Onward Robotics Names Brendon Bielat Chief Product Officer

Veteran automation leader brings global experience from Amazon, Walmart, Google and RightHand Robotics

Onward Robotics, a fast-growing innovator in intelligent fulfillment automation, has appointed Brendon Bielat as its Chief Product Officer. The announcement marks a significant step for the Pittsburgh-based company as it accelerates commercial deployment of its Meet Me fulfillment solution, which integrates human workers and autonomous mobile robots into a unified, high-efficiency system.

Bielat takes on the mandate of defining and executing the product roadmap for the company’s Lumabot autonomous robots and the proprietary Pyxis orchestration platform. Together, these technologies form the foundation of Onward Robotics’ approach to creating faster, more accurate and more resilient warehouse operations across e-commerce, retail and distribution environments.

Bielat brings more than twenty years of experience in robotics and large-scale automation. His career includes senior leadership roles at Amazon Robotics, Walmart Advanced Systems and Robotics, Google, and venture-backed RightHand Robotics. Across these roles, he has been at the forefront of designing systems that blend advanced robotics, machine intelligence and real-world operational needs. His work has influenced global fulfillment infrastructure used by some of the world’s largest supply chains.

Lance VandenBrook, Chief Executive Officer of Onward Robotics, said the company is entering a critical scale-up phase, making the timing of Bielat’s appointment especially significant. He noted that Bielat’s mix of technical fluency, product vision and hands-on operational experience made him the ideal leader to guide the next evolution of the product portfolio. According to VandenBrook, the company’s mission is to redefine how people and robots work together, and Bielat’s track record reflects that same philosophy of delivering practical, high-impact automation.

Bielat said he was drawn to Onward Robotics because of its differentiated approach to human-robot collaboration. He highlighted the company’s Meet Me system, which coordinates tasks between workers and autonomous robots in ways that reduce physical strain, improve order accuracy and create predictable fulfillment flows. He emphasized that the future of automation is less about replacing labor and more about enhancing the capabilities of the workforce with technology that is intuitive, reliable and designed for scale.

Before entering the robotics industry, Bielat served for six years as a U.S. Navy Submarine Officer, an experience that shaped his approach to system reliability and leadership under pressure. He later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from MIT, after completing his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Onward Robotics

Onward Robotics continues to expand its presence across multiple sectors as companies invest in automation to remain competitive amid rising labor costs, increasingly complex order volumes and the continued growth of e-commerce. The company positions its Meet Me solution as a next-generation system that synchronizes human and robotic workflows rather than operating them in isolation.

The appointment of Bielat signals Onward Robotics’ commitment to developing automation technologies that combine speed, adaptability and human-centric design. As supply chains brace for the next wave of innovation, the company aims to be a defining force in shaping how fulfillment centers operate in the years ahead.