Shearman & Sterling announced today that Kimberly Heimert has joined the firm in Washington, DC as counsel in the Project Development & Finance Group. In this role, Heimert will focus on broadening the firm’s capabilities in representing export credit agencies/development finance institutions (ECAs/DFIs) and its offerings for the Africa market.

Heimert’s most recent position was as the Vice President and General Counsel of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the US government’s development finance institution, a role she was appointed to by President Obama in 2014. As the second-most senior official at OPIC, Heimert led a team of approximately 35 legal professionals and served on OPIC’s Investment Committee and Enterprise Risk Management Committee. She was also Counsel to OPIC’s Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Risk Committee.

Prior to OPIC, Heimert was the Deputy Chief Counsel for Loans Programs at the US Department of Energy, where she helped oversee legal aspects of a portfolio of over $30 billion in loans, loan guarantees and commitments to energy and manufacturing projects. Before working for the US government, Heimert was a Managing Director and Counsel at General Electric Energy Financial Services, where she led legal teams in energy-related transactions and helped to create the company’s energy venture capital group.  

Shearman & Sterling advises on important infrastructure projects in every corner of the world, from port facilities in North America to toll roads in France, from gold mines in Chile and LNG facilities in Egypt to petrochemical plants in China. Formulating sophisticated solutions to issues that arise in connection with projects in all major industries is a hallmark of the Project Development & Finance team. Shearman & Sterling lawyers, operating from major business centers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, are knowledgeable in a wide spectrum of corporate practices and are able to provide clients with world-leading project development and finance capability under New York and English law.

For over 50 years, Shearman & Sterling has been active in both North and Sub-Saharan Africa advising companies, financial institutions and state-owned entities on many types of projects, corporate transactions and international disputes. The firm has acquired extensive knowledge and understanding of the cultural, political, social and commercial environment of most African countries, and has established a close relationship with local companies, law firms and authorities throughout the continent. The firm represents both African clients and clients investing in Africa.