Dave Abel

CEO

Protora

Dave Abel is Chief Executive Officer of C Speed, a leading provider of advanced, American-made radar and surveillance solutions serving federal, defense, and international customers. In this role, Dave will execute the company's strategy to grow and scale the business, expanding C Speed's reach across mission-critical markets and accelerating delivery of next-generation domain awareness solutions to the customers who depend on it. He brings more than 30 years leading growth, complex transformations, and platform creation in mission-critical markets. He has led large enterprises, PE-backed companies, and growth-stage platforms, driving operational resets, balance-sheet repair, and growth that delivers operational and financial results.

Before joining C Speed, Dave was CEO of Aventiv Technologies, a technology company serving corrections and law enforcement,
generating over $600 million in annual net revenue. He joined
Aventiv amid significant regulatory scrutiny, a challenged legacy business model, and a highly leveraged capital structure. He led a multi-year transformation that repositioned the business from a per-minute telecom model to a scalable digital platform, right-sized the cost structure, and strengthened operating cadence. Despite regulatory headwinds and constrained liquidity, Aventiv stabilized its core franchise, retained key customers, and expanded market share, including the four largest contracts in the correctional technology sector over three consecutive
years. Dave also led a $1.7B out-of-court debt restructuring, preserving enterprise value and enabling continued investment in the company's technology platform.

Earlier in his career, Dave held senior leadership roles at IBM and PwC, where he ran large P&Ls, reversed revenue
declines, improved competitive win rates, and scaled operations across geographies. At IBM, he led a $2B P&L in North American Public Sector and Healthcare Services, reversing an 11% annual revenue decline and improving win rates by 30%. As IBM's Managing Partner for South Africa, he more than doubled sales in two years while delivering the highest profit margins in the region. At PwC and IBM, he led homeland security practices, attaining number one market share at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and supporting programs across CBP, TSA,
ICE, and other national security stakeholders.

Dave later co-founded Prime Vector Inc., advising Fortune 50 companies, federal agencies, and mid-market firms
on automation, AI, cybersecurity, and large-scale digital transformation. He directly advised the Secretary and
Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce on national program strategy and oversight.

He holds a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and has completed executive programs at MIT Sloan in AI Strategy and Harvard Business School through McKinsey's CEO Excellence program. He currently serves on the advisory board of Sperry Rail, a safety-critical rail infrastructure technology company, advises the board of Aventiv Technologies, and has served in advisory roles with SecureSystems, American University's Kogod School of Business, and the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council. He has been recognized in the Wash100 Top Executives.

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