Leadership Team

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Leadership Team

Shawn Purvis

President and CEO of QinetiQ US

Shawn Purvis serves as President and CEO of QinetiQ US, part of QinetiQ Group PLC. As CEO of QinetiQ US, Shawn is responsible for the complete operations of the business while transforming QinetiQ US into a world class provider of innovative defense and security solutions.

Over the course of Shawn’s 25+ years of P&L responsibilities, she has led billion-dollar organizations in the areas of defense, intelligence and cyber security technical solutions in support of the warfighter and intelligence customers both domestic and global, achieving organic revenue growth and margin improvement year over year. Her experience also includes the functional integration of a multi-billion-dollar acquisition.

Shawn’s extensive experience includes strategic, financial, engineering, operations and customer focused leadership positions within Lockheed Martin, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Northrop Grumman.

Shawn holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Information Systems and was named as one of the Top 25 Executives to Watch in 2020/2021 by Washington Exec and WASH100 winner in 2021 and 2022. Shawn is a member of QinetiQ’s Global Leadership Team led by Steve Wadey, QinetiQ’s Group CEO and a member of the QinetiQ US Board.

Ronald LeClere

Chief Financial Officer

Ronald LeClere

Chief Financial Officer

Ronald LeClere serves as Chief Financial Officer for QinetiQ US. In this role he leverages his experience interpreting financial performance and presenting insights to assist company leadership with operational decisions as well as providing detailed financial analysis, reporting, forecasting, budgeting, and business case analysis.

Ronald brings over 25 years of executive experience in financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and risk management for large government contractors. He led FP&A for a multi-billion-dollar organization at GDIT, where he improved forecasting accuracy and financial reporting, improved indirect rates management, and identified operational efficiencies to reduce costs.

Prior to joining QinetiQ, Ronald served as the Vice President of Finance for SAIC, where he led the SAIC/Halfaker post-merger integration of financial systems and processes. As the CFO at Halfaker, Ronald led all company financial operations and functions associated with the execution of the company’s strategic and annual operating plans.

Ronald holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Metropolitan State College of Denver, CO, and an M.B.A and a Master of Science in Finance from Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, CO.

Bill King

General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

Bill King

General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

Bill King serves as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for QinetiQ US, where he is responsible for managing all legal affairs of the organization, including litigation, investigations, and ordinary-course advice and counsel, as well as overseeing the company’s ethics and regulatory compliance efforts.

Bill has more than 20 years of legal experience, including as in-house counsel with large organizations such as IBM, Acuity International, and NISC Holdings. He has served as general counsel, corporate ethics and compliance officer, and legal advisor to executive teams, boards, and management. Bill brings with him significant experience in government contracting, both as an attorney and consultant. In his most recent role, Bill led the legal department at Acuity International, where he managed functional integration and provided mission-oriented legal advice to guide business leaders through practical, legally sound strategies to manage risk and thrive in challenging environments around the globe.

Prior to his business career, Bill served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, retiring from the Reserve after more than two decades of service. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (B.A., English) and the Seattle University School of Law. He is a member of the DC Bar Association and a Virginia Bar Corporate Counsel registrant.

Eugene Chang

Chief Strategy Officer

Eugene Chang

Chief Strategy Officer

Eugene Chang serves as Chief Strategy Officer for QinetiQ US and is responsible for partnering with the senior leadership to develop, articulate, and execute an integrated business strategy for QinetiQ US while providing strategic leadership to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, and investment activities.

Eugene has over 15 years of experience in strategy in the Aerospace and Defense market and previously served as the Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for Airbus Americas, where he led the strategy and mergers and acquisitions functions in the US for Airbus. He has also served as a management consultant at Booz and Company in the Commercial Aerospace and Defense practice. In these roles, Eugene has been responsible for designing, leading, and executing organic and inorganic growth strategies and various operational improvement and integration initiatives.

Eugene has a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University.

Joe Boeckx

Chief Growth Officer

Joe Boeckx

Chief Growth Officer

Joe Boeckx has joined QinetiQ US to serve as its Chief Growth Officer. Boeckx is responsible for guiding every aspect of the company’s growth strategy, including customer engagement, business development, proposal operations, strategic pricing, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Before joining QinetiQ US, Joe served over a decade as a commissioned officer and counterterrorism intelligence officer with conventional and special operation forces. After government service he entered industry with BAE Systems where he held various positions spanning program management to Vice President of Business Development. Joe was on the integration management team for Leidos during the merge with Lockheed Martin IS&GS. He subsequently supported Akima (one of the largest Alaska Native Corporations) as their Senior Executive of Corporate Development during a period of record growth. Joe ventured into small business as the Executive Vice President for Business Development of Tenax Aerospace where he led the growth of their Airborne-ISR portfolio. Most recently Joe was instrumental in helping start a new tribally owned enterprise holding company for the Ojibwe Tribe in Minnesota, Makwa Global, LLC. His unique experiences combined with strong cross-functional team leadership, outstanding communication skills and his history of optimizing business processes and leading high-performing teams will be an asset to QinetiQ US and its mission-driven partners.

