Our Team

Mr. Beck is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Lab. Since founding the company in 2006, Mr. Beck has grown it into a global organization that develops and launches advanced rockets, satellites and spacecraft. Mr. Beck has served on Rocket Lab's board of directors, and as its President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2013 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2021. 

From 2013, Mr. Beck led the development of the Electron launch vehicle, which was designed from the ground up to accommodate a high launch rate business model to meet the needs of customers for small launch services. Under Mr. Beck’s leadership, Rocket Lab pioneered advanced aerospace manufacturing techniques for Electron, including 3D printed rocket engines, electric-pump-fed rocket engines and fully carbon composite fuel tanks. Mr. Beck also led the development of our private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1, located in Mahia, New Zealand, which required the establishment of an international treaty and legislation to enable Rocket Lab to use U.S. launch and spacecraft technology that otherwise would not be permitted for launches from foreign soil.

Prior to founding Rocket Lab, Mr. Beck began his career in 1993 with an apprenticeship as precision engineer at global appliance manufacturer Fisher & Paykel, before moving into production machinery design, product design and analysis. He later went to a government research institute in 2003 where he focused on advanced composites structures and materials for high performance applications. While at the government lab, Mr. Beck led several complex engineering programs to optimize technologies including wind turbines and superconductors. In his own time, Mr. Beck began building rockets at an early age, steadily increasing their size and complexity. In 2006, Mr. Beck founded Rocket Lab and led its efforts to successfully launch Atea-1 in 2009, which we believe is the first commercially-developed rocket to reach space from the Southern Hemisphere.

An award-winning engineer, Mr. Beck has been presented with the Gold Medal from the Royal Aeronautical Society, Meritorious Medal from the New Zealand Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cooper Medal and Pickering Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand. In addition, in recognition of Mr. Beck’s outstanding contributions to aerospace, entrepreneurship and technical innovation he was appointed as an adjunct professor in aerospace engineering by the University of Auckland. 

Dr. Strohband has served as a member of Rocket Lab's board of directors since August 2013. Since May 2018, Dr. Strohband has served as Managing Director at venture capital firm Khosla Ventures and has served as a partner and CTO at Khosla Ventures since November 2012. From 2006 to 2012, Dr. Strohband served as a partner, and later CTO, of Mohr Davidow Ventures, a venture capital and private equity company,
where he led technical diligence for the infrastructure IT and sustainability practices. From 2005 to 2006, Dr. Strohband was the lead engineer of the Stanford racing team autonomous car, “Stanley,” which became the foundation for the Google self-driving car project and also won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. From 2003 to 2006, Dr. Strohband was a project manager for the Electronics Research Lab of auto-maker Volkswagen,
where he led technical projects for Volkswagen brands. Dr. Strohband has a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a PhD in Mechanics and Computation from Stanford University. Dr. Strohband brings extensive experience in the venture capital industry, as an engineer, and as a director of numerous private technology companies.

Mr. Cowan has served as a member of Rocket Lab's board of directors since December 2015. Mr. Cowan has served as an investment professional at Bessemer Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, since 1992 and has been a partner since 1996. He also served as a director of LifeLock, an identity theft protection services company, from 2006 through 2017. Mr. Cowan has degrees in Computer Science and Math from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.  Mr. Cowan brings to the team extensive experience in the venture capital industry and operating and management experience with technology companies.

Mr. Ocko has served as a member of Rocket Lab's board of directors since January 2017. Since 2010, Mr. Ocko has served as the Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of venture capital fund DCVC. Prior to co-founding DCVC, Mr. Ocko was an investor at numerous firms, including VantagePoint Ventures, LLC, SOFTBANK Technology Ventures Corp (aka Mobius Venture Capital), Sevin Rosen Funds and Helix Investments. From 1984 – 1991, Mr. Ocko served as a member of the board of directors (in his capacity as co-founder) and Vice President of Research and Development of Da Vinci Systems, an e-mail software vendor. Mr. Ocko has a degree in Physics from Yale University. Mr. Ocko brings extensive experience in the venture capital industry, advising technology companies as both a director and executive.

Dr. Griffin has served as a member of Rocket Lab's board of directors since July 2020. Since July 2020, Dr. Griffin co-founded and has served as the Co-President of LogiQ Inc, a business consulting practice in the aerospace, defense and national security sector. From February 2018 until July 2020, Dr. Griffin worked in the Pentagon for the U.S. Department of Defense as the Under Secretary of Defense, Research & Engineering, where he was responsible for all U.S. Defense Department research and development. From August 2012 until May 2017, Dr. Griffin served as Chairman & CEO of the Schafer Corporation, a professional services provider in the national security sector. From April 2005 to January 2008, Dr. Griffin served as the 11th Administrator of NASA. Dr. Griffin has a BA in Physics and an MS degree in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University, an MSE in Aerospace Science from the Catholic University of America, a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from Loyola College of Maryland, and an MS degree in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. Dr. Griffin brings extensive experience as a scientist, engineer and administrator in the aerospace field to the Rocket Lab team.

