Navigating an ocean of data, delivering a world of possibility

Richard Jenkins developed Saildrone’s core technology during a 10-year effort to break the land speed record for wind-powered vehicles, which he achieved in 2009, in Nevada USA, with a speed of 126.2 mph. He then moved to San Francisco and began to apply his now-patented wing technology to uncrewed vehicles capable of collecting high-resolution data in the most remote areas of the ocean. Richard holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London.

Barak is a seasoned finance executive with a successful track record of scaling enterprises from early growth stage through profitability and at-scale operations developing and implementing innovative strategies for strategic growth. He has held various CFO, advisory, and senior leadership positions managing M&A, investor relations, finance, tax, HR, legal, facilities, and other G&A functions including strategic forecasting, revenue recognition, core accounting, tax compliance, and talent optimization for privately-held and publicly-traded companies including Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), Support.com (NASDAQ: SPRT), and Symphony Talent. Barak has an MBA and Master of Education from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Economics from Harvard University.

Mark brings to Saildrone a wealth of knowledge and experience in advanced manufacturing, lean principles, and operational excellence. He comes to Saildrone from Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) Last Mile program where he was director of global fleet vehicle design, engineering, and execution. Mark has a proven track record of building teams at startups, established OEMs, and new industry players having previously served in senior leadership roles at Faraday Futures (NASDAQ: FFIE), Webasto, Apple (NASDAQ: APPL), and Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA). Mark began his career in manufacturing engineering with 15 years at General Motors (NASDAQ: GM), and holds a MS in Engineering Management and BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Brian is an experienced engineering leader, and as CTO at Saildrone, he leads hardware, software, and infrastructure engineering. He has spent over 25 years working in the industry and Silicon Valley as a developer, architect, and engineering leader. Most recently, Brian was Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Planet Labs, where he helped build the company from a mid-stage startup through its public offering (NASDAQ:PL). Prior to Planet, he held roles at Intel, Palm (WebOS), Symantec, and Netscape. Brian earned a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Tom brings extensive government experience to Saildrone having spent more than 16 years at the White House, Department of Defense, and on Capitol Hill in various senior roles. Among other positions, he has served as program associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget, acting assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, and as chief counsel for the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. Tom is a licensed attorney with a BA from Thomas Aquinas College and a JD from Ave Maria School of Law.

Captain Brian Connon (ret.) served 28 years in the US Navy, in posts including director of the Maritime Safety Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, superintendent of the US Naval Observatory, and commanding officer of the Navy’s Fleet Survey Team. Prior to Saildrone, he was director of the Hydrographic Science Research Center at the University of Southern Mississippi. A certified hydrographer, Brian has a MS in Meteorology and Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School and an MS in Hydrography from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a Chartered Marine Scientist (Hydrography), Fellow of the Institute for Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, and President (elect) of The Hydrographic Society of America.

Robbie is a maritime specialist with 25+ years in professional sailing, fleet management, event production, coaching, and marine education. Prior to joining Saildrone, he was Director of Race Operations at St. Francis Yacht Club and led on-water operations for SailGP. He co-founded the Kite Foil Gold Cup and Hydrofoil Pro Tour, and was head coach of the US Olympic Kiteboarding Team. Robbie currently serves as an advisory board member of the California International Sailing Association.

Jaret has more than 20 years of data center and cloud computing experience. Starting at Saildrone in 2018, he quickly grew into leadership roles overseeing the technical infrastructure department. He previously spent 14 years at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ: HMHC) where he served in several technical leadership roles. Jaret earned a BS in information systems from Northwestern University.

Alli is an HR professional with 20 years of experience scaling innovative businesses to thrive in hyper-competitive markets. Her accomplishments include driving global people and talent strategy, growing employer brands, and creating inclusive and respectful cultures of excellence. She has helped several fast-growing startups through M&A processes. Her career includes working at Aspera (acquired by NASDAQ: IBM), Deliverr, StumbleUpon, and LeapFrog (NASDAQ: LF). She serves as a strategic advisor to organizational and technical leaders and is known for her tireless ability to execute on big challenges and bring forth successful outcomes.

Steven has spent his 20+ year career pursuing innovation, quality, and economy in the design and manufacture of revolutionary consumer electronics, medical devices, and communications technology. He has formerly served as VP of Innovation and Electrical Systems at Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) and VP of Product Design Engineering at Palm, among other senior positions at Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Nike (NASDAQ: NKE), Flextronics, and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Steven earned an MS in Mechanical Design from Stanford and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Marc has more than 20 years of experience in aerospace and defense and a track record of results leading cross-functional teams, establishing successful partnerships, and negotiating strategic deals. He comes to Saildrone from Raytheon (NYSE: RTX), where he most recently served as executive director for contracts, leading competitive campaigns across a broad spectrum of capabilities and technologies, including air, land, and sea. He holds a BA in International Relations from Stanford University.

Andrew is an experienced strategic legal advisor responsible for managing all of Saildrone’s legal and compliance needs. He comes to Saildrone from Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), an earth imaging satellite company that went public via SPAC in 2021, where he was responsible for M&A, securities, corporate governance and global subsidiary management, stock admin, debt finance, employment benefits, labor, tax, privacy, and anti-bribery compliance. Prior to Planet, Andrew was an M&A attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; he has practiced at various firms in the Bay Area, New York, and Singapore since 2009. Andrew has a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a BA in Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) from the University of Pennsylvania.

John has more than a decade of experience building high-performance manufacturing organizations, previously working to scale manufacturing of cutting-edge technologies in automotive, robotics, heavy-industrial, and aerospace. He is skilled at applying lean manufacturing methodologies in start-up environments, striking the ideal balance between speed and control. He previously held leadership roles at Honda (NYSE: HMC), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Kitty Hawk, and Volley Automation. John earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton.

Diego brings to Saildrone more than 15 years of international experience designing, planning, and supporting business growth strategies, operational expansions, and cross-functional programs, especially in fast-paced business environments and at scale. His core areas of expertise are strategic finance, FP&A, and strategic planning, all developed at the intersection of strategy, sales, operations, and finance, leveraged by strong business partnership principles. Diego holds a MS in Finance and a BS in Economics.

Jim is a product leader with 20 years of experience addressing global-scale problems through customer-centric products and solutions. He has worked with strategic customers around the world to deeply understand their needs in order to build repeatable products from remotely sensed data. Prior to joining Saildrone, Jim led imagery and new mission products at Planet Labs (NYSE: PL), where he spent 7 years in various product and customer-related leadership roles while scaling that business. He is a licensed mechanical engineer and earned his BS Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Hans brings more than 10 years of leadership experience in defense and commercial technical operations to Saildrone. Previously, Hans held senior operational roles at Anduril Industries and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), where he created and led teams to rapidly grow operations for complex technology products. His professional career began as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps, leading cross-functional teams in operational execution throughout two overseas deployments. Hans graduated with merit from the US Naval Academy, earning BS degrees in naval architecture and English.