Jim Lees

Jim Lees is a Managing Director on the Asset-Based Finance team. Based in New York, he joined Värde in 2025 and is responsible for leading the firm’s North America Asset-Based Finance business.

Prior to joining Värde, Jim was a Managing Director at KKR on the Asset-Based Finance team, where he led or co-led originations and asset sourcing. Prior to that, Jim spent time in asset-backed finance and securitization at Wells Fargo, HSBC and CIBC.

Jim is a former U.S. Naval Officer. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering and received an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business.