- Matt Ofilos’ tenure at Parsons followed a stint as AWS public sector CFO and nearly two decades at Raytheon
- CEO Gary Steele tied the hire to rising demand across every Shield business line
- Ofilos chaired Executive Mosaic’s CFO Group for the 4×24 Leadership Series in 2023
Defense technology firm Shield has hired former Parsons finance head Matt Ofilos as chief financial officer. The company announced the appointment Tuesday, bringing in a national security market veteran as it works to keep pace with demand for its products.
What Experience Does Matt Ofilos Bring to Shield?
Ofilos joined Parsons in 2021 and was elevated to CFO in 2022. Before Parsons, he was the finance chief for Amazon Web Services‘ Worldwide Public Sector business. He previously spent nearly 20 years at Raytheon in finance leadership roles covering air and missile defense, cyber, space, and training and simulation. Those positions included financial analyst in the air and missile defense unit, business controller for product support, and senior director of financial planning and analysis.
In 2023, Ofilos was appointed to chair Executive Mosaic’s CFO Group for the 4×24 Leadership Series. He earned a finance degree from Babson College and a master’s degree from Boston University.
What Did Shield’s CEO Say About the CFO Appointment?
Shield CEO Gary Steele said Ofilos is coming in during a period of strong expansion for the company. Steele said the demand Shield anticipates calls for an executive experienced in leading complex organizations, pointing to Ofilos’ track record at critical infrastructure, aerospace and technology companies.
“I look forward to his leadership as we continue to build a generation-defining defense technology company,” Steele said.
Ofilos highlighted Shield AI’s vision, culture and growth momentum as key drivers positioning the company for market leadership in the defense tech sector. “Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to help deliver the technology and capabilities our national security enterprise requires. I’m excited to join Gary and Shield’s mission-focused team as we accelerate our growth to meet global demand,” Ofilos said.
Steele took the Shield CEO post in May 2025, succeeding co-founder Ryan Tseng, who moved into the president role. Steele previously led Splunk and founded Proofpoint.
How Is Shield Expanding Its Defense Technology Portfolio?
The CFO appointment follows Shield’s Nov. 5 announcement that it agreed to acquire Echodyne in a $5.3 billion deal intended to expand its counter-drone and radar capabilities.
Earlier in 2026, the company completed its purchase of Aechelon Technology. Aechelon’s synthetic reality and visual simulation tools are expected to strengthen Shield’s artificial intelligence software Hivemind. Aechelon CEO Ignacio Sanz-Pastor reports to Steele, and the business continues to operate independently within Shield. Alongside that deal, Shield raised $1.5 billion in a Series G round and $500 million in preferred equity financing.
In 2025, Shield bought Crowdbotics’ Data Driven Readiness software, a flight data analytics platform, to help evaluate Hivemind autonomy performance. That year, it also closed $240 million in F-1 financing to broaden deployment of Hivemind Enterprise, with L3Harris and Hanwha Aerospace among its strategic investors.
Where Are Shield’s Autonomous Systems Being Deployed?
Shield’s autonomy software has moved into the maritime domain. In late October 2025, the company and HII tested an integration of Hivemind with HII’s Odyssey autonomy suite aboard the ROMULUS 20 uncrewed surface vessel. The test was Hivemind’s first maritime deployment.
In aviation, the Coast Guard selected V-BAT under a $198 million contract for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The contract also covers installation and pilot and mission training.
Founded in 2015, Shield develops Hivemind, the V-BAT and X-BAT uncrewed aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technology. It operates facilities in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
