Persona AI Appoints Michael Perry as Head of Commercial Strategy

Hire signals Persona's shift toward commercial deployment of humanoid robots for heavy industry

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Persona AI, an emerging leader in humanoids built for heavy industry, has announced the appointment of Michael Perry as Head of Commercial Strategy. Perry, a seasoned robotics and automation executive, will focus on building Persona's commercial framework, engaging strategic partners, enabling early adopters, and scaling customer engagements to deploy humanoid robots for industrial tasks.

Why it matters

Persona AI's hire of Michael Perry signals the company's shift toward commercial deployment of its humanoid robots, which are designed to address the growing labor shortage and automation needs in industries like shipyards, steel mills, offshore platforms, and construction sites. Perry's experience in scaling advanced robotics technologies with enterprise customers will be crucial as Persona works to bring its humanoid solutions to market.

The details

In his new role, Perry will work to define the business case for Persona's humanoid robots, solve integration challenges, and build the playbook for safe, scalable adoption by industrial enterprises. This comes as Persona has already secured agreements with HD Hyundai and POSCO Group to advance humanoid automation in shipyards and steel manufacturing, as well as a pilot program with the state of Louisiana.

  • Persona AI announced the appointment of Michael Perry as Head of Commercial Strategy on March 10, 2026.

The players

Persona AI

An emerging leader in humanoids being purpose-built for heavy industry.

Michael Perry

A seasoned robotics and automation executive with a distinguished track record in driving commercial growth, strategic partnerships, and market expansion for advanced robotics technologies.

Nicolaus Radford

CEO and Co-Founder of Persona AI.

HD Hyundai

A company that has an agreement with Persona AI to advance humanoid automation in shipyards.

POSCO Group

A company that has an agreement with Persona AI to advance humanoid automation in steel manufacturing.

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What they’re saying

“Now is the perfect time to join Persona AI as we rapidly close the gap between what's possible in the lab versus what's driving real commercial value.”

— Michael Perry, Head of Commercial Strategy, Persona AI (businessinsider.com)

“We're building Persona to solve real problems in some of the hardest industrial environments. Now we need someone who has taken robots from the lab to the factory floor and built the commercial engine to sustain it.”

— Nicolaus Radford, CEO and Co-Founder, Persona AI (businessinsider.com)

What’s next

Persona AI will be exhibiting at NVIDIA GTC 2026 at Booth #7021 from March 16–19 in San Jose, CA, where attendees can meet the team and learn more about the company's approach to industrial humanoid deployment. Persona AI's CEO and Co-Founder, Nicolaus Radford, will also appear as a speaker at SXSW 2026 in Austin, Texas to share insights on the rise of humanoid robotics, physical AI, and the future of automation in real-world industrial environments.

The takeaway

Persona AI's hire of Michael Perry as Head of Commercial Strategy signals the company's shift toward bringing its humanoid robots to market, addressing the growing labor shortage and automation needs in heavy industry sectors. Perry's experience in scaling advanced robotics technologies will be crucial as Persona works to define the business case, solve integration challenges, and build the playbook for safe, scalable adoption of its humanoid solutions.