Inside the Tariffs: Jan 29

As global trade dynamics continue to evolve, tariffs remain a critical and increasingly complex factor shaping both everyday news and corporate strategy.

On January 29, 2026, at 9:00 AM, we will host Inside the Tariffs: Framework, Advocacy & Behind the Scenes, a conversation meant to demystify how tariffs work, how companies are navigating the current environment, and how advocacy influences trade outcomes in practice.

The session will feature insights from two experts working at the intersection of law, policy, and business, each with first-hand experience navigating the evolution of tariffs from distinct professional perspectives.

Key topics will include:

• Understanding the different types of tariffs and their framework
• Strategies companies are currently using to navigate the tariffs environment
• Lobbying and advocacy: how influence works in practice and the challenges companies face
• The upcoming Supreme Court ruling and potential approaches, including the Costco case
• Speakers’ personal perspectives on working with tariffs and evolving strategies

Early registration is now open here.

Full access details, including the venue and Zoom link, will be shared soon.

Know more about our speakers: 

Jonathan Zielinski (Partner, Cassidy Levy Kent’s Washington office. CLK is an International Trade Law Firm with offices in Washington, Brussels, and Ottawa.)

Jonathan has been working with Portuguese companies on U.S. trade issues for over a decade. With a focus on European exporters and U.S. importers, his practice involves advising clients on a variety of customs matters, including entry classification and valuation, and representing companies and governments in antidumping and countervailing duty matters before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission. Prior to joining Cassidy Levy Kent, Jonathan was a Senior Attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Administration where he was the lead attorney for the Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel and represented the agency in international trade agreement negotiations and dispute settlement proceedings in a variety of U.S. courts, free trade agreement panels, and the World Trade Organization.

Tomás Tavares d'Almeida (CEO / Managing Director, Sovena USA)

Tomás has been in the Edible oils industry for the most part of his career. Started in the margarine business with Unilever Portugal, where he worked for 5 years, and then moved to Sovena in 2005, where he has developed his career in this product category for the most part of the last 20 years. Tomás has an extensive US market knowledge, where he has been focused in the last 15 years. He has dedicated his first years to leaning to market this category through marketing functions, such as research, insights, category management and others, but moved to the sales side of the business and has been spearheading the sales efforts of Sovena USA in foodservice for the last 8 years. Tomás extended his responsibilities in the last year to lead the USA division of Sovena Group (the largest Olive Oil Company in the World – 100% Portuguese Capital) as CEO of SUSA since December 2023. A +$400M Sales division, with 2 plants operating from East coast (Rome, NY) and west coast (Modesto, CA), employing more than 200 people. Tomás is a C-Level, Business leader with experience in various areas of a company day-to-day, including Operations, Customer service, IT, SAP, Marketing and sales. Has maintained strategic relationships with the relevant players in the customer arena: Sysco, Walmart, US foods and others. Tomás is responsible for the elaboration and execution of Strategic plan 2022-2028 for Sovena USA. He currently serves in the board of: NAOOA – North American Olive Oil Association – Executive Committee member; PUSCC – Portuguese US Chamber of Commerce - Executive Committee member; and Portuguese Diaspora Council – Board member. Tomás is married, has 2 daughters and lives in NYC.