Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.
Rumi
Transformation Advocate and Board Director
About
I am Leon Shivamber, a transformation advocate and board director. Over more than three decades I have led organizations across five continents as an advisor, operator, entrepreneur, and CEO. I have partnered with Fortune 500 companies, led major turnarounds, and advised boards on hard decisions in complex environments.
My approach is simple to describe and harder to practice. I start from first principles, look for root causes instead of symptoms, and insist on fact-based, data-driven analysis of consequential issues. I share what I learn online, in the open, because the best ideas survive debate.
Experience and Leadership
- Board Director, VVC Exploration Corporation (TSX-V: VVC). Oversight of a natural resources exploration firm.
- Advisor, August Leadership. Guiding how firms identify, select, and onboard force-multiplier leaders.
- Board Director and Chair of the Campaign Committee, Baruch College Fund.
- Board Director, Chair, and Founder, My Drone Services. Bringing drone capabilities to farming, inspections, and oil and gas methane compliance.
- CEO, Atlas Group. Led a diverse portfolio of strategic businesses in the Middle East spanning communications, defense, energy, food, healthcare, hospitality, public safety, and security.
- Board Director and Managing Director, Harris Atlas Systems. Built and led an international joint venture in the Middle East.
- Advisor and Engagement Manager, McKinsey and Company. Strategy and transformation leadership for clients worldwide.
- Senior Executive and Officer, Harris Corporation, now L3Harris (NYSE: LHX). Five years leading the award-winning supply chain and operations transformation, plus roles across operations, manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and international development.
- Senior Executive and Officer, Arrow Electronics (NYSE: ARW). Supply chain, value-added services, and worldwide product and distribution services.
- Director, New York Consulting Partners, and Founder, Vertisync Inc. Strategy and transformation leadership for clients worldwide.
Education
- MBA, Summa Cum Laude, Indiana University. Finance, investments, and management information systems.
- BBA, Summa Cum Laude, Baruch College. Accounting, mathematics, and computer science.
- FLMI, Fellow, Life Management Institute.
Recognition
- 2007, listed among Distinguished Immigrant CUNY Alumni, A Nation of Immigrants.
- 2008, profiled for an award-winning engineering and supply chain solution.
- 2009 and 2010, AMR (now Gartner) Supply Chain Leadership Award.
- Named to lead Harris international development in the United Arab Emirates.
- 2009, featured in a University of Virginia Darden School of Business case, Harris Corporation: Financial Benchmarking.
- 2019, Oil and Gas Take Flight, Inside Unmanned Systems.
- 2025, Drones Detecting and Sealing Greenhouse Gas Leaks, Inside Unmanned Systems.
Projects and Advocacy
- Better detection of methane and gas leaks in oil and gas operations: My Drone Services.
- Safer drone operation worldwide through education and compliance: Drone Laws.
- Higher education reform through a clearer understanding of college ROI and financial literacy, set out in my book We Need To Talk About Higher Education and at College ROI.
- Fundraising for one of the highest social-impact engines among US colleges: Baruch College Fund.
- Broader participation in classical music for underrepresented groups: Nashville Symphony Accelerando.
- Sharing lessons learned to build literacy, problem solving, and leadership: Shivamber.
- Tools for financial literacy: Should I Pay Off Loan and the College ROI Calculator.
Personal
I am married to Leslie Shivamber. We live in Nashville, Tennessee. We have two daughters, Elise and Sara.
These are my own views, drawn from my experience and my reading of the evidence. I believe in the power of synergy, and I look for every chance to make a positive difference. Transformation is not a job title for me. It is how I try to live.
Always a Synergy Seeker. Leave it better than you found it.