Our Management Team
Jamie Lesser
Jamie is an alumnus of the International Space University's Commercial Space Enterprise program at Florida Institute of Technology. He previously spent 20yrs in equity capital markets, with 15yrs in the global resources sector raising over $1bn in equity. He spent 6yrs as Director of HSBC’s Top 10 Ranked Team advising institutional and private investors. Jamie is senior consultant at Tono Resources Ltd. and Chief Operating Officer of London listed investment company Mineral & Financial Investments Ltd. He co-founded Chalkstone Partners Ltd. a social and political risk consultancy. He has extensive experience in the analysis and appraisal of companies across the globe as corporate broker and sell-side resources specialist equity sales.Roly Allen
Roly has 20+ years’ experience as an entrepreneur, advisor and angel investor, working with startups, SMEs and high growth companies in various capacities ranging from founder, CEO, senior advisor, NED and investor. His experience spans several industries including marketing and advertising, insurance, publishing, medtech, engineering, augmented reality, education and the charity sector. He has broad experience working with private investors, Venture Funds, and corporate investors both as a founder and advisor on the investee side, as well as investor or observer representing investors. His skills and interest are mainly in growth strategy, resourcing, corporate governance, leadership development and mentoring.Zaheer Ali
Zaheer is Professor of Practice at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University. He is a world respected Agilist, manager and technologist who is invited to speak around the world on space, artificial intelligence, and the future of work. As both professor and entrepreneur he advises several NewSpace companies and serves as a senior Manager at USRA, leading aviation data sciences, artificial intelligence, quantum sciences, and nanotechnology for the NASA Ames NAMS contract. Formerl, Zaheer was a senior member of the project management office for NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) with responsibility for all software products and safety and quality of all USRA work on SOFIA. Previously he built science instrumentation and the laboratory facilities for SOFIA and stood up their science ground operations. In addition, he managed science ground support on multiple deployments around the world. Zaheer is also a founding executive for Material Mind, an applied AI science company, and AIXIA Global, an Industry 4.0 technology integration and digital/agile transformation company. He is trained as a research physicist which has resulted in patents, an R&D100 award, and over 40 authored or co-authored publications. He has also worked as an engineer and manager of teams and programs for the US Department of Energy’s Nevada Test Site where he co-founded the National Center for Nuclear Security, worked as a Principal Investigator and Shot Director at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics of the University of Rochester and consulted as a micro/nano device (MEMS) engineer.Our Advisory Board
Dr Andrew Aldrin
Dr. Andrew Aldrin has a background in government research, aerospace industry and academia focusing on the intersection of policy, business, and academia. He is Program Coordinator, for the Masters in Space Operations at Embry Riddle University. Prior to this, Aldrin founded the ISU Center for Space Entrepreneurship and was Associate Professor at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). He is Director of the Sino-US Space Policy Research Center and Director of the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute (BASI). Prior to FIT Aldrin held executive positions in traditional aerospace industry, serving as Director of Business Development and Advanced Programs at United Launch Alliance where he oversaw development of corporate strategy, business capture, senior customer relations and advanced program development for civil space markets. Before ULA, Dr. Aldrin headed Business Development and Advanced Programs for Boeing’s NASA Systems, and Launch Services business units. He also ran an emerging NewSpace company as President of Moon Express. He has served on the professional research staff of the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Defence Analyses. Dr. Aldrin holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from UCLA, an MBA from TRIUM, an MA in Science Technology and Public Policy from The George Washington University, and a BA in International Relations from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Dr. Aldrin’s publications have covered issues of space policy and strategic planning.Dr Greg Autry
Dr. Greg Autry is a Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business in the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. He holds an MBA and a PhD in Management and taught entrepreneurship, strategy, and macroeconomics (University of California); entrepreneurship (University of Southern California); and space entrepreneurship at the Kennedy Space Center in partnership with the International Space University and the Florida Institute of Technology (2019-2021). Autry's research focuses on the governmental roles in the emergence of new industries, and the booming commercial space industry. His policy insights led to his appointment to the 2016 NASA agency review team and as NASA White House Liaison in 2017. In 2020 the President nominated him to serve as NASA’s Chief Financial Officer. He currently serves as Chair of the Safety Working Group in the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) at FAA. A notable advocate for space exploration and development Autry is Vice President of the National Space Society and the Beyond Earth Institute. Autry was previously a serial technology entrepreneur. He publishes frequently in the business and popular press, on space, entrepreneurship, and policy and in Foreign Policy and Space News. He is also a regular science contributor at Forbes. His insights are frequently featured in major media outlets including CNN, NPR, the BBC, Space News, Foreign Policy, Wall Street Journal, Politico and the LA Times.