Why is the US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics called a "sherpa"?

Question

CNBC's June 28, 2022 U.S.’s Russia sanctions architect Singh departs as Ukraine war drags on refers to the position as a sherpa in two places as quoted below.

The Sherpa people:

...are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term sherpa or sherwa derives from the Sherpa language words ཤར shar ("east") and པ pa ("people"), which refer to their geographical origin of eastern Tibet.

and most westerners associate the term with the heroes who risk their lives to coordinate and facilitate climbs of Mt. Everest and carry a lot of the supplies that keeps the visiting climbers alive. Lhakpa Sherpa holds the record for female sherpas at 10 times (most recently just last month) and "retired" Apa Sherpa holds the record for male sherpas at 21.

Back to the article:

U.S. President Joe Biden will have a new “sherpa” on his trip to Germany next week — a former BlackRock strategist named Mike Pyle, who replaces Washington’s former point person on sanctions, Daleep Singh.

Singh, who played a crucial role at the White House in coordinating Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February, this week took a job as chief global economist and head of macroeconomic research at PGIM Fixed Income, a Wall Street asset manager with $890 billion in assets.

Pyle, who joined the Biden administration as Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economic adviser, took the job on an acting basis and will play the crucial coordinating “sherpa” role in Singh’s absence when Biden joins the Group of Seven rich nations summit in Germany.

He is one of three top administration officials who previously worked at the investment giant BlackRock, along with Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and National Economic Council director Brian Deese.

Surely it's staff and not investment bankers who coordinate and facilitate the US president's international trips and cary his food, oxygen and clothes, so I'm confused by the terminology and reference.

Question: Why is the US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics called a "sherpa"?

Answer 1

The reference is to a sherpa in the sense of the word, not referring to a people or ethnicity, but to a guild of skilled Tibetan mountain guides who provide insight and carry key resources for mountain climbers who retain their services.

The metaphorical use in this case is to a key aide serving as a skilled guide for the President added by resources of high levels of subject-matter knowledge and knowledge of the key players involved, in the treacherous environment of a diplomatic meeting which is the metaphorical mountain ("the summit") being climbed.

The metaphorical sense of the word is recognized, e.g., at Dictionary.com

1 : a member of a people of Tibetan stock living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.

2 (sometimes lowercase) an expert chosen by a chief executive to assist in preparations for a summit meeting.

Answer 2

I don't think this is a general term for the Deputy National Security Advisor.

Notice that "sherpa" is in scare quotes. It's being used metaphorically. Sherpas are guides who help people reach the summit of Mount Everest. The meeting is a "summit meeting", and this official is assisting Biden during this meeting.

Yes, the President has lower-level staff who assist with mundane tasks like food and clothes. The sherpa is more concerned with the official business of the meeting.