Leonardo DRS CEO Bill Lynn on Defense Industry Future and Transformation
After 14 years leading Leonardo DRS through significant transformation, outgoing CEO Bill Lynn recently sat down to reflect on the company’s evolution and the broader defense industry landscape. Lynn, who arrived in 2012 fresh from serving as deputy secretary of defense under President Obama, is handing the reins to Chief Operating Officer John Baylouny on January 1st. When Lynn took the helm, DRS faced a precarious situation. The company was heavily dependent on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as those conflicts wound down, revenues dropped precipitously. The company had been acquired by Italian firm Finmeccanica (now Leonardo) years earlier, burdened by an overly complex security structure that magnified the revenue challenges.