Christian & Timbers is proud to announce the successful placement of a globally recognized leader in Robotics and Physical AI into one of the most consequential roles in enterprise technology today: Physical AI & Robotics Lead at one of the world's largest professional services and AI transformation companies, a $100B+ publicly traded enterprise serving over 80% of the Global Fortune 100.
This was a confidential search. In keeping with the sensitive nature of the mandate, we are not disclosing the names of the candidate or the client.
The Role
The Physical AI & Robotics Lead will define and lead the firm's position in Autonomous Systems Engineering, designing and deploying robotic fleets, agentic architectures, and autonomous agents at scale. The mandate spans offering development in Physical AI and Robotics, digital twin simulation, AI-driven manufacturing, and the development of lighthouse client solutions, in direct partnership with the firm's Chief AI Architect and the broader Data & AI practice.
This hire sits at the intersection of physical operations and artificial intelligence, two of the most strategically important frontiers in enterprise technology.
The Candidate
The executive placed brings rare depth across Physical AI, Robotics, Computer Vision, autonomous systems, and edge AI, with a track record of building and scaling global R&D organizations. Most recently, he served as Head of Robotics and Automation at South Korea's preeminent e-commerce and logistics company, widely regarded as Asia's answer to Amazon, where he led the development of full-stack fulfillment automation technologies across AI, robotics, WMS/WES/WCS, and autonomous systems operating across the U.S., South Korea, and China.
Prior to that, he built deep expertise in autonomous driving, AGV, drone systems, robotic manipulation, sensor technology, and AR/VR/MR, contributing to the field with more than 60 publications and 50 granted U.S. patents. He has been invited to speak at the World Economic Forum, AI-Summit, World Summit AI, NRF, ShopTalk, and CNBC East Tech West, among other premier global technology forums.
He holds advanced credentials from Purdue University.
Why This Placement Matters
Physical AI is the next frontier of enterprise value creation. As agentic systems move off the screen and into the physical world, across factories, warehouses, and logistics networks, organizations need leaders who understand both the AI stack and the physics of real-world deployment. This placement brings exactly that combination of technical mastery and operational leadership to a practice positioned to shape how the world's largest companies automate, optimize, and compete.
Christian & Timbers continues to lead confidential searches at the intersection of AI, robotics, and physical operations for the world's most consequential organizations.