Federal Contractors/Technology: TOM ARSENEAULT

When asked what makes him passionate about his work, Arseneault restates part of BAE Systems’ mission: “We protect those who protect us.”

Arseneault, whose first job was as a farmhand in Connecticut, added CEO to his title in 2020, after becoming president and chief operating officer in May 2019. He’s spent more than two decades working for the $12.5 billion U.S. arm of the British defense contractor. BAE employs about 5,400 people in Virginia and nearly 90,000 employees worldwide. In October 2021, it won a U.S. Navy engineering contract worth up to $478 million.

Arseneault has two degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Boston University. He is vice chair of the Defense Industry Initiative’s steering committee and serves on the Aerospace Industries Association’s board of governors.

PERSON I ADMIRE: Abraham Lincoln, who had leadership and humility in just the right proportions

NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE: Last year, I started tent camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: An ice-cold beer, preferably Sam Adams

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Sorry, I grew up in New England, so it’s the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins.