James H. Lambright

James Lambright is the chief operating officer and president of the international sector at Sapphire Energy. Jim joined Sapphire Energy in early 2010 as CFO and President-International. In late 2011, he was elevated to COO and a member of the board. He was formerly the President & Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the independent government corporation responsible for financing American exports to over 150 countries. Having taken the helm of Ex-Im Bank in 2005 after holding a series of staff and management positions, Jim oversaw a $60 billion credit portfolio of project and export finance transactions. Under Jim’s leadership, Ex-Im Bank became a self-financing institution operating without taxpayer funds. Jim served as a principal participant in the first five meetings of the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue initiated by President Hu and President Bush in 2006. At the peak of the global financial crisis in the fall of 2008, United States Treasury Secretary Paulson asked Jim to assume the role of Chief Investment Officer the U.S. Treasury Department’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). There, he executed and managed TARP investments to optimize returns and prevent the collapse of the financial system. Jim and his team engineered investments in over 600 institutions, including the country’s largest banks, insurers, and auto manufacturers. Jim maintained his role at Ex-Im Bank during this time, and at the request of Treasury Secretary Geithner, Jim stayed on to facilitate a smooth transition to the Obama administration. Jim Lambright began his career in private equity at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (later Credit Suisse) after receiving a B.A. in Linguistics from Stanford University and graduating from Harvard Law School. Jim is a 2004 Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.