Jim Illich is a seasoned executive in developing and executing complex infrastructure projects. After working in upstream energy operations in California for 4 years, Jim joined Bechtel Corporation in 1988 and served in a variety of roles including Thailand Country Manager, Corporate HR Manager, and Project Director for major projects in Africa and Asia. In the last ten years of his career with Bechtel, he managed some of the firm’s largest global businesses including LNG, Upstream Oil/Gas, Pipeline, and Downstream Refinery & Chemicals. He was a board member of Bechtel companies in Canada, France, and Trinidad, and was also the Chairman of Welded Construction which was one of the largest pipeline construction companies in North America at the time.
Jim was elected a Partner of privately held Bechtel in 2005 and retired from the company in 2012. In 2013 he formed Freestone International, which is a vehicle for incubating and launching new business ideas in the areas of energy, environment, and education. In 2014, Jim founded and launched “Symbio Infrastructure” which is a Quebec-based limited partnership that develops, builds, and operates benchmark-setting energy projects to promote environmental stewardship while meeting the world’s growing energy demand. Symbio has invested in two innovative, carbon-neutral companies, namely GNL Quebec Inc and Gazoduq Inc. In addition, Jim co-founded “Kintla” in 2014, which is a consulting firm that offers unique neuroscience-based solutions to organizations and individuals.
Passionate about education, Jim has been a guest lecturer at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business for the last 18 years and was a member of the Stanford University Advisory Board for the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences for several years. He is also involved in philanthropic activities involving STEM/K-12 education initiatives. Jim earned a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford and an MBA from the Haas School of Business. He was born and raised in Montana, is married, and has two children.