Martin Bayr joined the firm in the spring of 2011, after over a decade of professional experience and service working inside and outside of government.
Martin specializes in working with clients to develop creative strategies to advance legislative and executive branch advocacy goals by identifying key influence points, leveraging networks, building coalitions, and bringing fresh ideas to help re-invigorate advocacy campaigns. He has advised major foundations, non-profits, private sector clients, and high-net worth individuals in reaching the highest levels of the United States Government. Martin has also developed and executed strategies to help pass legislation, resulting in the creation of new public laws. He has also successfully led executive level searches in identifying and recruiting top talent to build strong Washington teams. Martin prides himself in ensuring his clients’ needs are met by taking the time to really understand their issues, advising them with real time intelligence to devise concrete plans, and executing those strategies to achieve success.
Martin served as the foreign policy adviser to former Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH). Martin led the Senator's work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Subcommittee on African Affairs, where he focused on border security, International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), global health, development, regional issues in the Middle East and Africa and broader U.S. defense, security, and trade-related issues. Martin worked extensively on security, economic, and political issues regarding U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Israeli-Palestinian issues. He was active in meeting and working with key officials in the U.S., foreign governments, and the Arab American community on geopolitical, state, local, and sectarian issues. Martin prepared all of the Senator’s foreign policy briefing materials for engagement on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including policy and voting recommendations on critical issues of U.S. importance. He also liaised with key officials in the U.S. Government, the broader foreign policy community, and the press to ensure the Senator’s positions were clear on foreign policy matters. Martin traveled extensively in his official capacity to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Kyle House Group, Martin worked as the Director of Public Policy for Friends of the Global Fight, an advocacy organization working on behalf of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Martin led the organization’s Policy Department and its lobbying efforts with Congress and the Administration. Martin spearheaded the Fund’s advocacy efforts on annual funding levels and global health policy issues. He advised executives at the highest level of the Global Fund Secretariat on major policy issues, political shifts, and legislative initiatives for timely and effective Global Fund engagement. He successfully worked to build relationships with key government officials within the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Executive Branch agencies and departments, including the National Security Council, Department of State, and USAID. Martin also helped organize coalitions within the global health community to develop concerted direct lobbying and grassroots efforts to influence the U.S. government on behalf of the Global Fund.
Martin possesses significant experience as a political campaign operative. He has worked on several Presidential, Congressional, Gubernatorial, and state and local election campaigns in New Hampshire and elsewhere around the country. He has also been trained as an international election observer, and traveled to North Africa to observe a Presidential election in a key Arab Spring country.
Martin holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Hampshire, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and received a Master’s of Arts in Trans-Atlantic Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Charles University in Prague, and Humboldt University in Berlin. Martin also holds a National Security certificate from the National Defense University. While living in Germany, Martin was active with Republicans Abroad International helping to organize meetings with U.S. officials and Members of the German Government. Martin’s family traces its roots back to the Bavarian region of Germany, Upper Austria, and the Czech Republic. Martin is fluent in German. He lives in Virginia with his wife Laura, and two sons, Johannes and Alexander.
