Akima Names Jean-Francois Blanc as New CFO

Akima has announced the appointment of Jean-Francois Blanc as its new chief growth officer. He will be responsible for leading its corporate development efforts to grow revenue and increase market share.

Blanc will report to Akima President and CEO Bill Monet, a 2020 Wash100 winner. Monet described Blanc as a “hands-on leader” experienced in securing major contracts from the Department of Defense and civilian agencies. 

“We are pleased to add him to our leadership team, and we expect his knowledge of the market and his past success winning strategic contracts will serve him well in this growth-focused role," Monet said. 

Blanc most recently worked at IBM, leading its U.S. federal sales efforts for large and strategic contract pursuits. 

His responsibilities covered the whole deal process, including competitive analysis and win strategy, solutioning, pricing and proposal development. 

Before the said role, Blanc also held other leadership positions at IBM focused on supporting customers in the defense and intelligence markets, with an emphasis on Army and Navy clients. 

The new appointee is an industrial and nuclear engineer by training. He began his career as a nuclear engineer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and later provided consulting services to various Naval commands. 

Blanc commended Akima for rapidly growing its status in the federal market and for building strong customer and partner relationships. 

“I am thrilled to be joining the company at a time when it is poised to build on a record of driving superior outcomes to expand into new customers and markets," Blanc said. 

He earned a master of business degree from the College of William and Mary and a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University.