Merline Saintil was appointed to the board of Rocket Lab in 2021. With more than 20 years of experience as a technology leader and business executive, Ms. Saintil is widely respected for building global award-winning products in iconic Fortune 500 and privately held companies, including Intuit, Yahoo!, PayPal, Adobe, Joyent, and Sun Microsystems. 

Ms. Saintil was named one of the Women of Influence in 2017 by Silicon Valley Business Journal, one of the 22 Most Powerful Women Engineers in the World by Business Insider, and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Girls in Tech.   

Ms. Saintil holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Florida A&M University and earned a M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jon A. Olson was appointed to the board of Rocket Lab in 2021. With more than 40 years of semiconductor industry experience, Mr. Olson has provided strategic insight and financial decision making at Intel Corporation for over two decades, and later as CFO at Xilinx from 2005 through to his retirement in 2016.  

Mr. Olson serves on the Board of Directors of Xilinx, Inc and Kulicke and Soffa, Inc. He also serves as a Member of the Deans Advisory Council at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, where he was inducted into the Academy of Alumni Fellows.  

Mr. Olson earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University and his MBA from Santa Clara University. 

Mr. Slusky has served as a member of Rocket Lab's board of directors since 2021. Since its inception in 1997, Mr. Slusky has served as Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Vector Capital. Mr. Slusky also serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Vector II, Vector III and Vector IV. He has also served as a director of Cambium Networks Corp., a wireless technology company, since March 2020 and served as a director of Technicolor SA, a manufacturer of digital media solutions, from July 2013 until 2016. From 1995 until 1997, Mr. Slusky led the technology equity practice at Ziff Brothers Investments, managing a portfolio of public and private technology investments which later became Vector Capital I. From 1992 until 1995, Mr. Slusky held various roles, most recently as a partner, at New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm where he focused on venture investments in software, communications, and digital media. Mr. Slusky has a degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Beck is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Lab. Since founding the company in 2006, Mr. Beck has grown it into a global organization that develops and launches advanced rockets, satellites and spacecraft. Mr. Beck has served on Rocket Lab's board of directors, and as its President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2013 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2021. 

From 2013, Mr. Beck led the development of the Electron launch vehicle, which was designed from the ground up to accommodate a high launch rate business model to meet the needs of customers for small launch services. Under Mr. Beck’s leadership, Rocket Lab pioneered advanced aerospace manufacturing techniques for Electron, including 3D printed rocket engines, electric-pump-fed rocket engines and fully carbon composite fuel tanks. Mr. Beck also led the development of our private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1, located in Mahia, New Zealand, which required the establishment of an international treaty and legislation to enable Rocket Lab to use U.S. launch and spacecraft technology that otherwise would not be permitted for launches from foreign soil.

Prior to founding Rocket Lab, Mr. Beck began his career in 1993 with an apprenticeship as precision engineer at global appliance manufacturer Fisher & Paykel, before moving into production machinery design, product design and analysis. He later went to a government research institute in 2003 where he focused on advanced composites structures and materials for high performance applications. While at the government lab, Mr. Beck led several complex engineering programs to optimize technologies including wind turbines and superconductors. In his own time, Mr. Beck began building rockets at an early age, steadily increasing their size and complexity. In 2006, Mr. Beck founded Rocket Lab and led its efforts to successfully launch Atea-1 in 2009, which we believe is the first commercially-developed rocket to reach space from the Southern Hemisphere.

An award-winning engineer, Mr. Beck has been presented with the Gold Medal from the Royal Aeronautical Society, Meritorious Medal from the New Zealand Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cooper Medal and Pickering Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand. In addition, in recognition of Mr. Beck’s outstanding contributions to aerospace, entrepreneurship and technical innovation he was appointed as an adjunct professor in aerospace engineering by the University of Auckland. 

Mr. Spice has served as Rocket Lab’s Chief Financial Officer since May 2018, and has served as the Secretary and Treasurer since May 2021. From January 2011 until May 2018, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at MaxLinear, Inc., a provider of radio frequency, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multimarket applications. From October 2009 to November 2010, Mr. Spice was the Chief Financial Officer of Symwave Corporation, a venture backed fabless semiconductor company until its sale to Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMSC). From July 2000 until September 2009, Mr. Spice held a variety of financial and operational executive roles at Broadcom Corporation, a creator of semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. From June 1996 until July 2000, Mr. Spice worked as a finance manager for Intel, a microchips manufacturer. Mr. Spice has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Brigham Young university and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Shaun O’Donnell is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Rocket Lab globally and manages a large number of cross-functional teams. He has been with the company for more than a decade leading the development of a number of complex space systems.   

