A few months ago we caught up with Dave Sharpin, CEO of Auterion Government Solutions – the largest open-source drone software platform. Besides the developments in their Blue sUAS program, they also added a few prestigious board members including Ray Johnson, formerly of Lockheed Martin, and Heidi Shyu. Recently they added another high-profile hire, though not to their board.
Romeo Durscher departed DJI after six years. Shortly after announcing his resignation as their Senior Director of Public Safety Integration, he joined Auterion earlier this week as their Vice President of Public Safety. His focus will be helping first responders using drone systems integrate with Auterion’s open source solutions.
“I am incredibly excited to join Auterion and be part of the next evolution in the drone industry. Auterion’s open-source ecosystem provides first responders with transparent, secure, and configurable solutions that improve over time” said Romeo Durscher on joining Auterion. “For users to realize the full potential of their drone systems they need greater choice and flexibility. Auterion solves this by bringing together the best from providers across the industry to give users the ability to fully customize their systems all within a single platform.”
Auterion’s open-source software is already being used on roughly one million drones worldwide. Durscher’s role is crucial at a time when the U.S. government, wary of security issues with technology solutions made in China, including DJI, has decided to ground fleets they believe may be compromised and seek out alternative solutions from the likes of Skydio, Parrot, and Freefly Systems. The latter company partnered with Auterion to integrate their software with the new Astro drone.
“We are thrilled to have Romeo join our senior team as Auterion experiences significant growth, while we continue to deliver product innovation to customers across multiple verticals and use cases” said Lorenz Meier, co-founder and CEO of Auterion. “We are transforming the drone industry with an open-source ecosystem, and with Romeo’s extensive expertise and thought leadership in public safety and the drone industry we can meet the very customized need of first responders with cutting-edge drone systems like the Astro so they can work more efficiently.”
Durscher isn’t the only high-profile executive to depart DJI for Auterion. In early December Cynthia Huang, who held the role of Director of Business Development, joined as Auterion’s Vice President Enterprise Business Development. Notably, Errol Farr left AeroVironment and joined Auterion earlier this week.