Thomas Bell, CEO of Leidos, has made his debut on Executive Mosaic’s most prestigious 2024 Wash100 list for his leadership and dedication to driving the development of next-generation technologies for defense, intelligence and national security sectors.
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Now in its 11th historic year, the coveted Wash100 Award recognizes the top 100 executives across the public and private sectors for their impactful contributions to the government contracting industry the past year and vision to advance GovCon innovation for the future.
“When Tom took the reins of Leidos last year, he brought with him a strategic approach built upon four decades of senior leadership experience at the head of major aerospace organizations. In his first year at the helm of the $14.4 billion company, Tom has proven to be a talented, consistent, strong leader. We’re thrilled to induct Tom into the Wash100 Class of 2024, and we look forward to his continued impact at Leidos,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and creator of the Wash100 Award.
Bell was named successor to Roger Krone in late February 2023 and assumed responsibilities as Leidos’ chief executive in May of the same year. The forty-year aerospace industry veteran joined Leidos after serving as CEO of Rolls-Royce’s North American subsidiary and president of its global defense business.
“I’m ready to stand with our 45,000 employees to harness technology and push the boundaries of what’s possible, building an even bolder, brighter future together,” Bell commented on his appointment.
Three months into his tenure, Bell raised the need for a new “North Star” to define Leidos’ strategic direction, decisions and goals for the years ahead, and identified key technology areas that differentiate the company from its competitors.
“The North Star isn’t going to be that suddenly we’re going to go 90 degrees left or 90 degrees right. The North Star is going to be more of a direction of travel on the trajectory we’re already on, but crisping it up, making it clear for our people,” Bell said.
According to Bell, Leidos stays ahead of the curve in areas such as cyber, software engineering, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, signals processing and materials technology that enables hypersonics.
“These are the kinds of things that we need to ensure we stay world class in because these are the things that are going to enable us to continue to serve our customers in a different way,” Bell explained.
Leidos subsidiary Dynetics completed its first test launch of a hypersonic test bed from Rocket Lab’s launch complex at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia as part of the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed program awarded by Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.
“This successful test has demonstrated first hypersonic insertion of a payload from a commercial launch vehicle and the team is ready to move forward into the next phase of this program,” Bell said. “It took our MACH-TB team only 45 days to create this innovative technology demonstration, which highlights our ability to deliver on promises.”
In November 2023, Leidos realigned its operating groups into five sectors as part of efforts to better focus its long-term strategy and drive innovation. Effective Jan. 1, Leidos is organized into five sectors: health and civil, national security, commercial and international, digital modernization and defense systems.
Bell said in an earnings call that the restructuring effort is part of the company’s North Star strategy, called Leidos Next, to “promote operational excellence, allow faster decision-making and more tightly align our business around key technology discriminators.”
“By streamlining the organization and encouraging decision-making at the appropriate levels, we’ll be more efficient and responsive to market changes and customer needs,” he said.
Leidos’ shares jumped nearly eight percent on the last day of October after disclosing that its revenues rose $3.9 billion in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, a nine percent increase from the prior year period.
“Our third quarter financial results build on the momentum from last quarter and are the direct result of our entire team being aligned on our direction and intent on delivering against our commitments,” Bell said.
The first-time Wash100 awardee sits on the executive committee of the board of directors at the Professional Services Council.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Thomas Bell and the Leidos team for their selection in the 2024 edition of the Was100 Award.
