- Vather arrives from Leonardo DRS, where he led corporate development and investor relations
- He spent nine years at MANTECH running M&A and investor relations
- Stuart Davis retires in March after a 42-year career
Leidos has named Stephen Vather senior vice president of investor relations, bringing in an executive who helped lead Leonardo DRS‘ return to the public markets.
The company said Tuesday that Vather will succeed Stuart Davis, who will retire in March. Davis will continue running investor relations through the third-quarter earnings cycle to ensure a smooth transition.
What Experience Does Vather Bring?
Vather spent nearly four years at Leonardo DRS, most recently as senior vice president of corporate development and investor relations. He built the company’s investor relations program from the ground up and executed a $367 million secondary equity offering, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before that, he spent nine years at MANTECH, where he led mergers and acquisitions and investor relations, rising from manager to vice president. He executed 16 acquisitions and divestitures at the company totaling more than $1.1 billion and played a key role in its $4.2 billion take-private transaction with Carlyle in 2022.
Vather began his career as an M&A analyst at investment bank Sagent Advisors and later worked in corporate development and strategy at Mercury Systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.
Leidos CEO Tom Bell, a three-time Wash100 awardee, said he expects Vather to continue the company’s engagement with shareholders and the investment community around the NorthStar 2030 strategy.
Who Is Stuart Davis?
Davis rejoined Leidos in 2021, having previously served there from 2006 to 2009. His 42-year career includes investor relations and strategy roles at Perspecta, CSRA, MANTECH and SRA International.
“I want to thank Stuart for his leadership, sound counsel and many contributions to Leidos,” Bell said.
What Is Leidos Working On?
The appointment comes as Leidos executes a series of portfolio moves under NorthStar 2030. On Friday, the company announced it had completed a security-screening joint venture with investment firm Altaris, operating under the Analogic brand. Leidos transferred about 1,500 employees from its security enterprise solutions business to Analogic. The unit represented roughly $625 million in projected 2026 revenue when the deal was announced in April. Leidos will maintain a significant minority stake in the new business.
In March, the company closed a $2.4 billion acquisition of ENTRUST Solutions Group, adding more than 3,100 employees and doubling its energy infrastructure footprint. Leidos said it expects the transaction to be accretive to non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in 2027.
