JPMorganChase Names Shipbuilding Leaders Under $1.5 Trillion Industrial Initiative

JPMorganChase has appointed two senior leaders to help expand its support for U.S. shipbuilding and the maritime industry under its $1.5 trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), a 10-year effort aimed at strengthening industries critical to economic and national security.

Chryssa Rask has joined the firm to lead its shipbuilding efforts, while Jim Hamilton, a former head of Transportation Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan, has been named senior advisor focused on the sector.

The appointments come one year after JPMorganChase announced its sweeping investment initiative, which specifically identifies commercial and military shipbuilding as a priority for rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity.

Rask joins from Cerberus Capital Management, where she was an investor with the firm’s Supply Chain Fund, focusing on companies and technologies supporting supply-chain resilience and U.S. manufacturing capabilities. In her new role, she will lead SRI’s shipbuilding activities while supporting broader efforts in supply chains and advanced manufacturing.

Hamilton brings more than 30 years of experience in transportation and shipping, including his previous leadership role at J.P. Morgan. He will work alongside Rask on efforts to expand domestic shipbuilding capacity, strengthen maritime supply chains and support the broader U.S. maritime industry.

“As a former Merchant Mariner and Naval Reserve Officer, I am privileged to re-join J.P. Morgan to help lead SRI’s efforts to strengthen and re-establish our US maritime presence and shipbuilding capabilities in support of enhancing global trade and national security,” Hamilton said.

The hires add dedicated maritime and investment expertise to an initiative that JPMorganChase launched in October 2025 amid growing concerns over America’s dependence on foreign manufacturing and China’s dominance of global commercial shipbuilding.

Under the Security and Resiliency Initiative, the bank plans to facilitate, finance and invest $1.5 trillion over a decade across sectors including advanced manufacturing, defense, energy and strategic technologies.

The figure includes approximately $1 trillion in financing and other activities already planned by the bank, plus up to $500 billion in additional activity. JPMorganChase has also committed to making up to $10 billion in direct equity and venture capital investments in selected companies, primarily in the United States.

Shipbuilding is among the industries identified for support, with the bank targeting both commercial and military vessel construction as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains.

The firm has already begun putting resources behind those ambitions. In July, JPMorganChase announced $24 million in support for shipbuilding in Philadelphia, including initiatives aimed at maritime workforce development, local suppliers and the region’s defense industrial base.

The latest appointments come as the United States continues its push to rebuild shipbuilding capacity after decades of decline. American shipyards account for less than 1% of global commercial ship construction, compared with roughly half for China, leaving the U.S. heavily dependent on foreign-built vessels for much of its commercial fleet.

For JPMorganChase, the addition of dedicated shipbuilding leadership marks another step toward turning its broader industrial investment strategy into sector-specific financing and development efforts.

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