We provide data-driven scenario planning, strategic advisory and geopolitical analysis to help clients navigate today’s global marketplace. With an expertise spanning venture-capital placement, market research, risk assessment and financial literacy, we connect high-quality infrastructure projects with capital, deliver actionable insights for market entry and expansion, and provide precise, well-researched financial guidance to support informed decision-making.
Our Team
Earl Carr
Founder & CEO
Earl Carr is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at CJPA Global Advisors based in New York. With 25+years of experience, he manages the Global Research Team and guides the firm’s global thought leadership and cross-border business development mandate. Earl is also an Adjunct Instructor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs.
Winslow Robertson
Senior Consultant
Winslow Robertson is the founder and managing member of Cowries and Rice, a China-Africa strategic consultancy which promotes sustainable business practices by Chinese organizations operating in the African continent. Currently, Mr. Robertson is a Ph.D. candidate in Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School researching the intersection between ideology and management.
David Zheng
Senior Consultant
David Zheng has over 16 years of work experience, half of which was spent in China and the other half was divided between Southeast Asia and the United States. He has worked in executive roles for Fortune 500 companies, Chinese state-owned enterprises, and private Chinese firms, often leading multinational teams. He is keenly interested in the role of geopolitics and cross-cultural relationships on economic activities.
Jacob Dreyer
Senior Consultant
Jacob Dreyer is a writer and editor based in Shanghai, whose research focuses on the Chinese middle class and their impact on Chinese politics, economics, and China’s relationship with the world. He is a regular columnist for FT Chinese and writes frequently for Noema magazine; he has also contributed to the New York Times, Nature, the Guardian, and more.
Owakhela K.
Senior Consultant
Owakhela is a Data Analyst who contributes quality data-driven solutions and statistical analysis to solve organizational questions, issues and goals. Before his Analytics education at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, he was trained in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at New York University which formed the foundation of his skillset.
Essay Worabo
Partner: Technology & Innovation
Essay Worabo is an AI Advisor and Technology Transformation Leader with 11+ years of experience leading complex transformations, from cloud modernization to enterprise-scale Generative AI adoption. Based in the Bay Area, he has advised Fortune 500 companies and cross-functional engineering teams, including during his time at Accenture’s Technology Consulting practice, where he led 70+ concurrent GenAI proof-of-concept initiatives across healthcare, media, and pharma with a $2M budget. His expertise spans the full AI adoption lifecycle, from identifying high-value use cases and designing future-state AI systems to establishing governance frameworks and managing vendor ecosystems. He also helped develop an AI-powered agent architecture and phased rollout plan for a 700,000-employee HR transformation. Across AI strategy, Centers of Excellence, and enterprise program delivery, his work has contributed to $3B in bookings and $250M+ in identified cost-saving opportunities.
David johnson
Legal Counsel
David is a Partner in the New York office of PAG Law with over 30 years of experience. His practice focuses on capital markets, corporate and venture capital transactions and other general corporate and finance matters. David also serves as outside general counsel and advisor to SMEs and growth-stage companies. David has significant experience in the sports, real estate, financial services, infrastructure, energy and transportation sectors and particular experience working with sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities.
Christen Smith
Senior Consultant
Christen Smith is a filmmaker, creative director, and consultant who teaches animation production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Kanbar Institute of Film & Television. She is also the founder and director of Trellis Creative Strategies, a consultancy advising best practices for ethics-based media production. Over a career that spans decades, Christen has developed curricula and training on media production and critique for a diverse range of learners: from undergraduate college students to young adults incarcerated on Rikers Island; from employees at a digital publishing startup to volunteers serving in a megachurch.
Zack Kennedy
Associate
Zack Kennedy is a New York-based consultant with an interest in geopolitical and geoeconomic issues, with a passion for helping companies, governments, and NGOs navigate a changing global landscape. He has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Boston University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Nathaniel Schochet
Senior Associate
Nathaniel Schochet is a Senior Associate at CJPA Global Advisors, where he contributes to research and publications on China’s global engagement, with a focus on its presence in Africa and its economic activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. He previously worked at Integrity Risk International, producing due diligence reports on entities and individuals across Asia. Prior to that, he served as a program administrator for the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he co-authored several reports on regional security issues. Nathaniel earned a B.A. in Asian Studies, with a minor in International Relations, from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in May 2020 and received a master’s degree in May 2024 from American University School of International Service. His writing has appeared in The Diplomat, South China Morning Post, Forbes, The New Humanitarian, The National Interest, Breaking Defense, and China-US Focus. His areas of expertise include China and Southeast Asia, and he is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Lorena James
Senior Analyst
Lorena James is a Research & Insights Analyst at Red Ventures (CNET) and a LeadNext Fellow with The Asia Foundation. She is a Schwarzman Scholar alumna who earned a master’s in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Davidson College. Her background includes experience in SEO, analytics, quantitative and qualitative data aggregation, competitor analysis, and startup work in sustainable 3D printing.
