness which has contributed to growth and effectiveness in all professional endeavours in which he has been involved.
Currently Special Advisor for Bowmans, Mr. Millard Arnold has been actively engaged in African affairs for nearly a half century providing commercial and strategic guidance to the public and private sectors as well as to academia and the philanthropic community. His considerable network throughout the African continent provides unparalleled access to decision makers at all levels enabling the delivery of political and strategic risk assessment with a focus on project development and corporate representation.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, Mr. Arnold began his legal practice with Sherman & Sterling in New York before becoming the Executive Director of the Southern Africa Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Having testified on behalf of the United States before the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Arnold was subsequently appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and led the U.S. Delegation to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in Madrid, Spain. During his tenure as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. Arnold’s advocacy and negotiating skills led to the release of 27 political prisoners from prisons in Liberia.
Mr. Arnold later became the Executive Director of the U.S. - Nigeria Business Council, served as an international election observer to the Zimbabwe General Elections of 1985, founded the law practice of Arnold Lemle and served as legal counsel to the Embassy of Nigeria. Mr. Arnold was subsequently invited to serve as a Senior Fellow for African Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he advised the Government of Mozambique on the effectiveness of various human rights provisions in the country’s constitution. As an associate professor of law, Mr. Arnold taught Jurisprudence and Comparative Constitutional Law at Touro Law School and Georgetown School of Law, and his article, "Engaging South Africa After Apartheid” published in Foreign Policy magazine one of the leading American journals on foreign affairs, was one of the foundations of the Clinton Administration’s policy towards Southern Africa.
Following his service as policy advisor to the Botswana Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Manpower, President Clinton appointed Mr. Arnold as the first ever Minister Counsellor for Commercial Affairs to the African continent, the equivalent rank of Ambassador, where his major programme and policy initiatives helped American businesses conclude transactions worth more than $2 billion, created more than 100,000 jobs, manage over 60 billion rands of assets and saw the number of American companies doing business in South Africa increased to more than 800. He led trade missions to various countries in Southern Africa including the largest American trade mission to Mauritius. For his efforts, Mr. Arnold was awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s highest honour, the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Federal Service.
Mr. Arnold elected to remain in Africa following his service for the U.S. government, and became the Executive Chairman of Black & Veatch Africa. He later joined Murray & Roberts as Executive Director and Group Legal Counsel, and served as a director for listed companies, Bell Equipment, and Petmin and non-listed companies, Generator Plant Hire, the Tactic Group, Global Village, the Mother and Child Academic Hospital (MACAH), and on the advisory board of Senatla Capital. He also serves as a member of Council of the University of the Free State and as Chairman of the Advisory Baard of the Rhodes Business School. In addition, Mr. Arnold served as Chairman of Project UBU and as the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Business Schools Association. He has previously served as Honorary Business Representative to the Government of Singapore, member of Council of the University of South Africa, Co-chairman of the University of South Africa Foundation and member of the University of South Africa School of Business Leadership.