Watson M. McLeish
  • Senior Vice President, Tax Policy

Watson McLeish is senior vice president for Tax Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as the primary adviser on all tax policy-related matters. This includes the development of tax policy positions, advocacy on tax issues, and coordination of efforts to influence tax legislation and regulations.

Watson previously served as tax counsel at Tax Executives Institute, Inc. (TEI), where he supported the advocacy and educational activities of TEI’s Tax Reform Task Force, Federal Tax Committee, and Canadian Income Tax Committee. He was responsible for advancing TEI’s advocacy priorities on Capitol Hill and with the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy and the IRS. Watson performed the same role in Canada before Parliament, the Department of Finance’s Tax Policy Branch, and the Canada Revenue Agency.

In addition, Watson facilitated TEI conferences and seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada bringing together members, tax practitioners, and policymakers. He also served as contributing editor to Tax Executive, the professional journal of TEI.

Before joining TEI in 2017, Watson was a member of the National Tax Department– International Tax Services practice at Ernst & Young LLP, where he advised both domestic and foreign clients on a wide range of U.S. federal income tax law and policy issues related to international business transactions.

Watson is as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a graduate-level seminar on tax research and writing. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Elizabeth, and three-year-old daughter, Blythe.