Michèle Flournoy and Tony Blinken Form Global Strategic Advisory Firm with Former Senior National Security Officials
February 15, 2018
WestExec Advisors, LLC will advise companies on geopolitical risk and emerging opportunities
Washington, DC – WestExec Advisors, a new Washington, DC-based global strategic advisory firm, launches under the leadership of Managing Directors Michèle Flournoy, former Co-Founder and CEO of the Center for a New American Security and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and Tony Blinken, a co-founder of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and former Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
“At a time of historic levels of turmoil and uncertainty around the world, WestExec Advisors will develop innovative solutions tailored to the specific risks and opportunities facing our clients,” said Michèle Flournoy. “Our bipartisan team of experts will bring the kind of fresh perspective and advice to the boardroom that presidents of the United States expect and demand in the Situation Room.”
“The biggest threats we face as a country and global community have changed over the last ten to twenty years, and this group offers a current take on how to address them,” said Tony Blinken. “Our team has worked together at the highest levels of government navigating and anticipating the impact of international events on decision making in a technology-driven world. We are looking forward to providing our expertise and support to business leaders.”
WestExec Principals include: Robert Work, former Deputy Secretary of Defense; Avril Haines, former Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); David Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA and Under Secretary of the Treasury; Lisa Monaco, former White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor; Matt Olsen, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and Dan Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Nitin Chadda, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and former White House National Security Council (NSC) Director and Sergio Aguirre, former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former NSC Director are the firm’s Founding Partners.
The firm also has a diverse network of senior advisors who provide clients with deep expertise on critical geographic areas, as well as functional issues such as cybersecurity, data privacy, international trade, and global financial markets. WestExec’s Senior Advisors include: Lincoln Bloomfield, former Special Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs; Matthew Waxman, former Acting Director of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff; Christopher Smart, former Special Assistant to the President at the National Economic Council and the NSC; Ely Ratner, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Michael Singh, former Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs at the NSC; Celeste Wallander, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia at the NSC; and Michael Camilleri, former NSC Director and former Advisor on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff.
The Washington, DC-based firm will advise U.S. and international companies and financial institutions on geopolitical factors that affect their business strategy and investment portfolios, with a focus on anticipating and managing risk, solving problems, and identifying emerging opportunities. In addition to red-teaming key decisions and developing tailored analysis for its clients, WestExec Advisors will work with companies to develop and implement their strategic plans and advise on expansion into major emerging markets worldwide.
In addition to direct client relationships, WestExec has established a series of strategic partnerships to work with its clients using a variety of platforms. Through its exclusive partnerships with premier global management consulting firms, WestExec will engage clients across a range of industries and sectors, including the Industrials, Aerospace & Defense, Technology, and Global Advantage practice areas, as well as on Banking, Global Energy and Materials, and Pharmaceuticals. WestExec will also partner with Alphabet’s Jigsaw on supporting next generation national security and technology leaders, and WestExec will complement its capital advisory work through a direct relationship with Pine Island Capital Partners – a newly-founded boutique private investment partnership providing a small group of exceptional investors with strategic, underwritten, and managed equity investment in the middle markets.