Operations. Strategy. National Security.
Decisive advantage is not built on a superior product. It is built on superior processes. The organization is the product.
I build the operational engine that fuses operations strategy, financial rigor, and high-stakes compliance (ITAR, export controls) to deliver and sustain that advantage.
My focus is on hard operational problems in the American defense-industrial base.
Operations: My approach to building resilient systems was forged in the infantry. I experienced the physical reality of military logistics, gaining an intimacy with the culture where high-level plans break down in the mud. I codified this field experience through the study of operations science and work in strategic finance to apply the quantitative mechanics of scale. My focus now spans the full operational lifecycle, from supply chain and manufacturing to critical post-deployment systems for long-term customer success. I build a decisive and sustainable advantage by connecting the target unit economics from the boardroom with the friction of the field.
Geopolitics: Deeply immersed across Seoul, Zurich, Beijing, London, Boston, San Francisco, and NYC, I built my competence by working and living within these societies rather than just observing them. My perspective was grounded during the 2011 Arab Spring while working frontline security at a refugee center. There, I learned to assess the human reality behind the headlines. I apply this immersive approach globally to cultivate trust beyond official circles. While serving as a diplomatic attaché in Beijing, I used this access to engage the full social spectrum. These interactions revealed distinct internal narratives often invisible to formal channels relying on English-language sources. Fluency in English, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin allows me to bypass the 'fog of war' and access ground truth directly. Whether interpreting technical specifications or decoding distinct economic logic, I leverage primary sources to connect high-level strategy with operational realities.
Current: VP Operations & Empowered Official (ITAR) at Thor Dynamics.
Formerly: security work, military service, diplomatic service (Beijing), venture capital (robotics), data science company co-founder, operations & strategic finance at Rivian.
Education: MIT Sloan MBA with a concentration in operations science. I also hold an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BBA from the University of St. Gallen. At Tsinghua University, I took technical engineering coursework in Mandarin and studied economics from a Communist Party-centric perspective. I integrated this exposure with comparative political economy to understand how distinct state systems and their information architectures drive industrial competition.
Other: Clarinetist, certified personal trainer, and former amateur boxer.
If you're working on hard operational problems in national security, I'd like to hear from you.