August 11, 2022
Washington, D.C. – WestExec Advisors announced today that Linda Lourie and Richard Stengel have joined the firm’s team as Senior Advisors.
Before joining WestExec, Linda S. Lourie served as the Assistant Director for Research and Technology Security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where she served as the OSTP Assistant Secretary-equivalent member on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and as Associate General Counsel in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), where she provided legal guidance on a range of issues related to CFIUS, Defense Production Act COVID-19 response, Artificial Intelligence, 5G, and international acquisition matters. She was also previously the General Counsel of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), where she advised a team of military and civilian personnel on acquisition, intellectual property, export controls, international, and ethics matters in Silicon Valley, Boston, and Austin. Linda has held a wide variety of top positions in government and the private sector, including as Director for Rule of Law at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, as a Member of President Obama’s Export Control Reform Task Force, and as a Consultant with the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an ex-officio member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and has received numerous awards for her government service, including the prestigious Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.
Nitin Chadda, Managing Partner of WestExec, shared that “WestExec is extremely grateful to count Linda among our team members. Many of our clients are developing cutting edge technology to support global security and will benefit tremendously from Linda’s impressive experience and expertise in defense innovation and technology policy at the highest levels. We are already leveraging Linda’s robust knowledge-base to help our clients capitalize on strategic opportunities.”
Richard Stengel comes to WestExec having served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from 2013 to 16. While at the State Department, Rick helped modernize the Department of State’s communications and led counter-disinformation efforts. He helped create and oversee the Global Engagement Center and pioneered the use of social media at the Department. He also led the creation of English for All, a government-wide effort to promote the teaching of English around the world and led the department’s extensive educational exchanges, including the Fulbright Scholarship. Before joining the State Department, Rick was the Editor of TIME, where he oversaw all print, digital, tablet and marketing functions for the TIME brand. While editor, TIME won Magazine of the Year for the first time in its history as well as several other National Magazine Awards, including for general excellence. His most recent book, “Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What We Can Do About It,” details the rise of disinformation and how to combat it.
Sergio Aguirre, Managing Partner of WestExec noted that “We are so lucky to have Rick join our growing team at WestExec. He has faced some of the toughest strategic communication challenges and delivered best in class work in the field of communications, public affairs, and diplomacy; we look forward to having him do the same for our clients.”
WestExec Advisors, LLC helps business leaders make the best decisions by advising on geopolitical risk and emerging opportunities. To learn more, visit www.westexec.com or email info@westexec.com.