“Joseph is a results-driven leader who intimately knows our industry and the clients we serve. He knows what it takes to drive growth at multi-billion-dollar organizations while leading diverse terms and fostering strong internal and external relationships,” said QinetiQ US CEO Shawn Purvis.

Daniela Walrath

Chief People Officer

Daniela Walrath

Chief People Officer

Daniela Walrath serves as Chief People Officer for QinetiQ US, where she is responsible for streamlining core business operations while delivering exceptional organizational results.

Daniela has more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources with large organizations such as Acuity International, Northrup Grumman, CSRA, and Lockheed Martin. She has expertise across a multitude of operational functions including human capital, compensation, change management, organizational design, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership development. Daniela has led several HR organizations in initiatives including compensation, benefits, performance management, HR business partner support, employee and labor relations, talent management and succession planning, talent acquisition, and workforce strategies.

Daniela holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Human Resources, and Labor Relations from the University of Maryland and is a member of the Society of Human Resources and the National Association of Professional Women.

David Harrison

Vice President, Business Operations

David Harrison

Vice President, Business Operations

David Harrison serves as the Vice President of Business Operations. In this role he leads functional business operations - Information Technology, Security, Cyber, Environnmental Health & Safety, and Real Estate & Facilities.

David is a strategic Technology Executive with subject matter expertise in digital transformation, enterprise capability delivery, and enterprise service excellence. With more than 15 years of experience in leading functional organizations and programs, his delivers capabilities aligned to business needs to elevate organizational performance. In his most recent work with Northrop Grumman, David led large-scale digital initiatives / portfolios, and IT operational organizations that consistently delivered predictable business results.

David earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Delaware with a concentration in international business. He holds a certificate in project management from University of California, Irvine, a certificate in facility management from George Mason University, and a certificate in Executive Strategy from Chicago Booth.

Leticia Ballard

Head of Marketing and Communications

Leticia Ballard

Head of Marketing and Communications

Leticia Ballard serves as Head of Marketing and Communications for QinetiQ US and is responsible for leading and managing the depiction, reflection and resonance of the QinetiQ US brand to key stakeholders - internally and externally - through influential and impactful storytelling, media engagements, event marketing, digital content development and thought leadership initiatives.

Throughout her career at organizations like Mediavine, Northrop Grumman, and Sirius XM Radio, Leticia developed a reputation as skilled storyteller who is passionate about engaging with people, clients and the market to drive business strategies and successful outcomes. In her most recent role as director of communications at Mediavine, Leticia served as a strategic partner helping cross-functional teams to manage communications initiatives and messaging internally and externally, ensuring consistent storytelling and brand positioning for the organization to its employees, customers, partners and key influencers within the industry.

While at Northrop Grumman, Leticia served in various marketing and communications leadership roles including director of communications. Her work included developing global communications strategies across a multitude of portfolios to elevate core capabilities to be better positioned to win and maintain existing business. She also led merger and acquisition communications, launched new products, brands and subsidiaries while communicating within various countries, languages and cultures to tell the world about their core capabilities using multiple and varying strategic communications channels.

Leticia earned a bachelor’s degree in communications management from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in international business administration from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. She also completed the Business Strategy Development Executive Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

LeNaye Willis-Lloyd

Senior Vice President, Contract Operations

LeNaye Willis-Lloyd

Senior Vice President, Contract Operations

LeNaye Willis-Lloyd is the Senior Vice President of Contract Operations at QinetiQ US. She has over 20 years of contracts and procurement experience, and knows the assets of a government contractor are their agreements and contracts. As a senior contracts leader, LeNaye serves as equal parts business advisor and innovative problem solver to deliver the most successful business outcomes.

As Senior Vice President of Contract Operations, LeNaye provides executive leadership for all contract functions at QinetiQ US, including leading an in-house team of contracts professionals, contract administration, and procurement. LeNaye leads a wide range of complex strategic solutions for both programmatic matters and corporate initiatives as well as provides expert advice and counsel in contractual and procurement related areas.

