SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (July 24, 2023) — Capewell, a global leader in custom-engineered survivability and aerial delivery solutions, announced that Colonel Michael Konczey, U.S. Army (retired) has joined the company as Chief of Staff. Konczey, a 30-year U.S. Army veteran, will report to Thomas Weidley, Capewell’s Chief Executive Officer, and will be responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and synchronizing all activities of the business, supporting the executive management team, and facilitating communication and actions across all Capewell locations in the United States and Europe.
“Mike’s extensive background in bringing value to high-level executive teams responsible for the oversight of large, complex operations makes him the perfect candidate to fill the Chief of Staff role inside our organization,” commented Weidley. “His exceptional leadership abilities and experience in decision-making, problem solving, cross-functional team building, process discipline, and organizational behavior is exactly what we need as we prepare to take Capewell to the next level.“
As Chief of Staff, Mike will play a critical role in supporting Capewell’s senior management team through the execution of day-to-day activities, engagements, and staff rhythm events, adding value to those activities and ensuring processes and procedures are implemented to streamline business efforts.
Mike Konczey is an accomplished military professional with decades of experience leading highly diverse teams in complex operating environments, including combat. Areas of expertise include talent operations, change management, crisis management, risk management and mitigation, and strategic communications. He also has thirty years of military leadership experience, including joint and combined settings.
Before joining Capewell, Konczey served as Executive Officer and principal advisor to the Commander of United States Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command, and United Nations Command, a four-star General who commands three U.S. and multinational strategic organizations that include nearly 30,000 military and civilian personnel in peacetime, and consists of representatives from the United Nations, South Korean Military, and all branches of the United States Military. In addition to integrating efforts across these diverse organizations, each with different missions, Konczey was responsible for synchronizing and facilitating communication and streamlining the flow of information and requirements to all of the Commander’s subordinate commands and their leadership teams.
Prior to that, Konczey served as the Chief of Future Operations for the same organization, where he was at the helm of a large-scale joint military and civilian strategic planning team that consisted of over 30 members. In that role, he led the development of future operations designed to support a wide range of crisis-response options throughout Northeast Asia. He also was instrumental in providing ongoing, thorough assessments of the war plan using high-level exercises that provided the insight needed for strategic decision-making at the command level to refine and execute the organization’s mission.
Before joining the United States Forces Korea, Konczey was Commander of the 434th Field Artillery Brigade in Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he was responsible for the training and oversight of more than 750 military and civilian personnel, as well as facilities and equipment valued at over $650 million. The brigade was responsible for basic combat training consisting of ten-week cycles and had a total annual throughput between 16,000 to 20,000 new soldiers per year.
“After a life-long career in the military, I’m excited to join Capewell and become part of an organization that’s dedicated to keeping service men and women around the world safe. I look forward to collaborating with the rest of the team to support Capewell’s mission and working with the global management team to drive continued growth well into the future,” said Konczey.
As part of his role, Konczey will be responsible for spearheading and championing Capewell’s five-year strategic growth plan and fostering the “Capewell Culture” across all global locations.
Weidley continued, “With more than thirty years of Military experience under his belt, Mike has an intimate understanding of the future operating environment, and what it takes to collaborate with the Armed Forces on solutions development for successful warfighting. This insight, in addition to all his other superb skills, will be invaluable to our organization as we continue to develop innovative new survivability and aerial delivery solutions for those going into harm’s way.”
Konczey has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He also has two Master of Arts degrees. One in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and another in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.