Hermeus, a venture-backed defense aviation company focused on building the world’s fastest aircraft, announced the appointment of Kim Nakamaru as General Counsel and a member of its executive leadership team.
Nakamaru brings more than 15 years of experience advising both public and private companies, including a decade focused on aerospace, aviation, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
She joins Hermeus from Relativity Space, a reusable rocket company, where she served as General Counsel and a member of the executive team. In that role, she oversaw legal, regulatory, risk, employee relations, environmental health and safety, and physical security functions. She also played a key role in building the infrastructure required to scale complex aerospace operations across manufacturing, testing, and launch environments.
Prior to that, Nakamaru held senior leadership positions at EagleView and Global Eagle Entertainment, both companies operating in advanced technology and connectivity solutions.
Nakamaru began her legal career clerking in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and later practiced at an Am Law 100 firm. She earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School and her B.A. from Princeton University. She also serves on the board of the California Women’s Law Center.
Her appointment comes as Hermeus continues advancing its mission to develop high-speed aircraft through rapid, iterative hardware development, aiming to deliver next-generation capabilities for national defense and allied partners.
KEY QUOTES
“Kim has navigated the most complex legal and regulatory environments in aerospace. As we push toward our next milestones, that experience is critical to moving fast while maintaining the rigor our mission demands. Her leadership is a significant addition to the team at a pivotal time for the company.”
AJ Piplica, CEO and Founder, Hermeus
“I’ve spent my career helping companies solve hard problems in complex, high-stakes environments and am drawn to undertakings that seem impossible. Hermeus is tackling a challenge that doesn’t have a playbook and pushing the boundaries of possibility in aviation. I’m excited to help build the systems and strategies that enable the team to move quickly from breakthrough engineering to real-world capability.”
Kim Nakamaru, General Counsel, Hermeus
