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ABOUT

Board Director | Fixer | Founder

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John Lash, PhD, MBA

A global expert in national security strategy, John founded Darkhorse Global to provide businesses with the key insights necessary to make the right strategic decisions to proactively manage geopolitical, geo-economic, and regulatory risk. He assists executive stakeholders and functional teams in designing and implementing innovative approaches to maximize opportunity value from M&A, transactions, and post-merger integration.

John has significant board level experience across various industries, including roles as a Board Member, Proxyholder, and/or Trustee in the following sectors: clinical stage biotechnology, multi-brand education network, and multi-platform application development.

Having advised on national security strategy, integration, and enforcement for M&A assignments totaling over USD 100 billion in transaction value, John performs critical evaluations that assimilate divergent information, providing transparent and meaningful interpretations to use for decision making in high-risk high-reward contexts. His work focuses on compliance strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and performance transformation across a variety of high tech and advanced-industrial subsectors, including semiconductors, biotechnology, telecommunications, robotics, and renewable energy.

John regularly advises domestic and international clients in national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and assists clients with related regulations including the mitigation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI). He provides transactional guidance by performing operational and economic impact studies, in addition to evaluating current-state and target-state corporate security models. John also advises clients on comprehensive mitigation structures, including implementation and assessment considerations that may impact national security standards or deal economics.

John completed his PhD at Robert Morris University. His thesis, “The Feasibility of Game Theory Approaches: An Investigative Study of Threats to U.S. National Security from Foreign Investment,” describes how the United States can address the convergence of national security and economic security in a highly dynamic, technologically connected, and economically interdependent world. He received an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, and an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Juniata College.

John completed the Senior Executives in National & International Security program at the Harvard Kennedy School. He earned the Stanford Advanced Computer Security Certificate from Stanford University, completing coursework in cybersecurity and executive strategy, cryptography, information security, emerging threats and defenses, writing secure code, and exploiting and protecting web applications. He has completed Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) trainings on cybersecurity, insider threat management, and FOCI. Further, he completed the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Program focused on how to drive innovation with blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh PA

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 

Dissertation: The Feasibility of Game Theory Approaches: An Investigative Study of Threats to U.S. National Security from Foreign Investment​

University of North Carolina (UNC) 

Kenan-Flagler Business School​​

Master of Business Administration (MBA)​

Juniata College, Huntingdon PA​

Bachelor of Science, Accounting

Relevant Training

Senior Executives in National Security

Harvard Kennedy School

Advanced Computer Security Certificate

Stanford University Center for Professional Development

Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)​

Outside Director / Proxyholder Baseline Training: FOCI Mitigation​

Insider Threat Awareness

Cybersecurity Awareness

Oxford Blockchain Strategy Program

Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Chinese for Effective Professional Engagement

American Mandarin Society

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Extensive experience providing critical strategic advice at the intersection of national security, technology, and business strategy – developing innovative solutions during times of change and transformation where budget, reputation, and performance outcomes are at risk.

Board of Directors Experience (Current): 

  • Serving as the Security Director on the Board of Directors for multiple technology companies under CFIUS jurisdiction. These companies are ultimately owned by a Chinese parent company.

CFIUS Advisory Services: 

  • Over the past decade John has assisted companies to navigate multi-billion dollar deals in technology sector to receive CFIUS clearance during review and/or investigation phase of the CFIUS process. Assisted with operationalizing mitigation strategies for deals ranging from private-to-private, private-to-public, and de-SPACs. This includes transactions in the following high-tech areas: semiconductor design & manufacture (GaAs and GaN based MMICs), high-performance real-time computer hardware and software solutions (commercial + gov), embedded system and cloud software (real-time operating systems, simulation tech, dev tools, and middleware), full-stack solution combining hardware, software, machine learning, and UX for AR industries and drones, advanced engineering and robotics design and manufacture

Select Transaction Experience:

  • Security Software: USD 10B+

  • Video Game / Software Development: Private, USD 20B+

  • Electric Vehicles - Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC): USD 3B+ Market Cap

  • Telecommunications: USD 150B+ Market Cap

  • Semiconductor Manufacturing: USD 28B+ and 20B+ Market Cap

  • Renewable Energy: USD 10B+ Market Cap

  • Software Development and Cloud Data Management: Private

  • Robotics and Software Development: Private, USD 1B+

  • Satellite Design and Global Communications: Private, USD 2B+

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