Our Team

The future of AI will require a new generation of infrastructure. Smartbird brings together leaders with experience across AI, cloud computing, enterprise technology, and large-scale infrastructure, united by a shared belief that organizations need more flexible and accessible ways to deploy AI.

Leadership

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Nadia Carlsten

President, Chief Executive Officer, Director

A visionary and builder, Dr. Carlsten brings deep experience developing AI and advanced computing platforms, paired with a strong track record in commercial execution, platform scaling, go-to-market, and capital strategy. Prior to leading Smartbird, Dr. Carlsten was CEO of DCAI, where she built and scaled AI infrastructure platforms from concept to commercial deployment, including Denmark’s sovereign AI supercomputer. Previously, she was Vice President of Product at Google spin-off SandboxAQ and Head of Product for the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at Amazon Web Services. Dr. Carlsten actively contributes to global technology discourse, advising on strategy, investment decisions, and scaling of AI and digital platforms. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council - Next Generation Computing and serves as Senior Investment Advisor to Ground State Ventures. Dr. Carlsten holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Annie Mitchell

Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Mitchell has more than 25 years of executive and senior leadership experience spanning finance, data, analytics, planning, business development and transformation for global organizations. She has served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer since April 2023, where she has been responsible for both finance and strategic management functions across enterprise-wide initiatives. Prior to joining Allbirds, Inc. in 2023, Ms. Mitchell was a senior member of the leadership team at Gymshark, where she led financial strategy for the North American region, overseeing finance, analytics and research. Ms. Mitchell also spent 10 years at iconic global brand, adidas, serving in various senior finance roles, most recently as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of adidas North America. She started her career at Gap Inc. Ms. Mitchell holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Puget Sound and an M.B.A. and an M.Sc. in Finance from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business.

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Kelly Olmstead

Chief Marketing Officer

Ms. Olmstead brings more than 20 years of executive marketing leadership experience across the sporting goods, footwear, and apparel industries. Prior to joining Smartbird, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Hanna Andersson. Earlier in her career, she spent two decades at adidas, where she held senior leadership roles across brand, retail, and digital marketing, most recently leading marketing for adidas North America. Her expertise spans brand strategy, digital marketing, communications, and consumer engagement. She holds a degree in Business Economics from Willamette University and completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

Board Of Directors

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Lily Yan Hughes

Chair of the Board

Ms. Hughes has served on Smartbird's Board of Directors since 2025. She brings extensive technology experience and a 30-year track record of operational excellence across corporate governance, capital markets, and corporate finance. Prior to Smartbird, she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at both Arrow Electronics and Public Storage. Earlier in her career, she was a Partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and held senior legal roles at Ingram Micro. She has also served as an independent director of NUBURU, Inc. (NYSE American: BURU), and held board leadership positions with DirectWomen and the Association of Corporate Counsel. She currently serves as Assistant Dean at Syracuse University College of Law and holds a B.A. and J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Timothy Brown

Director

Mr. Brown co-founded the company in May 2015 and has served on the Board since. He served as CEO from May 2025 to October 2015 and Co-CEO from October 2015 to May 2023. Before Allbirds, he was Manager, Innovation Strategy & Business Development at Redscout
(Mar–Aug 2015). In 2010 he was Vice Captain of New Zealand’s World Cup football team. He holds a B.S. in Design (University of Cincinnati) and an M.Sc. in International Management (LSE).

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Dick Boyce

Director

Mr. Boyce has been a director since December 2016 and served as the Company's Lead Independent Director from July 2020 through June 2026.. A former partner at TPG Capital, he founded and led TPG’s Operating Group from 1997 until retiring in 2013 and served on multiple public boards. He has advised Spyce Food Co. since October 2019, Proteus Motion Inc. since April 2019, and Altamont Capital Partners since 2016. He served on the board of Executive Network Partnering Corp. from August 2020 to October 2022. He holds a B.S.E. from Princeton and an M.B.A. from Stanford GSB.

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Dan Levitan

Director

Mr. Levitan has served as a member of our board of directors since July 2016. Mr. Levitan is a Managing Member of Maveron LLC, or Maveron, a venture capital firm, which he co-founded in January 1998. Mr. Levitan has served as a member of the board of directors of Trupanion, Inc., a publicly traded pet insurance provider, since April 2007. Mr. Levitan currently serves on the boards of directors of numerous private companies and non-profit organizations. Mr. Levitan holds a B.A. in history from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Here, creativity meets opportunity. Whatever you’re building, we’ll give you the tools, team, and trust to take the first step with confidence. Driven by curiosity and grounded in purpose, we pair bold thinking with thoughtful execution. So ideas scale, impact follows, and careers grow.

Join us and:

  • Tackle meaningful problems alongside experts who challenge and support you.

  • Own work that matters, from concept through delivery.

  • Learn constantly with real mentorship, generous resources, and space to experiment.

  • Shape a culture that values diverse perspectives, clear focus, and outcomes over ego.

If you’re ready to do your best work and build something that lasts, bring your curiosity. We’ll bring the rest.

Big ideas, real impact.

Join The Team