Five Global Supply Chain Executives in GovCon to Watch

Businesses are forced to invest in enhancing their resilience as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains.

Companies are also doubling down on their technology investment by automating key parts of their supply chains, including warehouses and manufacturing facilities, according to global accounting consultancy KPMG.

KPMG added that the success of some businesses will rest on their ability to survive current supply chain challenges as well as prepare for what comes after.

The Potomac Officers Club—a division of Executive Mosaic—features five global supply chain executives in the government contracting sector.

Brandon Couch, Global Supply Chain Manager at BAE Systems

Brandon Couch is a global supply chain manager at BAE Systems. He has been with the company for four years.

Couch is experienced in contract management, supplier negotiation, venture capital and matters related to the Federal Acquisition Regulation. He has been overseeing global supply activities for BAE since March 2019.

He was the director of procurement and subcontracts at BAE before taking on his current leadership role. In this position, Couch directs strategic purchasing and modernization subcontracting across two ordnance plants.

The industry veteran joined BAE in 2017 as a supply chain manager, handling subcontracts and materials procurement, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Couch also held contracting and subcontracting leadership positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. He was also a functional area expert at Janus Research Group, where he led contracting, acquisition and financial model formation.

The contracting leader holds a master’s degree in legal studies from the University of Baltimore and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Penn State University.

BAE Systems offers products and services that support operations in all domains from sea to space and cyber. It is headquartered in Farnborough, U.K., and has multiple offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, the Middle East and Africa.

Janet Duffey, Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Lockheed Martin

Janet Duffey is the vice president of global supply chain at Lockheed Martin, working out of Fort Worth, Texas. She is a results-oriented and experienced executive who emphasizes the alignment of business strategies to achieve results across the pursuit, development and production phases of diverse aerospace programs, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

Duffey is skilled in process optimization, resolution of complex business issues and creation of compliant contracting organizations. Her key leadership attributes include change leadership, organizational communication and driving results, according to her profile.

Duffey has been working at Lockheed Martin for over six years. However, she has been managing supply chains for the American aerospace and defense sector for almost 20 years.

Previously, Duffey served as the vice president of supplier management at helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky. She joined Lockheed Martin by virtue of its acquisition of Sikorsky in 2015.

Before joining Sikorsky, Duffey served as vice president of supply chain management at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, where she worked for almost seven years. In that role, she managed major subcontracts across 1,200 programs with a material budget of $1.6 million in annual receipts.

Duffey earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. She later earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California.

George Hawke, Director of Global Supply Chain Management at General Dynamics Land Systems

George Hawke serves as the director of global supply chain management at General Dynamics Land Systems, a designer and manufacturer of tracked and wheeled military equipment.

GDLS’ portfolio includes the Abrams main battle tank, Stryker interim armored vehicle, light armored vehicles, specialty vehicles and autonomous systems, according to the company’s website.

Hawke has over 35 years of experience in supply chain management. In his current role, he is responsible for directing GDLS’ strategies for global supplier engagement, commodity management, supplier segmentation and supplier relationship management, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He plays a leadership role in modernizing the company’s materials requirements planning processes.

Hawke said he also represents GDLS as a member of the Aerospace Industrial Association Supply Chain Management Council Executive Committee and the General Dynamics Corporate Supply Chain Management Council.

He previously served as director of supply chain management, responsible for the procurement and subcontracting for several GDLS business systems.

From 1982 to 2007, he held a variety of managerial and contracting roles at GDLS, later being promoted to director for supply chain for business processes and systems.

Hawke earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Detroit and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Northern Michigan University.

Greg Maxwell, Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems

Greg Maxwell is the vice president of global supply chain for Northrop Grumman’s mission systems sector, working out of Annapolis, Maryland. He is responsible for the strategic, operational and administrative elements of supply chain strategy, acquisition and execution, including subcontracts, procurement and the socio-economic business programs office, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In his current role, Maxwell leads 900 professionals in developing the company’s supply chain strategy and managing its execution. His work encompasses some $4 billion in annual material and services spending with 7000 suppliers. He joined Northrop in June 2018.

Before joining Northrop, Maxwell held positions at Raytheon, responsible for supply chain management, technology management and government property management, among others. He led the Raytheon Technical Services Company’s supply chain transformation as part of its overall restructuring in 2006, his profile further states.

Maxwell’s professional experience includes both commercial and defense industries as well as several start-up ventures culminating as senior director of collaboration services at Exostar. In that role, he developed significant commercial industrial marketing and product management experience with air products.

Maxwell’s career started as a naval officer for eight years with a specialty in nuclear engineering and surface warfare, including a time at the Pentagon where he worked in strategic planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Chief of Naval Operations.

Maxwell is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He later earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Eugene Jaramillo, Vice President of Global Supply Chain Management at Raytheon Missiles & Defense

Eugene Jaramillo is the vice president of global supply chain management at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, working out of Tucson, Arizona. He oversees strategic relationships with a network of suppliers around the world for air and missile defense systems, precision weapons, radars, command and control systems, and advanced defense technologies, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Jaramillo describes himself as a leader with over 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense. His team is responsible for over $6 billion in annual material spending and a global workforce of over 1,500 employees.

Jaramillo joined Raytheon in 2003 as a director of quality space systems. Over the past 19 years, he has steadily moved up the management ladder. He was with Raytheon Company when it merged with United Technologies Corporation to form Raytheon Technologies.

Before joining Raytheon, Jaramillo was director of supplier quality at Boeing Satellite Systems. He worked at Boeing for over 18 years.

Jaramillo earned his degree in operations management from the University of Southern California. He later earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola Marymount University. Additionally, he earned an associate’s degree in laser technology and laser optics from Pasadena City College.

ABOUT POTOMAC OFFICERS CLUB

The Potomac Officers Club is owned and operated by Executive Mosaic. Since 2002, Executive Mosaic has been a leader in media and exclusive senior executive networking programs primarily targeted to the U.S. federal government contracting (GovCon) marketplace. In addition to connecting executives of consequence into a fabric of like minded communities, the company’s growing cross-media platform serves as a leading source of news about the people, policies, trends and events shaping the nation’s GovCon sector.

Category: Executive Profiles

Tags: Brandon Couch Eugene Jaramillo Executive Profiles George Hawke global supply chain govcon government contracting Greg Maxwell Janet Duffey KPMG