Beacon Global Taps Ex-Officials for New Tech Export Control Practice

WASHINGTON, DC – January 13, 2026 – Strategic advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies (BGS) announced today the launch of a new Export Control and Industrial Strategy Practice, a move that signals a growing need for corporate America to navigate the turbulent intersection of technology, national security, and economic policy. The firm has promoted Meghan Harris to Managing Director to helm the new practice and has brought on Kevin Kurland, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), as a Senior Advisor.

The announcement comes as companies in critical technology sectors find themselves on the front lines of an escalating geopolitical competition, particularly between the United States and China. Navigating a labyrinth of new regulations, supply chain mandates, and national security directives has become a paramount challenge for industries ranging from semiconductors and artificial intelligence to biotechnology and critical minerals.

A Response to a New Economic Battlefield

The creation of this specialized practice is a direct response to a fundamental shift in U.S. policy. Recent years have seen Washington aggressively deploy economic tools to achieve national security objectives, a strategy underpinned by landmark legislation like the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These initiatives pour hundreds of billions of dollars into revitalizing domestic manufacturing and securing supply chains, but they come with stringent compliance requirements and restrictions, particularly concerning business operations in countries deemed national security threats.

More pointedly, the Bureau of Industry and Security, where both new BGS leaders have deep experience, has issued a series of sweeping export controls designed to stymie China's technological and military advancement. Rules implemented in October 2022 and updated multiple times since have severely restricted the sale of advanced semiconductors, AI chips, and the sophisticated equipment needed to manufacture them. These regulations have sent shockwaves through the global tech ecosystem, forcing companies to re-evaluate their supply chains, customer bases, and long-term investment strategies to avoid running afoul of U.S. law.

This complex web of incentives and restrictions has created a high-stakes environment where a misstep can lead not only to financial penalties but also to significant reputational damage and exclusion from lucrative government-backed projects. The new BGS practice aims to provide the strategic foresight companies need to operate within this new paradigm.

The Power of Insider Knowledge

To guide clients through this minefield, Beacon is banking on unparalleled government experience. The appointments of Meghan Harris and Kevin Kurland represent a significant concentration of expertise in the precise government bodies that design and enforce these critical regulations.

Meghan Harris brings a rare blend of public and private sector experience. Before joining Beacon, she worked on supply chain security and export controls within the industry at semiconductor giant GlobalFoundries and the Semiconductor Industry Association. This followed a distinguished government career that included serving as a National Security Policy Advisor at BIS, a Director on the White House National Security Council Staff from 2018 to 2020, and the Policy Lead for China at the Defense Technology Security Administration. Her career path has placed her at the center of U.S. technology security policy development for years.

"We arm companies with decision advantage, the agility to adapt strategies in a fluid environment, and engagement strategies to optimize companies' strategic positioning and national security bona fides," said Meghan Harris, the new Managing Director of the practice. "Regulatory and geopolitical future-proofing can serve as a strategic safeguard against reputational and political risk and enable companies to navigate high-risk markets while maintaining credibility and optimizing business opportunity."

Kevin Kurland offers a deep well of institutional knowledge from nearly three decades at BIS, the agency on the front lines of implementing U.S. export control policy. Having most recently served as Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Trade and Technology Security in 2025 and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement from 2020-2025, Kurland was directly responsible for executing the very policies now challenging global industries. His experience, recognized with a Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award, provides an intimate understanding of enforcement priorities and the bureaucratic mechanics of regulatory change.

"Having spent almost three decades developing, implementing, and enforcing export controls at BIS, I've seen firsthand how quickly regulations and priorities change," said Kurland. "Today's business leaders need strategic advisors who understand how Washington thinks about the intersection of national security and technology competition, and can help them anticipate regulatory shifts and inform policy decisions before they happen."

A Strategic Expansion for Beacon

Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies has established itself as a premier advisory firm by leveraging the deep national security experience of its principals, who have held senior roles at the CIA, Department of Defense, and the White House. The firm's expansion into industrial strategy and export controls is a natural evolution of its core mission.

As the definition of national security expands to explicitly include economic and technological leadership, the firm is positioning itself to address the primary challenges facing its clientele. The new practice moves BGS beyond traditional geopolitical risk analysis and into the granular, operational details of regulatory compliance and supply chain resilience that are now inseparable from corporate strategy.

"We are thrilled to launch this new practice and welcome Kevin to the BGS team," said Eric Sayers, a Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies. "Meghan's promotion reflects her exceptional leadership in this space, and Kevin's decades of experience at BIS brings unparalleled insight into how export controls are developed and enforced. This team is uniquely positioned to help our clients turn regulatory complexity into strategic advantage."

For companies in the crosshairs of this new reality, the ability to anticipate the next regulatory move from Washington or a supply chain disruption abroad is no longer just a competitive edge—it is a condition for survival. By assembling a team with firsthand knowledge of the policy-making process, BGS is betting that the key to navigating the future lies in understanding the minds of those who are writing its rules.