Richard French

Enthusiast
DISC Type : i

Vice President - Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, United States

Overview

Richard French is the Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Space Systems at Rocket Lab. He leverages over a decade of experience from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he was a mechanical systems engineer on missions like the Curiosity Mars Rover. He earned both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan.

Outside of his direct professional role, Richard is deeply engaged with the aerospace community. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and gives seminars at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he was recognized as the Alumni of the Year for the Department of Climate and Space in 2025.

He describes himself as a "manic implementer, " combining a vision for the future of commercial space with practical, hands-on experience developing spaceflight hardware.

Personality Overview

Amiable & Agreeable

Optimistic

Story Driven

They agree with others often, so exercise caution when relying on their word.  Unlike D or C types, they are convinced more by stories and testimonials. They prefer to build relationships rather than staying totally transactional.

Topics They Care About

National Security Space
His work and public statements emphasize delivering operational capabilities for missile defense, space domain awareness, and resiliency to support the warfighter.
Planetary Science
He is passionate about planetary science missions, frequently discussing Rocket Lab's work on NASA's ESCAPADE mission and advocating for affordable Mars sample return solutions.
Commercial Space Growth
He focuses on developing public-private partnerships, a skill honed at NASA where he led solicitations like Tipping Point to foster commercial space technology investment.

Media Appearances

Richard has no verified media appearances

Work History

6-2024
Vice President - Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab
12-2022 - 6-2024
Senior Director, Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab
7-2020 - 12-2022
Director, Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab
5-2017 - 8-2019
Manager, Technology Partnerships, Office of Space Technology at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
8-2007 - 5-2017
Mechnical Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Education

2006 - 2007
Master of Engineering from University of Michigan
2002 - 2006
Bachelor of Science in Engineering from University of Michigan

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Vice President - Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems at Rocket Lab
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Insights For Selling To Richard

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Compliment them about their personality if you get a chance
  • Speak from experience about success that the product has seen with other customers
  • Refer to interesting customer testimonials and stress on great customer experience

DONT's

  • Don't be critical or challenge them openly, they can react defensively
  • Don’t be too formal with them, they trust informality more
  • Don’t ask too many questions in one go, weave them into the flow

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Richard is

  • Relationship and rapport are valuable for them, but so is proven product value.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Richard

  • They probably won't say no directly.


Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Richard move?

  • They are not the ones to make fast decisions, even while they stay committed.
  • Can Richard take some risk or not?

  • They can take some low-probability risks if needed.

You And Richard

Personality Compatibility


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