Iain Christie

Founder and CEO at SideKickSixtyFive Consulting and host of the Terranauts podcast. Iain is a seasoned business executive with deep understanding of the space business and government procurement policy. Iain worked for 22 years at Neptec including as CEO. He was a VP at the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, is a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management.

A Unique Investment Space

File photo: government investment or private funding

The space sector is seeing a shift in funding. Five years ago, private sector funding was on the rise. Government spending was decreasing and appeared set to continue. There were some predictions this "reversal" of capital was going to remake the industry. It didn't. This page is for subscribers only. Already a subscriber? Log in. Fact-driven space news, columns, business, policy, technology and more. Support …

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Leading Your Way Out of a Complex Project

project complexity, complex project

I introduced the concept of complexity a couple of columns ago. In the last column I talked about the effect it can have on organizational culture when it is not recognized or handled well. In this final column on the subject, I want to talk about what can be done when you are faced with a complex project.

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Advice to Founders, Avoiding Blame and Seeking Success

Column avoiding blame

In the last column I talked about the concept of complexity as it applies to the management of large projects. In that column I also discussed the fact that the – often unrecognized – effects of complexity can drive organizational culture in ways that are, let’s just say, undesirable. In this column I discuss avoiding blame and seeking success.

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Private Investment and the Space Startup

Private investment

In the last column I wrote, I talked about the conundrum faced by government policy makers as they attempt to craft programs to help the entrepreneurial space sector.  One of the major dilemmas that they face is that all entrepreneurial companies depend on private investment to survive, succeed and grow.  Helping those companies means being prepared to help investors.

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Procurement, When All You Have is a Hammer

Canadian flag, government of Canada

I guess the subtitle of this column should be "can the government really help New Space companies?" The simple answer is - "well not really, if all it does is treat them like Old Space companies." Of course the real answer is a lot more complicated than that. This page is for subscribers only. Already a subscriber? Log in. Fact-driven space news, columns, business, policy, …

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