James R. Jones
Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus
Professional Experience
Ambassador James R. Jones co-founded Monarch Global Strategies LLC and served as the firm’s Chairman. A former United States Ambassador to Mexico and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, his practice focused on international trade, investment and commerce, business-government relations, and financial services. Over the course of his career, he worked extensively with a wide range of U.S. businesses seeking to enter or already operating in Mexico, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Ambassador Jones’ consulting work at Monarch focused on business development and government relations for clients in Mexico and Latin America. He provided strategic advice to a multinational automobile manufacturer based in Asia and helped facilitate its entry into the Mexican market. Ambassador Jones worked with major energy firms in Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Lithuania; counseled a U.S. insurance company in its purchase of a privatized Mexican company, as well as a U.S.-Mexico joint venture to build a water-treatment project in Mexico; assisted a U.S.-based resort developer in establishing projects in Mexico and Latin America; and supported a Class I U.S. railroad with investments in Mexico and Panama.
Ambassador Jones participated in the negotiation, passage, and implementation of NAFTA. He also helped formulate the U.S. government’s rescue package for Mexico during the 1994 peso crisis, which prevented bankruptcy of the Mexican government. Ambassador Jones’ previous business experience includes his service as Chairman and CEO of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) in New York. During his tenure at AMEX, listings, revenues and market share increased. He was also President of Warnaco International in New York.
Ambassador Jones’ public service career began at the White House at age 25. At age 28, he became President Lyndon Johnson’s final Appointments Secretary/Chief of Staff. He was also a member of Congress for 14 years, where he was Chairman of the Budget Committee and a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.