Join The Band

For leaders facing unprecedented challenges

We advise on strategy, operations, and leadership across all key functions.

We are CEOs, VPs, and agency heads, each with 20+ years across Fortune 500, startup, government, and nonprofit.

Big transitions don't come with instructions.

We work with leaders stepping into new roles, turning around organizations, or taking teams into uncharted territory. When there's no playbook for your challenge, we create one—and coach you to lead with presence and conviction.

Most consultants see one slice. We see the whole board.

Unprecedented challenges don't stick to one lane. They hit growth, strategy, operations, culture, tech—all at once. We have senior leaders across every major function: leadership + culture, sales + growth, technology + operations, product + innovation, design + brand, investments + governance, systems change + purpose. You get the collective's perspective when you need it.

You get the people you meet.

No account managers, no junior consultants. Just seasoned operators who've led at organizations like Nike, Patagonia, 500 Startups, and the White House, bringing genuine humanity, kinetic working sessions, and the kind of energy that makes hard change feel possible.

makecontact@contrabandits.com

What We've Done

GROWTH & SALES

Built and launched 35 new ventures for Nike, each designed to generate $250M annually at scale.

Delivered 150% growth for On (pre-IPO) through disciplined expansion into 100+ premium retailers and deepening of strategic accounts protecting brand positioning while enabling scale.

Generated $100M for Nike in annual recurring revenue while saving 2 million shoes from landfill through Nike Refurbished, achieving 100% sell-through across 96 global stores.

Architected Patagonia's new national distribution framework.

Drove 85% growth accelerating Patagonia's Trail Running category.

Repositioned Sorel from winter boots to lifestyle business adding 160 new lifestyle retailers and scaling national account partners.

AI & DATA

Shaped the national AI conversation by curating Aspen AI Forum with McGovern Foundation, uniting tech leaders, journalists, artists, and theologians.

Transformed how the US Senate allocates $23B in foreign aid by partnering on data systems with Palantir for the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

PRODUCT & DESIGN

Reached 2 billion people through the design of a line of Nike products.

Provided clean water to thousands across 5 countries on 4 continents with a off-grid household rainwater harvesting kit, costing only $50.

INVESTMENT & VENTURES

Invested in Anthropic, OpenAI, and Perplexity -- the foundations of the AI revolution.

Invested early in Lyft, Notion, and 20+ other category leaders now worth billions.

Oversaw $100M+ in assets managed by Cambridge Associates.

IT INFRASTRUCTURE

Built cloud services in 2014 before market demand existed, so that infrastructure was mature when cloud boom arrived in 2018.

Built IT infrastructure for brands: John Deere, Costco, Epson, TOK America, Keen Footwear, Danner Boots, Leatherman Tools, Benchmade Knives.

Built the world's fastest e-Discovery processing system with no budget, officially verified by Relativity as their top-performing infrastructure globally.

SOCIAL IMPACT &

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Gave 2 million refugees across 9 countries a voice by designing the world's first customer feedback system for humanitarian services.

Brought clean water to over 100,000 people and helped stop a cholera outbreak during the Haiti earthquake, leading the disaster response effort for Nike.

Increased 2020 Census participation by millions by founding the U.S. Census Bureau's first innovation lab.

LEADERSHIP & CULTURE

Transformed how C-suite executives lead at American Express, BASIC Agency, Crispin, and DEPT through leadership mastery coaching.

Transformed 180 employees into high performers at Instrument, one of the world's most innovative design agencies, with comprehensive human development systems.