Prior to joining QinetiQ LeNaye was Vice President of Contracts at C2 Technologies. In this role she was charged with oversight of company related issues related to contracts, subcontracts, and procurement. LeNaye was formerly a director at LMI where she worked on projects with high-strategic corporate impact, including mergers and acquisitions, post-acquisition integration, and international and commercial contracting. Earlier in her career, LeNaye served in program associate roles at international professional services firms, Abt Associates and RONCO Consulting, where she honed her project management and procurement skills on overseas projects for U.S. Department of State, USAID, and the World Bank.

LeNaye holds a Bachelors of Arts in history from University of California, Los Angeles, and a Masters of Arts in history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Christopher Forrest

Executive Vice President, Advanced Robotics & Mission Systems

Christopher Forrest

Executive Vice President, Advanced Robotics & Mission Systems

Christopher Forrest is the Executive Vice President of Advanced Robotics and Mission Systems for QinetiQ US. In this role, Chris is responsible for the general management of the business unit including setting the organization’s strategic direction and overseeing operations, product management, global support and business development.

Chris is a senior executive with progressive, broad-based experience in commercial aerospace and defense business development, strategic planning, international operations, and corporate finance. He has diverse functional expertise with proven ability to quickly analyze key business drivers and develop strategies to grow the business in multiple, complex markets.

Prior to QinetiQ, Chris held various leadership positions in Collins Aerospace, Rockwell Collins ARINC Europe, Middle East & Africa EMEA, and ARINC Research Corporation. These leadership roles covered U.S. DOD system integration solutions as well as information and communication technology products to the aviation industry, and airspace management for autonomous vehicles.

Chris has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration from Towson University and an MBA in International Finance from Loyola College. He is a member of the ACI World IT Standing Committee and the World Trade Center Institute.

Charles Fielden

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Intelligence, Cyber and Information Advantage

Charles Fielden

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Intelligence, Cyber and Information Advantage

As executive vice president and general manager for Intelligence, Cyber and Information Advantage, Charles Fielden brings to QinetiQ US more than 25 years of experience and an impeccable track record of supporting the intelligence community customers, commercial industry and military partners around the globe.

Prior to joining QinetiQ US, Fielden was most recently the CEO of a proprietary LLC where he led a transformation of the company culture, leading to 90% positive responses in employee surveys while improving profitability. He also spent more than 15 years at Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he grew their cyber and intelligence portfolio, winning multiple $100+ million contracts and gaining deep knowledge and trust with customers.

Fielden earned his Bachelor of Science in Global Studies from University of Washington. He also holds an MBA from George Mason University, and an Associates in Korean Language.

Jonathan Riksen

Senior Vice President, National & Global Security Solutions

Jonathan Riksen

Senior Vice President, National & Global Security Solutions

Jonathan Riksen serves as Senior Vice President of the Homeland, Law Enforcement, and Civilian (HLC) business unit for QinetiQ US. In this role he oversees financial management, delivery excellence, and provides strategic direction for HLC. He is also responsible for developing, coaching, and retaining the division’s high-performing staff.

Jonathan has managed large P&Ls which oversee a diverse range of customer missions, from infrastructure and application modernization to intelligence and surveillance innovation. He excels at building enterprise strategies to support scaling mission capability. Jonathan’s primary focus has been Federal clients such as the Department of Homeland Security components and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, and he is a leader in the areas of customer strategy, technology innovation, hybrid cloud, automation, and analytics. Prior to joining QinetiQ, his focus was building and executing enterprise strategies for Avantus Federal and prior to that oversaw portions of IBM’s National Security portfolio.

Jonathan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Roanoke College and an MBA from George Mason University.

Brendan Hess

Vice President, Operational Excellence

Brendan Hess

Vice President, Operational Excellence

Brendan Hess joined the QinetiQ US leadership team to serve as the Vice President of Operational Excellence. Brendan is responsible for guiding Change Management, Program Excellence, and Process Improvement across the QinetiQ US enterprise.

Before joining QinetiQ US, Brendan served as a non-commissioned officer and Counterintelligence Special Agent in the US Army. After government service, he entered industry with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he held various positions spanning from client delivery to program management. Brendan ventured on to Far Ridgeline Engagements (FRLE) as their regional business manager and then Chief Executive Officer. He led corporate direction, strategic goal design, capability development and was responsible for organizing and enabling the company’s products, services, and workforce before leading FRLE through QinetiQ US’ acquisition in 2022. His experiences and passion revolve around strategy, mentorship, and process improvement; “Start from a position of do the right thing, then work on how to do it the right way”.

Brendan holds a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies from Liberty University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Florida.