Leidos sees leadership changes, effective Monday

Fortune 500 IT contractor promotes several executives

Published July 1, 2021 by Kate Andrews

The Reston-based Fortune 500 government contractor Leidos announced a leadership shuffle Thursday, with the following changes effective July 5.

• Paul Engola, the company’s chief human resources officer, will be promoted to be executive vice president of the company’s national security space department. He previously served as deputy group president for Leidos’ former defense and intelligence group, as well as in various roles within Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
• George Reither, senior vice president of human resources, will be the acting chief human resources officer while a search for a replacement is conducted.
• Jim Cantor, the head of performance excellence and strategic partnerships, plans to retire later in the year and will become a consulting employee. Leidos is creating a corporate operations executive vice president role to oversee Cantor’s departments as well as corporate real estate and facilities, security operations, marketing and communications, and corporate strategy and special projects.
• Vicki Schmanske, current intelligence group president, will assume the executive vice president role. She previously was chief administrative officer, as well as deputy president and COO for Leidos’ health group.
• Roy Stevens, the current head of business development and strategy, will succeed Schmanske as president of the intelligence group. He previously spent 20 years at Lockheed Martin in several executive positions.
• Bill Bender, senior vice president and strategic account executive, will be acting head of business development while a search is conducted.

“These leaders have demonstrated their commitment to the Leidos team and expertise in multiple fields,” Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone said in a statement. “As we continue to grow as an enterprise, we must adjust to the changes we will see in our addressable markets. Our ability to remain flexible and agile in addressing customer needs is vital to our success.”

Leidos, which employs 38,000 people, reported $12.3 billion in 2020 revenue.

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