L-3 Communications [LLL] on Wednesday named Chris Kubasik as its president and chief operating officer (COO) effective immediately, a move designed to strengthen the company’s organization and performance.
Kubasik, who three years ago was less than two months away from becoming CEO of Lockheed Martin [LMT] before being fired for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, takes on the new position of COO and takes over the position of president from Michael Strianese, who is L-3’s chairman and CEO.
“Chris is a proven leader with broad experience across our industry,” Strianese said in a statement. “The company strongly believes that Chris is the right person to execute our strategy for growth, optimize performance and contribute to increasing shareholder value.”
Howard Rubel, aerospace and defense analyst with Jefferies & Co., said in a note to clients that the hiring of Kubasik “is a compelling action that reflects a determined effort by Mr. Strianese to elevate the company’s performance.” He added that “we expect Chris to help develop and strengthen L-3’s organization and operations.”
Kubasik joins L-3 from the global professional advisory firm Seabury Group, where he was president and COO since March 2014 working with aerospace and defense clients.
Before being forced out at Lockheed Martin, Kubasik had served as the company’s vice chairman, president and COO. He had also been the company’s chief financial officer and
executive vice president of its Electronic Systems segment.
L-3 had $12.1 billion in sales in 2014 and has 45,000 employees.