Our Team

Sir Peter Beck is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Lab. Since founding the company in 2006, Peter has grown it into a global organization that develops and launches advanced rockets, satellites and spacecraft. Peter 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, Peter led the development of the Electron Sir Peter'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. Peter 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, Peter 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, Peter led several complex engineering programs to optimize technologies including wind turbines and superconductors. In his own time, Peter began building rockets at an early age, steadily increasing their size and complexity. In 2006, Peter 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, Peter 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 Peter's outstanding contributions to aerospace, entrepreneurship and technical innovation he was appointed as an adjunct professor in aerospace engineering by the University of Auckland. In 2024 Peter was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the aerospace industry, business and education. 

Lt. Gen. Armagno joined the Rocket Lab Board in November 2023 as an independent director after serving more than 35 years in leadership positions for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. During her service in the U.S. Armed Forces, she served as the Director of Plans & Policy for the U.S. Strategic Command and as the Director for Space Programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition for the Air Force. She was the first lieutenant general officer appointed to, and Director of Staff for, the U.S. Space Force where she established the first new military branch in 72 years, before retiring from active duty in July 2023. She had previously commanded the 30th and 45th Space Wings, the 21st Operations Group, and the 6th Space Warning Squadron. Since 2021, Lt. Gen. Armagno has served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-profit organization specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. She holds a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an M.A. from Chapman University, and an M.S. in National Security Studies from the National War College. She has received numerous awards including a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, two Defense Superior Service Medals, and three Legions of Merit.

Dr. Edward Frank was appointed to the board of Rocket Lab in 2022. He joins the board following more than 35 years of leadership in innovative technology companies, including serving at Apple, Inc. from 2009 until 2013 as Vice President, Macintosh Hardware Systems Engineering. Dr. Frank also served as Corporate Vice President, Research and Development, of Broadcom Corp, a leading developer of integrated circuits for broadband communication. Dr. Frank was the founding CEO of Epigram, Inc., a developer of integrated circuits and software for home networking, which Broadcom acquired in 1999. Presently, Dr. Frank is Executive Chair of Gradient Technologies, an early-stage company delivering next-generation secure identity overlay solutions based on its proprietary cyber-security mesh. Dr. Frank is a named inventor on over 50 patents. Dr. Frank serves on the Boards of Directors of Analog Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: ADI) and SiTime Corp. (Nasdaq: SITM), as well as being a board member and advisor to several private companies. Dr. Frank holds BSEE and MSEE degrees from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow, and where has been a member of its Board of Trustees since 2000. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the commercialization of WiFi, is a Fellow of the IEEE, and is a National Association of Corporation Directors Board Leadership Fellow.

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.

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. 

A seasoned executive with strong business and financial acumen, Kenneth Possenriede joined Rocket Lab’s Board of Directors in August 2024 after a 35-year career at Lockheed Martin Corporation in financial leadership positions, including serving as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Mr. Possenriede brings to Rocket Lab deep experience in capital markets, customer relationships and scaling businesses. Prior to assuming the post of CFO at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Mr. Possenriede served as Vice President of Finance and Program Management for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company where he was responsible for leading finances and program management processes, including accounting, contracts, business management, financial planning, scheduling and earned value. Mr. Possenriede also served as Vice President and Treasurer for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the corporation’s worldwide banking activity, including global treasury operations, foreign exchange and capital markets, rating agency relations, capital planning, facilities and risk management. Mr. Possenriede also served as Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Vice President of Finance for the Electronic Systems organization, where he was responsible for all aspects of the business unit’s financial and contractual processes and commitments.

Mr. Possenriede holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in economics. He also currently serves as an advisor to the Rutgers Foundation Board of Directors.

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.

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. 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.

As Chief Operations Officer, Frank Klein leads Rocket Lab’s efforts to scale manufacturing of its spacecraft, launch vehicles, and spacecraft components across multiple sites to meet growing customer demand.

Prior to joining the Rocket Lab team, Mr. Klein served Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group) for 27 years where he led various business divisions including Vehicle Research, Trucks, Cars, and Van manufacturing. While Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Vans Operations, Mr Klein managed global production across 12 production sites, heading up logistics, industrial engineering, and the division’s quality department, with responsibility for more than 14,000 employees globally.

Mr Klein also served as President of Magna Steyr AG, the automotive industry’s largest independent contract manufacturer with an annual turnover of more than US$6 billion, where he led operations across three continents and 13,000 employees globally. Most recently Mr Klein served as COO at Rivian Automative, where he helped to transform Rivian from a low volume automotive start-up to a high volume premium electric vehicle manufacture while responsible for 9,000+ employees.

