Drone company PrecisionHawk has survived 10 years in the industry, evolving from a manufacturer of an iconic fixed wing to its current position as a drone software and services provider.

Through the years, PrecisionHawk has taken many leadership positions in the industry, working closely with the FAA on flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and other areas of drone integration.  Most recently, former CEO Michael Chasen, a familiar figure in the drone industry, was named Chairperson of the FAA’s influential Drone Advisory Committee (DAC).

Under Chasen’s leadership, PrecisionHawk received some of the largest funding rounds in the industry: $75 million in 2018 and another $32 million in December of 2019.  Despite these successes, rumors of a shakeup at Precisionhawk have been rampant over the last few months – and today the company announced their next move.    James Norrod – who specializes in strategic partnerships – will take over as CEO, while Michael Chasen will continue to lead the advisory board – and the DAC.

Mr. Norrod brings an impressive history to the company.  “Mr. Norrod’s extensive portfolio of leadership experience includes serving as CEO of Tellabs, CEO of Zhone Technologies (Nasdaq: DZSI), CEO of Segway, CEO of Telebit (Nasdaq: TBIT), CEO of Adage, (Nasdaq: ADGE), and CEO of Infinite Power Solutions. He has also served as Executive Chairman of GreenBytes.  Mr. Norrod has led companies to successful exits to organizations such as Apple, Cisco, and Oracle. His career started with 10 years at IBM, where he managed the General Motors account,” says a PrecisionHawk press release.

“PrecisionHawk is grateful for Michael Chasen’s leadership in advancing the commercial drone economy and taking on a pivotal role with policymakers in Washington as the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee Chairman,” said Mr. Norrod of his immediate predecessor. “Michael grew the company significantly and helped pioneer best practices in drone-based geospatial data analytics across multiple industries. I am looking forward to continuing to build on his foundational work by delivering additional cost and time efficiencies, usability, and operational excellence to our customers. I am eager to partner with him as we continue to build trust between the American public and the commercial drone ecosystem, so that we unlock the full potential of this unique technology.”

“PrecisionHawk will continue to lead the way, assisting regulators and encouraging industry participants to adopt innovative policies, practices, and technologies that can support not only today’s drone use cases, but those of tomorrow. PrecisionHawk’s continued software innovation uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help enterprises better utilize data collected by drones to solve business challenges.”