Britain’s BAE Systems plc on Jan. 6 said that Jerry DeMuro will succeed Linda Hudson as head of the company’s United States-based division effective Feb. 1.
Hudson, who said in August that she would retire as president and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc., in 2014, will remain as an adviser to the company through May 2014 to ensure an orderly transition. Hudson will also remain on the board of BAE Systems, Inc. as an outside director until April 2015.
DeMuro, 58, stepped down late last February as the head of General Dynamics’ [GD] $10 billion, 44,000 employee Information Systems and Technology group after he was passed over for the top job there, which went to Phebe Novakovic. The IS&T segment has a global customer base. He joined GD in 1999 through the company’s acquisition of GTE Government Systems.
As President and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc., DeMuro will oversee a business that had $12.8 billion in sales in 2012, has 43,000 employees globally, and provides products and services for air, land and naval forces, advanced electronics, security, information technology and customer support. BAE Systems plc had $29.3 billion in sales in 2012.
DeMuro will also serve as an executive director of BAE Systems plc and will serve on its Executive Committee as well. He will also serve on the board of BAE Systems, Inc. DeMuro will report to BAE CEO Ian King and to Michael Chertoff, chairman of BAE Systems, Inc.
“Jerry is a proven global business leader who possesses the relationships and stature to ensure our customers’ challenges are understood and met,” King said in a statement. “His experience successfully running complex businesses known for developing cutting-edge technology for diverse international, commercial and government customers will greatly benefit BAE Systems, Inc., as it evolves its strategic focus toward expanding international and commercial business opportunities.”
Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, wrote in an article for Forbes that choosing DeMuro was a safe play by BAE.
“Because BAE serves many of the same customers and markets in the U.S. as his old GD unit, DeMuro will not need much on-the-job training to do his new job well,” Thompson wrote. He also wrote that should DeMuro need help, he’ll be able to call on Hudson who he has known since both were climbing the ranks at GD a decade ago.