Chris O'brian

I am a construction operations and enterprise business executive with 30 years of experience building and scaling capital-intensive construction organizations across commercial, renewable energy, defense, and critical infrastructure markets. I specialize in leading complex programs from strategy through field execution—aligning operations, supply chain, finance, and workforce performance to deliver predictable, high-quality outcomes at scale. My focus is simple: improve execution, strengthen margins, and build teams capable of delivering consistently under demanding conditions. As the Head of Operations at Gritt, I lead construction operations and product deployment initiatives that enhance field productivity and operational efficiency. I drive alignment between preconstruction, project management, procurement, and field teams to ensure disciplined execution, cost control, and measurable performance improvement across active programs. My mandate is to build scalable operating systems—where every project, process, and team performs better than the last. EXECUTIVE COMPETENCIES • Construction Operations Leadership | Large-Scale Program Execution • P and L Management | Capital Program Delivery | Margin Optimization • Preconstruction Strategy | Cost Control | Value Engineering • Supply Chain Strategy | Vendor Development | Procurement Optimization • Field Operations Performance | Workforce Development | Productivity Metrics • Organizational Design | Leadership Development | Cross-Functional Alignment • Risk Management | Safety Leadership | Regulatory Compliance • M and A Integration | Private Equity Value Creation | Stakeholder Management • Mission-Critical Logistics | Contingency Planning | Operational Resilience Prior to entering the private sector, I served in senior roles within the United States Marine Corps, Joint Special Operations, and the Intelligence Community. I led mission-critical operations, managed secure construction and infrastructure initiatives, deployed operational technology platforms, and directed global logistics and contingency support efforts. That command philosophy—built on clarity of mission, disciplined execution, and decentralized leadership—continues to shape how I build teams and deliver results today. I hold an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School and previously served as an advisory board member within Stanford’s StartX Accelerator ecosystem.