Mr Klein holds a Masters’ Degree in Electrical and Industrial Engineering from Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from FernUniversität in Hagen.

In his role as Chief Engineer - Special Projects, Shaun O'Donnell oversees technical decision-making and development processes across launch and space systems globally. Shaun has been with the company since 2007 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 was also responsible for all avionics and software systems on early Rocket Lab systems including Atea 1, Instant Eyes and VLM projects. Shaun has also served as Executive Vice President - Global Operations.   

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

Arjun Kampani is Rocket Lab's Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, leading the Company's legal and regulatory affairs and guiding on all legal, governance, ethics, and compliance matters. 

Mr Kampani has over two decades of experience advising and leading public and private businesses, including more than 18 years of experience in the aerospace industry. Mr Kampani joined Rocket Lab from Aerojet Rocketdyne where he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, managing and advising on a broad range of issues including all aspects of corporate law, corporate governance, securities law, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, international transactions, and legal, ethics, and compliance issues. Prior to Aerojet Rocketdyne, Mr Kampani spent 10 years at General Dynamics Corporation where he was its top mergers and acquisitions lawyer, completing 30+ acquisitions and divestitures, before going on to serve as Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for General Dynamics Land Systems, a $4 billion international business.

Mr Kampani began his career in New York at an AM Law 100 firm, and his educational background includes a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. He is also a member of the New York State Bar and California Bar.

Alek is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Rocket Lab in New Zealand and manages a number of cross-functional teams spanning development, test, and production.

Prior to this role Alek served as the Director – Propulsion Test Complex leading the team charged with component testing, engine assembly, engine testing, stage testing and R&D for the Rutherford and Curie engines.

Before joining Rocket Lab, Alek spent 19 years at Rolls-Royce Plc specializing in Civil and Defence Gas Turbine, design, manufacture, and testing. He was responsible for setting up two engineering centers in Bangalore, India as well as establishing the Enterprise Risk Management framework for R-R across North-East Asia covering technical, business, financial and political risk and business continuity management for the company’s operations across the region.

Alek has a 1^st Class (Hons) Degree in Avionic Systems Engineering, a Post Graduate Certificate in Aerospace Design, Manufacture and Management and is a Chartered Engineer with the UK Engineering Council and Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET).

He has held positions as FAA, EASA and CAA NZ Part 145 Senior Person while running three helicopter MRO workshops at Airwork NZ.

Dr. Brad Clevenger currently serves as Vice President of Space Systems.  In this role, Dr. Clevenger provides strategic leadership to the company’s satellite manufacturing operations.  Prior to this role, Dr. Clevenger held various leadership positions at SolAero Technologies and its predecessor company, EMCORE Corporation, helping to grow it from its start in 1998 to the world’s market share leader in satellite solar power products.

Prior to joining EMCORE, Dr. Clevenger was a staff member of the the U.S. Department of Energy Naval Reactors Program where he oversaw advanced power system design and development for the naval nuclear fleet.

Dr. Clevenger earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.  He currently chairs and/or serves on several committees and working groups focused on economic development for and the health of the U.S. and National Security Space Industrial Base.

Lachlan Matchett has been part of the Rocket Lab team for more than a decade, previously serving as Vice President - Propulsion. He oversaw development and testing of all Rocket Lab propulsion systems including the Rutherford and Curie 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, production and now more than 40 successful launches. 

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

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.

As Vice President of Government Operations and Business Strategy, Andrew Bunker is primarily responsible for the development and execution of Rocket Lab’s federal, state, and local government strategy. Mr. Bunker also plays a leading role in strengthening Rocket Lab’s engagement with industry associations. Mr. Bunker brings more than a decade of experience in legislative affairs and space regulation to the Rocket Lab team. Prior to joining Rocket Lab in November 2021, Mr. Bunker held the role of Director of Government Operations at United Launch Alliance (ULA). In this role, he was responsible for representing ULA before Congress on matters of importance to the company, including national security, civil, and commercial space. He also supported ULA’s engagement on regulatory matters before various federal agencies. Prior to working at ULA, Mr. Bunker worked for House Speaker John A. Boehner, where he served in a variety of positions supporting legislative efforts and operations on the House Floor. Mr. Bunker serves as the Marketing Chair of the Washington Space Business Roundtable and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wake Forest University.

Michael Whalen leads our Maryland-based team in delivering flight proven separation systems and deployment mechanisms. He led Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) for 15 years before it was acquired by Rocket Lab in 2021. Mr. Whalen took PSC from a 5-person company to a leader in on-orbit deployment solutions for most of the world's launch vehicles with more than 200 separations on-orbit and a 100% success rate.

