COMMIT Fellows and sisters Kirsten and Charlotte Asdal co-founded Asdal Advisory Group, an applied research firm specializing in China/Taiwan risk for investors and corporations. The firm uses its specialist expertise on Chinese politics to help businesses make risk-informed decisions about their global plans and strategies.

Both Kirsten and Charlotte transitioned from military careers–Kirsten in 2021 and Charlotte in 2022—and initially worked for a prominent China risk advisory firm before deciding to take the entrepreneurial leap. As graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy, Kirsten and Charlotte turned to The COMMIT Foundation as a recommended provider for transition support.

They are advocates of the mindset that your first job out of the military does not have to be your last, which aligns with COMMIT’s philosophy. At their first company, they gained valuable private sector experience while honing their vision for their civilian professional careers.

The COMMIT Foundation helped them clarify that vision. It also gave them the confidence to pursue it.

“COMMIT offered clarity and gave me the confidence to imagine doing something different,” said Charlotte. She credits Meagan Thrift, COMMIT’s VP of Program Innovation and Engagement, for recognizing what Charlotte needed and shepherding her to the right COMMIT resources at the right time.

Kirsten found immense value in her coaching sessions with Alison Carrol. “Alison’s vast experience working with high-level executives helped her recognize patterns in my experience and validate them,” said Kirsten. “Through Alison’s guidance, I realized I wanted to branch out on my own.”

Kirsten took the first step and started the business, making sure Charlotte knew her decision was independent and not contingent on Charlotte’s plans. “We work well together,” said Kirsten, “and I wanted Charlotte to join me, but it was important to me that she didn’t feel pressured in any way. She had to decide independently what was right for her.”

Charlotte joined with Kirsten last summer, not long after launch. “We come from a family of entrepreneurs,” said Charlotte. “We lived it growing up, so starting our own business was a natural choice for us.” Starting their own business was initially intimidating, said Charlotte. “I didn’t have Kirsten’s confidence at first. But Kirsten reassured me, ‘We can do it–and, we can do it together.”

Through COMMIT, the sisters realized they wanted to delve deeper as China experts, continuing their decade-long study of China to become the best researchers and advisors they could be. They have made ongoing professional development a pillar of their new company.

“When you leave the military, you will have to learn another skill set. We’ve leaned into that and made our ability to upskill a competitive advantage,” said Kristen. “Now we are not only former naval officers with operational experience but also highly skilled Chinese-language researchers with academic chops.”

“Our job is to deeply understand the Chinese Communist Party and advise our clients through that lens,” said Charlotte. “Then we use our training as naval officers to be highly attuned to risk and risk mitigations, helping drive decisions not just delivering information.” Asdal Advisory aims to equip businesses with the knowledge needed to safeguard their investments and preserve long-term value.

Outside of work, the two sisters are good friends – something they say is an important contributor to their ability to work well together. “Our professional skills are complementary too, and this has made the business stronger,” Charlotte added.

When not working, Charlotte enjoys crafting and making gifts of all kinds—baby clothes, Christmas decorations, and hand-painted thank you cards. Kirsten says her hobby outside of work is mostly just more China reading, but Charlotte adds, “She’s an amazing piano player.”

The Asdal sisters are excited about the future of Asdal Advisory Group and grateful to The COMMIT Foundation for helping shape their entrepreneurial journey.