Jim Illich is a seasoned executive in developing and executing complex infrastructure projects. After working in the oil and gas industry for four years, Jim joined Bechtel Corporation in 1988 and served in a variety of roles including Thailand Country Manager, Corporate Manager of Human Resources and Project Director for major projects in Africa and Asia. In the last 10 years of his career with Bechtel, he managed some of firm’s largest global businesses including LNG, Upstream Oil and Gas, and Downstream Refinery, Chemicals and Pipeline.
Jim was elected Senior Vice President and 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 launching new business ideas in the areas of energy, environment, and education. Passionate about education, Jim has been a guest lecturer at the Berkeley Haas School of Business for the last 14 years and is a member of the Stanford University Advisory Board for the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. He is also involved in philanthropic activities involving STEM/K-12 education initiatives.
Jim earned a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. He was born and raised in Montana, is married and has two children.