Biography

Sarah Whitten is the Senior Vice President for the China and Transformational Export Program (CTEP) at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (U.S. EXIM), the U.S. government’s export credit agency providing debt financing to global projects which supporting U.S. job creation. In this role, she leads efforts to support U.S. exporters facing competition from the People's Republic of China (PRC) and ensures U.S. leadership in ten key Transformational Export Areas. Her work also emphasizes the importance of critical minerals, which are essential for U.S. job creation in nascent technology sectors.

Prior to joining U.S. EXIM, Ms. Whitten served as the Regional Finance and Implementation Manager at the U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA), where she facilitated fundraising for infrastructure projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

Before her tenure with U.S. government agencies, Ms. Whitten was an Executive Director and Global Account Manager at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). She managed a portfolio of multinational corporations, providing financing and risk management solutions, for almost 15 years.  

Ms. Whitten's career also includes roles with SCB New York's Debt Capital Markets team, focusing on global bond issuances for North American corporates, and with Merrill Lynch Chicago's Private Banking team, where she supported investment decisions and portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals.

Throughout her career, Ms. Whitten has been based in Tokyo, Chicago, New York, Johannesburg, and now Washington, D.C. She holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a joint graduate degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business.