Previously, Shaun was the head of the Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) division at Rocket Lab, and had broad responsibility over all electronic and software systems on board Electron. Shaun has been involved with Rocket Lab since 2007, where he was solely responsible for all avionics and software systems, including the Atea 1, Instant Eyes and VLM projects.

Shaun holds an Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree from the University of Auckland. 

Lars Hoffman is Rocket Lab’s Senior Vice President of Global Launch Services. In this role, he leads the business development and customer experience strategy for the Electron program. With more than 30 years of experience in national security and aerospace, Lars has deep knowledge of the launch industry and the ever-evolving needs of satellite owners and operators.

Prior to joining Rocket Lab, Lars was the Senior Director of Government Sales at SpaceX, where he was responsible for National Security Space (NSS) strategy and business development.

Lars also led a distinguished career in the United States Air Force, including roles at the Pentagon. He holds advanced engineering degrees from the United States Air Force Academy, the Air Force Institute of Technology and the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. He also earned national security degrees from MIT, Air University and National Defense University and an M.B.A. from UCLA.

Shane Fleming leads the Commercial Launch Services team based at Rocket Lab's headquarters in Huntington Beach, California. Previously, Shane managed the operations at Rocket Lab's Auckland, New Zealand facility, as well as Launch Complex 1. With a decade of experience developing and commercializing innovative and disruptive technologies, Shane is accustomed to leading diverse teams and navigating complex international projects.

Prior to Rocket Lab, Shane spent seven years at biotechnology firm LanzaTech, leading the Global Engineering Operations and managing teams of engineers, scientists, and technicians at five production facilities in four countries across China, Taiwan, Japan, and the US. Shane has a background in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Lachlan Matchett is responsible for all propulsion activities at Rocket Lab. This includes all orbital propulsion systems including the Rutherford sea level and vacuum engines. Lachlan was responsible for the initial design of the Rutherford engine and has managed the development of the engine from concept through flight qualification and production.

Lachlan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. 

Shaun D’Mello is responsible for enabling and delivering Rocket Lab’s global launch capability. As the Vice President of Launch, Shaun directs the end-to-end execution of launch operations, development and operation of launch sites, safety assurance, launch licensing and regulatory compliance programs to ultimately enable safe, frequent and reliable launch.

While at Rocket Lab, Shaun has overseen the site selection, design, development and operations of the world’s first private orbital launch range, Launch Complex 1 in Mahia New Zealand, and more recently Launch Complex 2 in Wallops Island, USA. Shaun has been with the Rocket Lab team since 2014 and has held roles in launch engineering, flight safety and management.

Shaun has a First Class Honors degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Sydney, and is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Prior to joining Rocket Lab, Shaun has worked on the design of light experimental aircraft, and the research, development and testing of composite structures for automotive and aerospace applications.

Richard French leads business development and strategy for Rocket Lab’s space systems division, providing end-to-end mission services and on-orbit operations with the company’s Photon family of small spacecraft and high-end satellite components including propulsion, reaction wheels, star trackers, avionics, solar arrays, and more.

Richard spent over a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he led development of the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator program and managed technology partnerships with industry in the Office of Space Technology. He also spent two years on detail to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. as a Staff Technologist in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, leading development of the Tipping Point and Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity solicitations. Richard’s earlier career includes service as an engineer on various NASA missions, including being awarded the NASA Honors Early Career Public Achievement Medal for his work as a lead mechanical systems engineer on the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, and helping to land the Curiosity Rover on Mars as a member of the Mars Science Laboratory entry, descent, and landing systems engineering team.

Richard holds a Masters degree in Space Systems Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering, both from the University of Michigan.

Ehson Mosleh leads the engineering and development of Rocket Lab’s Space Systems division and is responsible for architecting and implementing the company’s Photon spacecraft line, a family of customizable spacecraft available in low Earth orbit configurations through to interplanetary exploration models.

Ehson has almost two decades of experience building high-performance small satellites for civil, defense, and commercial customers. Prior to joining Rocket Lab, he was the Chief Scientist at Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems Inc., where he oversaw the architecture, development, and execution of a diverse set of advanced satellite missions. Ehson’s technical areas of expertise are in Systems Engineering, EO/IR Payloads, Flight Software and Autonomy, and tailored Mission Assurance practices for fast-paced programs.

He holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Computer Science from Montana State University.

Space Systems Chief Engineer