| Foundation | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Location city | Washington, DC |
| Location country | United States |
| Industry | Risk and strategic consulting |
| Homepage | westexec.com |
WestExec Advisors LLC is a consulting firm founded in 2017 by Antony Blinken, Michèle Flournoy, Sergio Aguirre, and Nitin Chadda, all former Obama administration officials.[1][2][3] Lisa Monaco, Robert O. Work, Avril Haines, David S. Cohen, and Jen Psaki have also been WestExec employees.[4] Richard Stengel, former President Obama's Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs is a current employee.[5]
In an interview with The Intercept, Flournoy explained WestExec seeks to employ "people recently coming out of government" with "current knowledge, expertise, contacts, networks."[6] The firm and its partners avoid becoming registered lobbyists or foreign agents so that they can (re)enter government service without delays.[7] It does not disclose its clients, whose names are restricted from disclosure by non-disclosure agreements.[8] The firm is named after West Executive Avenue, a street near the West Wing of the White House.[8]
Clients and activities
Although WestExec does not disclose its list of clients, some have been reported. Its clients include Google's Jigsaw; Windward, an Israeli artificial intelligence firm; Shield AI, a drone surveillance company;[4] and Fortune 100 types.[9]
Under a financial disclosure filed by the Biden transition team in December 2020, Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken declared that clients of WestExec included Blackstone, Bank of America, Facebook, Uber, McKinsey & Company, SoftBank, Gilead, Lazard, Boeing, AT&T, Royal Bank of Canada, LinkedIn, and Sotheby's. In a similar form, Director of National Intelligence-designate Avril Haines disclosed that WestExec had worked with Palantir Technologies.[10]
References
- ^ "Michèle Flournoy". WestExec Advisors. October 19, 2017. Archived November 15, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Our Team". WestExec Advisors. January 11, 2016. Archived May 10, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Westexec Advisors LLC - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg L.P.. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ Lipton, Eric & Vogel, Kenneth P. (2020-11-28). "Aides' Ties to Firms Present Biden With Early Ethics Test". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived November 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ Ogle, Merritt (8 August 2022). "Richard Stengel - WestExec Advisors". Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Former Obama Officials Help Silicon Valley Pitch the Pentagon for Lucrative Defense Contracts". The Intercept. Archived May 15, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Bender, Bryan & Meyer, Theodoric (23 November 2020). "The secretive consulting firm that's become Biden's Cabinet in waiting". Politico. Archived November 24, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Mosk, Matthew & Levine, Mike (2020-11-12). "Watchdogs urge transparency as executives from powerful DC firm floated for Biden administration". ABC News. Archived November 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ Guyer, Jonathan (2020-07-06). "How Biden's Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich". The American Prospect. Archived July 18, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ Thompson, Alex & Meyer, Theodoric (January 1, 2021). "Janet Yellen made millions in Wall Street, corporate speeches". Politico. Archived January 1, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 1, 2021.