Biography

James D. Phipps is a strategic advisor, board-level business leader & asset manager.

Jim practiced law in a big law firm environment (Jones Day Reavis & Pogue & Wiley Rein LLP) for 10 years. In that environment, Jim focused on international commercial matters, i.e., cross-border buying, selling, leasing, licensing, franchising, distribution, & alternative dispute resolution, involving more than 100 countries & subject matters ranging from on-orbit satellite sales, to defense related transactions, to global distribution arrangements, to hamburger, pizza, ice cream, donut and other franchising deals. Jim has handled international arbitrations before the London Court of International Arbitration, the ICC's International Court for Arbitration & the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In the pro bono area, Jim has focused on immigration work, including Violence Against Women Act claims & asylum cases involving former sex slaves.

In 2006, Jim moved over to the business side, where his work has involved business leadership, governance, entrepreneurship, strategic consulting and asset management. Jim has managed assets worth over $350,000,000, conducted turn around management exercises at failing companies, lead organizations with over 4,000 employees and sat on the boards of numerous companies, some publicly traded, some closely held, across a number of industries, including, e.g.:

- Mining/mining exploration (copper, zinc, gold, silver);
- Heavy industry (paper);Consumer goods (paper, aluminum foil);
- Infrastructure development and O&M (drinking water, waste water, storm water);
- High tech (gaming, social media);
- Sports entertainment (English football, gaming, fantasy football, sports talk radio);
- Fitness (largest MMA gym in the Middle East); &
- Film making ("Dave Made a Maze").

To date, the highlight of Jim's career was serving as chairman of the Sheffield United Football Club, which now plays in the English Premier League.

Jim has 30+ years of experience involving the Middle East, is fluent in Arabic & lived full-time in the Arab world for about 18 years (15 years in Saudi Arabia; & three years in Iraq). Jim also speaks Spanish.

Jim holds a U.S. Patent relating to a shower construction system, essentially, a kind of flow control "Legos"-type toy system for the shower.

Jim is a combat veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1990-1991, with the Brave Rifles of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Jim also served three years as a civilian in Baghdad, Iraq, 2008-2010.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, magna cum laude (1992) & a Juris Doctorate, cum laude (1996), both from the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In 1994-95, Jim studied Islamic shariah as a Fulbright Fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Jim teaches business strategy and operation classes at Utah Valley University's Woodbury School of Business.

Education

Teaching