China business strategy expertise

Alan Kohler joined Pamir after a successful career at the FBI where he led the agency’s Counterintelligence Division as Assistant Director.  Alan held leadership positions in the counterintelligence, cyber, and counterterrorism programs during his career, including chief of the Eurasian Section and Assistant Legal Attaché in London.  He also served on the Evidence Response Team and took part in the FBI’s response to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.  

Alan is a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Investigation, and the Exceptional Achievement Medal from the Director of National Intelligence.

He is a Rutgers University graduate with B.S. and M.S. degrees in ceramic engineering.

Robert has been involved in the management consulting industry leading telecom practices for nearly three decades, where he directly contributed to the global proliferation of the mobile internet within both the public and private sectors. His analysis of the South East Asian market provided insightful strategic advice in order for mobile operators to develop strategies to rapidly advance from 3G to 5G device and application offerings.

In addition to his management consulting background, Mr Koldys worked with multiple mobile operators and software development firms on a global basis. He was the CEO of a mobile data analytics company (MDS), and has served on the Board of Directors and Managing Director of a telecom software and private mobile network provider, SiRRAN.

Robert has also been highly active in rolling back the digital divide with a range of advisory roles for telecoms firms looking to better serve rural communities across emerging markets including Africa, India, China and Perú, where he also held a number of both public and private sector educational and networking roles.

A Chinese linguist by training, James Mulvenon is a leading international expert on Chinese cyber, technology transfer, espionage, and military issues. He received his B.A. in China Studies from the University of Michigan, studied Communist Party History at Fudan University in Shanghai, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, completing a doctoral thesis on the Chinese military’s international business empire that was published in 2000 by Routledge Press as Soldiers of Fortune.

Dr. Mulvenon has spent the last thirty years building teams of Chinese linguist-analysts to support the objectives of a wide range of government, military, and commercial customers. In 2013, he co-authored Chinese Industrial Espionage, which is the first full account of the complete range of China’s efforts to illicitly acquire foreign technology, and contributed multiple chapters to China’s Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage, which was published by Routledge in September 2020. Dr. Mulvenon is regularly invited to address senior government, military, and commercial audiences on China topics, and his comments have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other international media outlets.

Leah brings a wealth of data research and analysis skills to her Pamir role of developing new data collection and research tools — experience honed in her many years as a Chinese language analyst at the National Security Agency. She has also worked to support government and military customers and as an open-source expert in the private sector.

Her cultural familiarity with China and fluency in the language comes from time spent as a resident on the mainland, including studying at Peking University, and over two decades of intensive Chinese-language familiarization. She holds a BA in Chinese from the University of Michigan and a MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University.

Jon has 30-plus years of experience living and working in East Asia. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he worked for 13 years as an interpreter, translator, and speechwriter for senior government officials in Taiwan and the United States.

In 2005, Mr. Welch joined the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, where he provided analytic support to a wide range of criminal investigations including numerous technology-transfer cases. While with NCIS, he also deployed to Iraq, supervised an analytic team based in Japan, managed a 24-hour global threat-fusion center in Quantico, and served as the senior advisor to the Executive Assistant Director for the Asia-Pacific.

He holds a Master’s degree in journalism from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University and also holds a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

John is a life-long student of China, Taiwan, the Asia-Pacific region, and their relationships with the United States. He utilizes his regional knowledge and native language proficiency to support U.S. Executive Branch agencies and the Congress as well as advise commercial firms. 

Prior to joining Pamir, John spent over 10 years supporting U.S. national security agencies as a Chinese linguist-analyst, leading and training senior Chinese linguist-analysts. Earlier in his career, John was on the staff of the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. 

An established author, John has also shared his insights through international media organizations, including CBS, NPR, CNN, Nikkei, and Channel News Asia (Singapore).

John also teaches at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State and the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University (GWU). He holds a PhD in Political Science and an MA in East Asian Studies from GWU, and a BA in Political Science and History from the University of California, Los Angeles.