Nigel Vinson
Senior Consultant
Nigel Vinson is a New York–based consultant specializing in geopolitical intelligence and client facing strategic advisory, with experience spanning the financial sector, think tanks, and academia. He focuses on delivering high-impact analysis to inform decision-making on complex geopolitical risks and emerging technology trends, with particular expertise in U.S.–China relations. Nigel holds a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies, along with a Mandarin proficiency certificate, from Ohio University, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Sydney.
Our Advisors
Art Brown
Amb. Art Brown is a senior U.S. diplomat and former Ambassador to Ecuador with over 30 years of experience across the State Department, USAID, and the Peace Corps. He has advanced U.S. economic and diplomatic interests across Africa and Latin America and served as USAID Director in Zimbabwe, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua
Joseph Ho
Joseph Ho has 20 years of experience in senior management across private banking and wealth management, global fund management, and multi-national insurance companies, and exposure in M&A and licensing activities. Mr. Ho was the General Manager of the Overseas Private Banking Division; one of the largest State-owned banks in China.
Sundaa Bridgett-Jones
Sundaa Bridgett-Jones is the Chief Partnership and Advocacy Officer for The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, a new enterprise to accelerate and scale equitable energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries. She leads a new partnership construct for the Alliance, spearheaded by The Rockefeller Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund, and has leveraged billions to date in support of a just energy transition in developing and emerging economies.
Yuval Stav
Yuval is an entrepreneur, manager, consultant, and lecturer in the fields of sustainable economics and strategic planning. He is a founding partner at Value Squared, Israel's first responsible investment house. Yuval serves as head of the department for economic development and strategic planning in the Western Negev Municipality Cluster.
Shirley Martey Hargis
Hargis is a consultant on China and international security at CRDF Global, previously spearheading China programming for the DOS. She has over a decade of experience in Asia policy spanning defense, economics, and technology in consulting, intelligence, and research. She serves as the Executive Director of Black Professionals in International Affairs.
Matt Harris
Matt Harris is on the investment team at Draper Associates. Prior to joining Draper Associates Matt was a Vice President at The Blackstone Group where he focused on providing growth financing to energy companies all over the world. Matt has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University and is a term member of the Council of Foreign Relations. He is based in Austin, Texas where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
Our Intern Analysts
SenJun Lu
Analyst
SenJun is a Finance and Accounting freshman at Indiana University with an interest in investment banking. He is a part of the Restructuring and Distressed Investing Club and Kelley Student Government on campus. Outside of classes, he also enjoys self-learning new market concepts and Excel modeling skills to deepen his understanding of financial analysis and valuation. This winter, SenJun hopes to further his analytical skills in market research on companies and industries to support CJPA's efforts, consulting on recommendations to best serve each client.
Georgia Pollard
Analyst
Georgia Abigail Pollard is a graduating senior at Indiana University Bloomington studying Chinese Language & Culture and Anthropology, with a minor in International Studies. A Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow, she has studied Mandarin Chinese at National Chengchi University in Taipei.
Her international experience spans China, Taiwan, and the United States. She has interned at the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation, supporting Indo-Pacific policy forums and drafting formal government documents in Chinese, and at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, producing policy briefs for the Director of the Academy.
Georgia has presented policy work to the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg through the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomacy Lab and served as Treasurer of Indiana University’s International Affairs Honors Society, Sigma Iota Rho.
Aaryaman “AJ” Jha
Analyst
Aaryaman “AJ” Jha is a freshman at Emory University studying computer science and finance. On campus, he is involved in several organizations across finance and consulting, including the Real Estate Private Equity Fund, where he helps analyze investments for a $350K student-managed portfolio, and consulting initiatives through Consult Your Community and the Sustainable Business Group, working with both Atlanta-based and strategy-focused clients. He also works with UNICEF through the Emory Data Science Club, contributing to projects that improve climate-related visualizations. Outside of academics, AJ works as a DJ and competes as a golfer. This spring, he aims to further develop his analytical skills in market research while helping raise capital and support CJPA’s clients, particularly in the venture capital space.