Penta Announces Intelligence Leadership in Next Stage of Transformation

Lloyd Miller, Micah Wilson, Emily Vaughan, Sarah Henshaw, Lauren Wolfson and TJ Kelly take on new and expanded roles as the firm continues to grow its Intelligence footprint

New operating model, defined by forward-deployed engineers and a proprietary AI Harness, is designed to meet escalating client demand for integrated, real-time intelligence backed by senior judgment

Penta, the leading modern corporate advisory firm, today announced the next stage of its transformation: a reorganization of its global intelligence business around forward-deployed engineers, full integration with its advisory unit and an expansion of the firm's proprietary data and AI capabilities.

The move follows the September appointment of Dustin Johnson as President, Global Intelligence and AI, and underscores the firm's ambition to be an intelligence-forward advisory firm operating at the frontier. Roughly half of the firm's revenue currently comes from its intelligence business. The firm also announced the hire of industry veteran Joe Kingsbury as Senior Partner last month.

Lloyd Miller will take on an expanded role as Head of Solutions Engineering, leading a team of forward-deployed engineers who work directly alongside Penta's advisors and clients to build AI systems into clients' own workflows. As part of this team, Micah Wilson has been promoted to lead the firm's most advanced client-facing innovations as Head of Penta Labs.

To support this work, Penta will introduce a proprietary AI Harness that brings together frontier AI models, the firm's policymaker research and media intelligence, and tools designed for client work.

"We're responding to a fundamental shift in what clients need," said Penta CEO Jim O'Leary. "Political and market uncertainty is now constant. Clients have more data than ever and less clarity about what matters. They need answers that are fast and specific to their policy issues and stakeholders, combined with expert policy and communications judgment, so that they can act with confidence."

Penta also announced a series of promotions within the firm's intelligence business:

• TJ Kelly has taken an expanded role as an intelligence partner

• Emily Vaughan has been promoted to Managing Director

• Lauren Wolfson will take on an expanded role within Intelligence

• Sarah Henshaw has been promoted to Head of Program Management across Intelligence

Penta also announced that Mike Gottlieb, a partner at Penta, is leaving the firm.

"Our clients are making bigger decisions, faster, and they need a better read on the stakeholders that affect their business," said Dustin Johnson, President of the firm's Intelligence unit. "They need integrated intelligence instead of fragments from different vendors, delivered in real time, with senior judgment attached. This model is our answer: senior advisors, frontier AI and our proprietary data in the same room for every client problem."

About Penta

Penta is a modern corporate advisory firm helping global organizations navigate the intersection of political, reputational, financial, and technological risk. The firm combines senior advisory expertise with a proprietary intelligence platform to help clients understand and act on the stakeholder ecosystems that shape their business outcomes. Penta is headquartered in Washington D.C., with offices in London, New York, Brussels, Dublin, Singapore and San Francisco. The firm is backed by Shamrock Capital. For more information, visit www.pentagroup.com.