Matthew Aho has crafted history-making market-entry strategies for Akerman clients across wide-ranging industry sectors including: short-term vacation rentals, airlines, cruise lines, online travel agencies, telecom providers, live music concerts and venues; film, sports leagues, information technology, and banking and financial services. A recognized authority on U.S. sanctions policy, Matthew provides real-time federal policy intelligence to clients and their allies, and actively solicits and dispenses feedback from relevant agencies to fully inform his clients' planning.

Companies need surefire compliance strategies as they deal with complex sanctioned jurisdictions, and to maximize the likelihood of success, they must often adapt or modify operations to satisfy local legal and market conditions. Matthew helps clients tailor plans to reflect local needs and leads frontline negotiations with his foreign counterparts, when necessary, to achieve his clients' goals.

To support his work, Matthew maintains extensive relationships within the U.S. Executive Branch and on The Hill; at the relevant U.S. federal enforcement agencies; and with government officials and other leaders from foreign jurisdictions.  While Matthew's pioneering work is rarely covered in the media, his guidance behind the scenes has contributed to many commercial successes in his target markets.

Before joining Akerman, Matthew worked on policy issues at the New York-based Council of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere’s premiere business membership organization, where he spearheaded efforts to unite executives of select Fortune 500 companies with officials from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, and the National Security Council for discussions on Cuba policy in the context of financial services, telecommunications, energy, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and agriculture.