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 Inc. Board.

Robert Waffle

Chief Financial Officer of QinetiQ Inc.

Robert R. Waffle Jr. is the Chief Financial Officer of QinetiQ Inc., part of QinetiQ Group PLC, a provider of world-class technology development, engineering research and development, and revolutionary products to the defense, security, and commercial markets for advanced sensing, robotics, maritime, and soldier protection systems.

In this role, he is responsible for leading QinetiQ’s financial activities and finance organization in the US, including accounting and controllership, financial planning and analysis, compliance, and program accounting.

Robert brings a vast array of experience to QinetiQ, having worked with US based companies such as General Electric, ITT Exelis, and Raytheon and UK based companies such as BAE Systems, Cobham, and Chemring. He has held multiple leadership and management positions in the financial and audit functions and has advised on and implemented changes to business models throughout his career.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Union College, and a Master of Business of Administration from the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Ronald Baham

Chief Growth Officer

Ronald Baham is the Chief Growth Officer for QinetiQ US. In his role he is responsible for the business development strategy in the US including overseeing capture, sales, pricing, and proposal management activities.

Ron is a retired Army Officer with over 38 years’ experience in the Intelligence Community. In the 20 years he spent in the Army, Ron worked at every operational and joint level supporting intelligence production; collection management; targeting and fusion; national and tactical ground station operations; command and training. As a strategist, Ron orchestrates market penetration through a deep understanding of customer needs and company capabilities (including those of strategic partners where appropriate) and tirelessly works to shape impending acquisitions to bring them together for the win. Ron has 15 years’ experience in the design, development and delivery of IT solutions and services supporting Combatant Commands, the Services, and Combat Support Agencies. He designed software applications for the management of airborne ISR operations, HUMINT Operations, and Collection Management that have been in service for over 20 years and are still being used and enhanced today. He has over 18 years’ experience in developing and growing business within the defense industry at levels up to and including Corporate Director of Business Development of a $12B leading Defense Contractor. As a Profit and Loss Center manager at Leidos, Ron grew his business from 4 Divisions and $185M in annual revenue to 7 Divisions and $325M in annual revenue becoming the most profitable Operation within his Group. In addition to managing technical development and services contacts, Ron also ran the only commercial software Division within Leidos creating geospatial and Full Motion Video analytic tools for the Army and Airforce that dominate that market today. He develops high-functioning teams that showcase the inherent value of the company to the mission of their customers to effectively gain and grow business in new and adjacent markets. He holds a master’s degree in Management Information Systems from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University.

Christopher Forrest

President of Technology Solutions

Christopher Forrest is the President of Technology Solutions for QinetiQ Inc. In this role, Chris is responsible for the general management of the Technology Solution 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. Chris joined QinetiQ Inc. in January 2021 and was previously Director of Global Operations for the QinetiQ Group. 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.