About Humna Khan

Founder & CEO of ASTRO | Chief Innovation Officer at THMG

Humna Khan is a strategic leader and engineer shaping the frontier of advanced manufacturing and applied innovation. She has spent more than two decades transforming complex technical challenges into intelligent, scalable systems - redefining how humanity designs, builds, and sustains progress. As Founder and CEO of ASTRO (Los Angeles), Humna built the world's first independent qualification platform for aerospace and frontier technologies that are additively manufactured. She also serves as Chief Innovation Officer and Partner at The Honourable Merchants Group (THMG) in Switzerland, and Technical Advisor to the Dubai Future Foundation.

Early Journey

Humna began her journey as a figure skater, developing discipline, precision, and resilience that would later define her approach to engineering and aerospace innovation.

Education

Multiple degrees in engineering and business disciplines

Various institutions

Reported to have 5 degrees across engineering and business fields

Current Leadership

Founder & CEO

ASTRO

Built the world's first independent qualification platform for aerospace and frontier technologies that are additively manufactured. ASTRO integrates additive manufacturing, AI, and predictive simulation to create a continuous feedback loop between design, production, and qualification, where failure becomes data and testing becomes intelligence.

  • •Supports more than 90 space companies
  • •Every major aerospace prime as clients
  • •Multiple government agencies
  • •Pioneering qualification frameworks across space systems, nuclear technologies, robotics, and sustainable propulsion
  • •Reduced qualification cycles from 2 years to as little as 3 months

Chief Innovation Officer & Partner

The Honourable Merchants Group (THMG)

Leads the Group's global innovation agenda across a constellation of legacy and emerging brands, integrating advanced manufacturing, AI, and systems design into the architecture of responsible industry. Works alongside François-Henri Bennahmias, former Chief Executive Officer of Audemars Piguet. Focuses on creating the connective tissue between precision engineering, digital intelligence, and long-term societal value.

  • •Leading global innovation strategy
  • •Integration of advanced manufacturing and AI across brand portfolio
  • •Responsible industry architecture

Technical Advisor

Dubai Future Foundation

Supports Industry 4.0 initiatives that connect advanced manufacturing, AI, and infrastructure resilience to national transformation strategies. Contributes to key projects including Dubai Future Labs (advancing robotics and industrial automation) and the Museum of the Future (developing frameworks that merge science, design, and experiential technology).

Leader, VIIALA Initiative

The Honourable Merchants Group

Applies additive manufacturing methodologies, aerospace-grade materials and processes, and AI-driven computational design to next-generation mobility through the future bicycle. Leads a global engineering and systems architecture team of 80, supported by a network of 20 international supplier partners spanning materials, design, and component manufacturing.

  • •Leading team of 80 engineers and systems architects
  • •20 international supplier partners
  • •Developing intelligent, regionally assembled mobility systems
  • •Uniting safety, sustainability, and performance in a single ecosystem of motion

Expertise & Specialization

Additive Manufacturing

  • • LPBF
  • • SLS
  • • SLM
  • • DMLS
  • • EBM

Materials Science & Testing

  • • Aluminum (AlSi10Mg, CP1, Scalmalloy, Al4047, Al-6061, Al-7075, F357, A6061-RAM2)
  • • Nickel/Cobalt (Inco625, Inco718, Hastelloy, ABD900, L605, Haynes25, Haynes 282, M-M509, Monel)
  • • Steel (SS 316, SS 15-5, SS 17-4, SS 310, SS 420)
  • • Titanium (Ti6Al4V, Ti6Al2Sn4Zr2Mo, Titanium Aluminide)
  • • Copper (GRCop42, CuCrZr, C18150, CuSn10, CuNi)
  • • Iron (Invar, FeNi)
  • • Refractory (Niobium C103, Tantalum, Tungsten)

Aerospace Systems & Innovation

  • • Aerospace Materials Qualification & Certification
  • • Quality Systems & Compliance
  • • Launch Systems & Mission Assurance
  • • Flight Hardware Validation
  • • Failure Analysis
  • • AI and Predictive Simulation
  • • Systems Design & Architecture
  • • Industry 4.0 Integration
  • • Robotics & Industrial Automation

Leadership & Strategy

  • • Global Innovation Strategy
  • • Cross-functional Team Leadership (80+ engineers)
  • • International Supplier Network Management
  • • Applied Innovation Frameworks
  • • Academia-Industry Bridge Building