Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation, which develops robotic systems that augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, announced that it has appointed the Honorable James “Hondo” Geurts as the company’s Executive Vice Chairman, effective immediately. Geurts retired from his role performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy for the Biden administration in August after serving more than 34 years in various military and government positions.
In his role as Sarcos Executive Vice Chairman, Geurts will be responsible for working with the Sarcos executive team to foster leadership development, identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities, scale its operations as it prepares to commercially launch its award-winning Guardian® XO® full-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton and the Guardian® XT® teleoperated dexterous mobile robotic avatar system, and to refine its efforts to meet the needs of the defense industry.
Prior to performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, Geurts was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition under the Trump administration. Geurts also previously served in the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) as the Acquisition Executive and Director of SOF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. He was also the driving force for ThunderDrone and SOFWERX, the military-civilian incubators behind the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) robotic exoskeleton project. Geurts was commissioned as a U.S. Air Force Officer in 1987.
“I am honored and look forward to serving in the role of Executive Vice Chairman for Sarcos,” said Geurts. “Given my experience with bringing innovative new technologies to the field, and doing so with speed, cost-effectiveness, and quality in focus, I believe I am well-positioned to help Sarcos scale its business as the company brings its robotics technologies to market for both the commercial and military sectors. It is a thrilling time to be part of Sarcos given its recent public listing and the resources that it provides, as well as the impending commercialization of its award-winning products.”
“First and foremost, Hondo is one of the greatest leaders I have ever met,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO, Sarcos. “He has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to identify and capitalize on opportunities others simply don’t see. His focus on identifying, fielding, and scaling innovative solutions translates perfectly to our work in the development and deployment of our industrial robotic systems. We are thrilled to have him join our leadership team at a critical inflection point in our history, and I expect him to have an immediate positive impact on our business.”
