5 Questions with the CEO

In Episode 22 of “5 Questions with the CEO,” General Joe Votel talks with trendsetting aviation executive and BENS member, Stephanie Chung. The first African-American president of an aviation brand, she was named to Adweek’s 2021 Women Trailblazers and to the Robb Report 2021 magazine featuring “23 Black Visionaries Who are Changing the Luxury World Right Now.”

Chung talks about shattering glass ceilings, sales psychology, the neuroscience of selling, and how being a military child shaped her views on strength and service. Votel and Chung explore their strong belief that today’s generation of young people are up for the global challenges ahead.

Don’t miss this high-energy discussion about cutting-edge science, proven leadership strategies, personal stories, and Stephanie’s trademark sense of humor!

In Episode 21 of “5 Questions with the CEO,” General Joe Votel talks with the wildly successful start-up genius, Jeremy Hitchcock, BENS member, and co-founder and Partner at New North Ventures. Hitchcock talks about co-founding his first company as a college sophomore, the public challenge that almost derailed it, and how overcoming it led to its acquisition for over $600M. Learn about getting started and the importance of being a good person through it all.

The two talk about courage and the advice Hitchcock gives to aspiring entrepreneurs of any age: “Get started today! The worst thing that can happen is that you get a real job!” 

Hitchcock shares how important it is to surround yourself with young people who can keep you current with fresh ideas, and how Clay Christiansen’s book: “How Will You Measure Your Life” helped him think more about happiness, ethics, and setting a strategy for how you conduct yourself as a good professional and person no matter your level of success. 

Tune in to Episode 20 as General Votel talks with BENS member Adam Leslie about being a UH-1 helicopter gunship pilot and intel officer in the Australian Army, and his transition to the private sector as an entrepreneur providing advisory services to guide companies to access the U.S. and its allies’ national security domains. Don’t miss Votel explore Leslie’s additional work as a social entrepreneur. 

Today, Adam Leslie is the CEO of Levenhall. Levenhall provides advisory services to innovative technology companies, guiding them to access the national security domain in the US, Australia, and their allies. He is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He served twelve years in the Australian Army where he was a UH-1H helicopter gunship pilot, and 15 years in the Australian National Intelligence Community under the Foreign Affairs portfolio with long-term postings to Bangkok, Kabul, and Dubai.

Listen in as General Votel talks with Adam about being a social entrepreneur who is passionate about reinforcing the pillars of democracy through direct action in countries where democracy and peace are at risk via his start-up, OTX International.

Tom Noonan is a founding partner of TechOperators LLC, an early-stage technology investment firm in
Atlanta. Noonan is also Chairman of TEN Holdings, LLC, a diversified family office investment company.
Most recently, he was the General Manager of the Energy Management business of Cisco Systems,
following the acquisition of his company JouleX in 2013, where he was co-founder and CEO. A serial
entrepreneur, Noonan also co-founded Endgame Security which was acquired by Elastic N.V. in 2019.
He is also the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Internet Security Systems, Inc.,
which was acquired by IBM for $1.8B in 2006.

Prior to co-founding ISS, Noonan held senior management positions at Dun and Bradstreet Software,
where he was vice president, worldwide marketing. He began his career as a product manager and
engineer for Rockwell Automation, specializing in real-time, automated control systems for computer-
integrated manufacturing. Noonan founded two successful technology companies while residing in
Boston: Actuation Electronics, a precision motion-control company and Leapfrog Technologies, a
software development company designed for networked control system applications.
Noonan’s management style and vision have been widely recognized by industry-leading publications
including Forbes, Business Week and Fortune. In 1999, Ernst and Young recognized him as
“Entrepreneur of the Year.” In 2002, President Bush appointed Noonan to serve on the National
Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), a White House homeland defense initiative that protects
information systems critical to the nation's infrastructure, where he served under President Obama and
President Trump.

Noonan holds a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a business degree from Harvard
University. He was elected to the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame in 2006. He is a frequent speaker at
leading industry events and serves on numerous company, industry and civic boards including
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE/NYSE), Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ: MANH), Bakkt, Inc., SalesLoft,
Automox, Grayshift, Caveonix and Polarity. Noonan also serves on committees and/or boards of
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and the Georgia Tech Athletic
Association. He is an active technology investor and is a leading philanthropist through the work of the
Thomas Noonan Family Foundation that supports education, environmental and healthcare causes
locally and nationally.

In Episode 17 of “5 Questions with the CEO,” General Joe Votel USA (Ret.) talks with BENS member
Albert Tan, who takes us on a journey that began when at 11 years old he and his family departed
Taiwan bound for the United States. Albert’s parents travelled to the U.S. seeking the American dream
of a life filled with limitless opportunities for their children. Don’t miss Tan and Votel talk about rising
tensions between China and Taiwan, the importance of a stable financial system, giving back when
blessed with great success, and the journey of a young boy who rose to achieve his parent’s dream.

In episode 16 of 5 Questions with the CEO, General Joe Votel talks with BENS member Brendan Marshall, CEO of Flow. Brendan is a serial entrepreneur and amongst his many achievements he has been named Forbes “30 Under 30.” In this 20-minute conversation they cover a lot of ground! The two talk business but they also dive deep into meaty topics such as embracing fear and courage when starting something new. What happens when you lose a leader in your organization how one honors their legacy while also moving forward with the mission – as Brendan was forced to do when his co-founder died suddenly and as General Votel has experienced in the military. They explore what it took for Brendan to shift his business interest from marketing direct to consumers to empowering entrepreneurs as they navigate the private markets to invest in their ideas. And why it is important to create an integrated balance in and outside of work. As always, our member shares with us why he believes national security is everyone's business.