In this monthly column, Defense Daily highlights individuals from across the government, industry and academia whose efforts contribute daily to national defense, from the program managers to the human resource leaders, to the engineers and logistics officers.
Hector Pelayo is the group president for Space, Air and Sea at Tyto Athene. A U.S. Army veteran with over 20 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, Pelayo currently leads a portfolio of solutions and services that support the Air Force, Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and other strategic defense organizations. As AT&T’s Executive Director and Client Executive, Public Sector, Air Force and Space Force, Hector successfully managed the divesture, transition, and integration of AT&T GSI to Tyto Athene in 2021.
How did you get involved in the defense industry or community?
I enlisted in the Army when I was 17 and served in uniform for eight years. While in the Army, I was granted a security clearance – when I transitioned to civilian life, my security clearance helped me gain an interview and career opportunity with AT&T Public Sector. I started supporting what is now Space Systems Command in various roles across the Space Superiority mission area.
This wasn’t a planned career path per se, but the opportunity became available to me because of my previous military experience. I worked my way up at AT&T from an individual contributor to program manager to director and kept climbing the corporate ladder to where I am today as Group President of Space, Air and Sea at Tyto Athene.
What are some challenges you faced working through your career?
I never envisioned having the career I’ve had or being in the position I am today. As a young enlisted (E1) Army Paratrooper, then fast forwarding to a role supporting DOD Space mission, to where I am today, it’s been an interesting journey. As in most careers, obstacles and challenges are part of the business – I try to look at these challenges as opportunities to learn, grow and bring value to the people I lead and work with as well as the team/company I represent and our customers.
Growing up in the 82nd Airborne Division, I was in team/squad, platoon-level leadership positions at a very young age. Later in my career, while at SMU, I was fortunate to be around great leadership. My eight-year Army career prepared me for civilian life, the competitive business environment, and it continues to positively impact my overall life today. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served and still be around to benefit from my service.
I benefited greatly from the challenges and lessons learned from my military career. I was in positions of Private E1 to Sergeant First Class (E7), so my roles were mostly tactical. I have an appreciation for tactics and execution of a plan. This compliments my formal education and experience, where I continue to be a student of strategy. As Sun Tzu wrote: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
How do you work to be a mentor yourself to younger counterparts?
I’m always aware of my role, position and title, and try to keep that at the forefront when interacting with counterparts of all ages and experience levels to demonstrate being a good role model. My counterparts are able to see how I carry myself, my work ethic, and overall leadership style, and maybe even learn a thing or two from it. That said, I aim to stay true to my core values and always be authentic so that my message is genuine.
In addition to that, I recently started volunteering with the Space Force Association’s, Los Angeles Chapter, Guardian program, as a mentor to those who are in uniform. Modeled after the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Cadet Sponsor program, the Guardians program helps those aged 18-24 adjust to their first permanent change of duty station – focusing on quality of life to help Guardians feel connected. Through this program, we share our experiences, and I help answer important career questions for mentees. I’ve helped some of these folks in their transition to the private sector post-military service, especially within the defense industry.
What does it mean to be successful in your career field?
Success is defined differently from person to person. For me, it’s about having a business strategy that is centered around taking care of our people and our clients. If we can master these two areas, the likelihood of achieving or exceeding the desired business outcomes highly increases.
Businesses can’t deliver for its customers without taking care of their people first. When you invest in your employees and foster a positive work environment, it elevates outcomes across business units. At Tyto Athene, we build loyalty with our employees, customers and clients, which further builds our brand equity too.
What are some of the under-appreciated positions in the defense field, the unsung heroes or essential cogs in the machine that help the job get done with less recognition?
In the defense industry, there are quite a few unsung heroes that are critical. Strategic guidance, pricing analysts, contract specialists and human resources and talent management are the first people that come to mind. We need the right people in every position just like a football team.
These people often fly under the radar because they’re not customer facing, but they have a massive impact on our company’s talent, in turn affecting the future of our work for customers and their experience with Tyto.
How can the industry improve in promoting these individuals and building them up?
While most of these folks aren’t customer-facing, we should elevate their positions to be “industry-facing” by generating awareness of what they do behind the scenes. At industry events, there could be a panel dedicated to their contributions. Industry needs to appreciate all the work that goes into making a great final product. All of these unsung heroes care about the mission and delivering quality solutions and services.
What is your advice for new entrants to the defense/military community?
Be strategic, but make sure you have the right tactics to support your strategy. This means doing your homework. Research the target market you plan on operating in, understand the mission area(s), the challenges theses clients face, and know how your company’s value proposition can help solve such challenges.
When it comes selecting your employer, make sure it aligns with your core values. I encourage everyone to build your network and create a support system that can help you grow and become better at your craft. Although the defense industry is a multi-billion-dollar a year industry, it’s made up of small communities centered around a specific mission area. Therefore, don’t burn bridges – you never know who you might cross paths with again.
Finally, enjoy success but don’t settle. There’s a quote from Roy Vaden, which I truly live by: “Success is never owned. It is only rented – and the rent is due every day.”
We have to be ready to put in that work – the grind, every day.
What do you see as the future of your sector in national defense?
Across Tyto Athene, I’m extremely excited about the journey ahead for us. Part of that excitement comes from the recent acquisition of MindPoint Group which brings exceptional cyber capabilities and talent that strengthen our value proposition.
We’ve also had another recent acquisition of a space-focused software engineering company, Microtel, that adds immense value to our Tyto Athene team and brings with it a great new client with NASA. These recent acquisitions show our growth and strengthen our ability to use those capabilities across adjacent markets as we expand our new business pipeline. I can’t wait to see how we’ll continue to support customers, old and new, across the defense and civilian sectors.
Who are the Force Multipliers in your community? Let us know at [email protected].