Washington November 1, 2021
Beacon Global Strategies (BGS), a leading strategic advisory firm focusing on global public policy, government procurement, emerging technology, and geopolitical risk analysis, today announced Ms. Julie Grundman has joined its National Security and Technology Practice as Vice President. Additionally, BGS is pleased to announce Mr. Andrew Hire, Mr. Eric Sayers and Mr. Mark Simakovsky have been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President.
Ms. Julie Grundman joins BGS as Vice President in the National Security Technology Practice. In September 2021, Ms. Grundman joined as Vice President at Beacon, where she will leverage her significant cybersecurity expertise and experience to support the National Security and Technology Practice. Prior to joining Beacon, she was a Senior Manager at PwC UK, where she led the Cybersecurity in Mergers & Acquisitions team. During her time at PwC, she was also seconded in a senior operational role, acting as an Information Risk Manager for a business unit at a global oil and gas company. Ms. Grundman was previously an early employee at IronNet Cybersecurity, a technology startup. At IronNet, she managed early customer engagements and strategic alliances, and assisted in the design and growth of the business development and customer success functions. Prior to IronNet, Ms. Grundman oversaw the cybersecurity portfolio at Business Executives for National Security (BENS), working closely with government partners. She has also practiced cybersecurity, data privacy, and corporate law. Ms. Grundman received a B.A., with honors, in political science from Grinnell College, and earned her law degree from Boston College, where she graduated cum laude.
“We are fortunate to welcome Julie Grundman to the BGS team,” said Jeremy Bash, Partner and Managing Director at Beacon. “Julie’s extensive experience advising both private sector companies and government agencies on how to identify and manage cybersecurity risk and building partnerships between the private sector and government stakeholders in the national security space will be of great value to our company and our clients.”
Mr. Andrew Hire was promoted to Senior Vice President and Technical Advisor. Mr. Hire joined BGS in 2018 as Vice President and Technical Advisor. Prior to joining BGS, he served as Chief of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) Branch in the National Security Division of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While leading the C4I Branch, Mr. Hire co-chaired the Senior Information Sharing and Safeguarding Steering Committee which is responsible for identifying and resolving insider threats and security vulnerabilities in classified IT networks across the federal enterprise. From 2006-2012, he oversaw all aspects of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) budget, acquisitions, management reforms, and IT programs. As the OMB Director’s principal adviser on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), counterterrorism, and nonproliferation issues, Mr. Hire collaborated closely with a range of Senior Directors in the NSC and officers in the special operations and intelligence communities. Before joining the National Security Division, he led OMB’s budget and regulatory oversight of the Office of Foreign Assets Control and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Mr. Hire graduated from Indiana University and earned his Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Mr. Eric Sayers was promoted to Senior Vice President. Mr. Sayers joined BGS in 2018 as Vice President. Prior to joining BGS, he was a consultant to the Commander’s Action Group at U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) where he served as Special Assistant to the Commander. From 2014-2016, Mr. Sayers served as a Professional Staff Member with the majority staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he managed the Asia-Pacific/Pacific Command policy portfolio and advised Chairman John S. McCain (R-AZ) on regional security issues. Prior to working on the SASC, he served as Defense Policy Advisor to Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) from 2011-2014. Before working on Capitol Hill, Mr. Sayers was a resident Sasakawa Peace Foundation Fellow at the Pacific Forum CSIS, where his research focused on the U.S.-Japan alliance and maritime security and naval strategy in Asia. Mr. Sayers is Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He is a term-member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Sayers holds an M.Sc. in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore and an M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from The University of Western Ontario.
Mr. Mark Simakovsky was promoted to Senior Vice President. Mr. Simakovsky joined BGS in 2015 as Vice President. Prior to joining BGS, Mr. Simakovsky served as the Europe/NATO Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, where he played a key role developing and implementing U.S. deterrence and reassurance measures in Europe in the wake of the 2014 Ukraine crisis. He also served as the Russia Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, where he drafted a Department of Defense Russia strategy, which was instrumental in reorienting U.S. defense policy. In 2013, Mr. Simakovsky was a Brookings Congressional National Security Fellow in the office of Senator Mark Warner. Prior to that, he was the inaugural Ronald D. Asmus Non-Resident Policy Entrepreneur Fellow at the German Marshall Fund where he conducted a study on the history and way forward for NATO enlargement. From 2008-2012, Mr. Simakovsky was the Eurasia Strategy Advisor/NATO Coordinator and Country Director for Georgia/Moldova in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. He is currently a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patricia Eurasia Center, a member of the NATO and Atlantic Council’s Young Emerging Leaders Program, as well a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Simakovsky holds a M.Sc. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs from Miami University (Oxford).
About Beacon Global Strategies
Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies is a bipartisan strategic advisory firm that provides clients an in-depth understanding of national security decision-making to advance objectives and solve problems in Washington and abroad. The Beacon team brings experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.
For more information, please contact bgs@bgsdc.com