Mr. Whalen has more than 28 years of national security and aerospace experience in engineering and management. Prior to PSC, he was a program manger with Intel Corporation responsible for server-based encryption and decryption hardware development.

Mr. Whalen previously served as a US Naval Aviator accruing more than 500 combat flight-hours and holds a BS in Materials Engineering from Drexel University.

As Chief Information Officer, Brad Warezak is responsible for Rocket Lab’s Information Technology portfolio that will enable rapid growth in a reliable, scalable, and secure manner. His team of technology professionals maintain and improve Rocket Lab’s processes as a way of maximizing productivity and making complex tasks more achievable. Leveraging national standards and modern technology, his organization ensures Rocket Lab and partner intellectual property is properly protected from theft and disruption.

Brad has two decades of experience delivering advanced information technology solutions for high tech and aerospace manufacturing companies. Prior to Rocket Lab, Brad spent 5 years leading Howmet Fastening Systems Information Technology team, a global organization with manufacturing and distribution locations across North America, Europe and Asia. Brad also led the Enterprise Applications team while at Broadcom for 12 years and was a technical implementation consultant at Peoplesoft/Oracle for 5 years.

Brad holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on Information Systems from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor degree in Operations and Logistics Management from Michigan State University.

Connie Lundgren is Vice President of People & Culture and is responsible for Rocket Lab’s worldwide human resources efforts. She is the strategic architect supporting the company’s mission, vision, and values through its employment brand, extraordinary talent and high performance-based culture. She brings to the team a dynamic and focused perspective with over 20 years legal experience with expertise in human resources management. Prior to joining Rocket Lab, she was a Director for General Dynamics National Steel & Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, a division of a Fortune 100 defense contractor. In addition to her leadership at General Dynamics and prior law practice, Connie also previously worked in the Solicitor’s Office for the U.S. Secretary of the Interior providing litigation support for the Justice Department as well as providing employment law services for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Connie is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science, a Juris Doctor degree, and remains an active member of the California State Bar.

Cameron McCarter is Rocket Lab’s Vice President of Supply Chain and is responsible for our worldwide material supply operations. With 17 years of experience in supply chain management, Cameron is a seasoned executive renowned for optimizing operational efficiency and driving strategic value. Prior to joining Rocket Lab, he held positions at Tesla and Rivian standing up critical supply chain operations. Cameron also spent the early part of his career at Northrop Grumman's Space Technology and Aerospace divisions supporting satellites and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Arizona State University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Dr. Sandy Tirtey is Rocket Lab’s Director of Global Commercial Launch Services and the company’s Launch Director. Dr. Tirtey joined Rocket Lab in 2013 as Vehicle Team Lead, where he supervised the development and construction of the Electron launch vehicle. In 2015, Dr. Tirtey took on the role of Vice President of Vehicle Systems, before becoming Rocket Lab’s Launch Conductor in 2016. In this role, Dr. Tirtey led mission operators through the successful launches of ‘It’s A Test’ and ‘Still Testing’ in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Today, Dr. Tirtey is the Director of Global Commercial Launch Services and is based in Brisbane, Australia. In this role he supports small satellite operators globally to access orbit through frequent and reliable launch opportunities on the Electron launch vehicle.

Amanda Rutenberg is the Deputy General Counsel for Rocket Lab, responsible for supporting program teams and management on a full range of government and commercial contracting matters.  Ms. Rutenberg is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, with almost 20 years of experience advising and leading businesses on a full range of litigation and government contracts matters.  Prior to joining Rocket Lab, Ms. Rutenberg spent over 7 years at Aerojet Rocketdyne, serving as the General Counsel of its Space business unit and managing the company’s significant litigation.  Ms. Rutenberg began her career in the government contracts and litigation practice groups at the law firms Seyfarth Shaw and Kirkland & Ellis.  She is licensed to practice in California and the District of Columbia.

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

Walter Holemans is an Engineering Fellow specializing in spacecraft mechanisms and structures.  Prior to its acquisition by Rocket Lab, Walter founded Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) in 1998 and developed the Lightband separation systems and a Canisterized Satellite Dispenser (CSD) that are in use on most operational launch vehicles.  Prior to founding PSC, Walter worked as a spacecraft design, assembly and test engineer on several dozen government and commercial programs. Walter has BS in Mechanical engineering from Drexel University and a Master’s of Aerospace Engineering from Utah State University.