Bijan Kian of California has been sworn in as the fifth member of the board of directors of US Ex-Im Bank. Among his accomplishments, Kian was formerly director of the State of California Office of Foreign Investment, which, with worldwide offices, was the state’s leading office for attraction, retention and expansion of foreign direct investment with an US$86bn foreign investment portfolio.

 

He was also on the board of the California Housing Finance Authority, and a senior official and board member of a number of California companies, including Shearson/American Express and Great American First Savings Bank, and president of Globtel, an international telecommunications company based in San Diego. In addition he was a principal in Global Capital Markets.

 

As director of the Office of Foreign Investment, Kian was the first Iranian American to be appointed or elected to direct a statewide office in California.