China business strategy expertise

Alan Kohler joined Pamir after a successful career at the FBI where he led the agency’s Counterintelligence Division as Assistant Director.  Alan held leadership positions in the counterintelligence, cyber, and counterterrorism programs during his career, including chief of the Eurasian Section and Assistant Legal Attaché in London.  He also served on the Evidence Response Team and took part in the FBI’s response to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.  

Alan is a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Investigation, and the Exceptional Achievement Medal from the Director of National Intelligence.

He is a Rutgers University graduate with B.S. and M.S. degrees in ceramic engineering.

Robert has been involved in the management consulting industry leading telecom practices for nearly three decades, where he directly contributed to the global proliferation of the mobile internet within both the public and private sectors. His analysis of the South East Asian market provided insightful strategic advice in order for mobile operators to develop strategies to rapidly advance from 3G to 5G device and application offerings.

In addition to his management consulting background, Mr Koldys worked with multiple mobile operators and software development firms on a global basis. He was the CEO of a mobile data analytics company (MDS), and has served on the Board of Directors and Managing Director of a telecom software and private mobile network provider, SiRRAN.

Robert has also been highly active in rolling back the digital divide with a range of advisory roles for telecoms firms looking to better serve rural communities across emerging markets including Africa, India, China and Perú, where he also held a number of both public and private sector educational and networking roles.

As a geopolitical risk advisor and former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, Dr Mercy Kuo brings extensive analytical and risk management experience to Pamir. Her resume includes stints as President of the Washington State China Relations Council, Managing Director of the Committee of 100 (a US-China non-profit), and Senior Project Director at the National Bureau of Asian Research. She is a columnist on Asia policy at The Diplomat and an elected member of the National Committee on US-China Relations.

Dr Kuo holds a PhD in Modern History from Oxford University, England, an MA in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Asian Studies from Pomona College in California. She is an extensively published author on Chinese geopolitical issues and speaks on US-China relations at international industry, security and investor forums.

Leah brings a wealth of data research and analysis skills to her Pamir route of developing new data collection and research tools — experience honed in her many years as a Chinese language analyst at the National Security Agency. She has also worked to support government and military customers and as an open-source expert in the private sector.

Her cultural familiarity with China and fluency in the language comes from time spent as a resident on the mainland, including studying at Peking University, and over two decades of intensive Chinese-language familiarization. She holds a BA in Chinese from the University of Michigan and a MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University.

Jon has 30-plus years of experience living and working in East Asia. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he worked for 13 years as an interpreter, translator, and speechwriter for senior government officials in Taiwan and the United States.

In 2005, Mr. Welch joined the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, where he provided analytic support to a wide range of criminal investigations including numerous technology-transfer cases. While with NCIS, he also deployed to Iraq, supervised an analytic team based in Japan, managed a 24-hour global threat-fusion center in Quantico, and served as the senior advisor to the Executive Assistant Director for the Asia-Pacific.

He holds a Master’s degree in journalism from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University and also holds a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

Charlotte has worked as an advisory services and research analyst and conducts on-going research and analysis in Chinese across a wide range of Chinese data sources.

Author of numerous analytical reports on Chinese technology topics, informed by her fluency in the language and engagement with the culture: for example, she speaks both standardized Mandarin and Yunnan’s dialects, and has personally traveled extensively around southeast Asia and the Tibetan plateau researching Chinese BRI and ethnic minority policy.

Ms. Bullard holds a BA in History with a minor in Chinese from the University of Vermont.

Leading the insider risk efforts, analyst Ian Brown sees his role as helping American businesses navigate the most consequential international relationship in modern times and mitigate their risks when investing in China.

After studying history and political science at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Ian spent time in Wuhan and Guangzhou as an English teacher while attaining advanced proficiency in both Mandarin and Cantonese as well as Chinese history, culture, and philosophies.

He returned to the U.S. in 2018 to pursue a Master’s Degree of Chinese Economic and Political Affairs (MCEPA) at the University of California, San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. Working as a volunteer for UCSD’s annual U.S.-China Forum also allowed him to meet with China experts who have experience at the highest levels of government.