BWXT CFO steps down

Lynchburg-based nuclear components and fuel supplier manufacturer BWX Technologies on Monday announced that Robb A. LeMasters has stepped down from his position as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

The company also announced that it has named Chief Accounting Officer Mike T. Fitzgerald as the interim CFO.

LeMasters was on BWXT’s board of directors from 2015 to 2020. He became senior vice president and chief strategy officer in 2020 and transitioned to CFO in 2021. He became executive vice president in 2024.

“During Robb LeMasters’s tenure, BWXT has delivered impressive growth and significant returns to shareholders against a backdrop of financial discipline and strategic capital allocation,” BWXT President and CEO Rex Geveden said in a statement. “His strategic insights and dedication to the company made him a trusted personal adviser and key member of my leadership team. I am deeply grateful for his contributions to BWXT and wish him well in his next chapter.”

A company spokesperson did not elaborate on the reasons for LeMasters’ departure. Geveden said in a statement that LeMasters will continue to serve the company as a special adviser during the transition.

In a statement, LeMasters said he felt “privileged” to have spent the past decade with BWXT.

“It has been the professional experience of my lifetime — from supporting a newly traded public company to realizing consistent and sustained growth quarter over quarter under Rex’s leadership,” LeMasters said. “I have every confidence that the company will continue to enjoy outstanding financial success under the stewardship of this strong finance team going forward.”

Fitzgerald joined BWXT in 2022 as vice president, finance and chief accounting officer, where he was responsible for overseeing and reporting on the company’s day-to-day financial operations. Before that, he led MorganFranklin Consulting’s aerospace and defense practice as managing director and was an audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche. He received a rising star award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council in 2024 due to his financial leadership.

“Mike Fitzgerald has made an impressive impact on the company in a very short time, and I look forward to working with him in this expanded role,” Geveden said in a statement. “His depth of financial understanding and extensive corporate experience will ensure a smooth transition and will support BWXT’s growth strategy and focus on operational excellence.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Fitzgerald has a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and an MBA from Fitchburg State University.

In February, the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program awarded BWXT contracts totaling about $2.1 billion for nuclear reactor component manufacturing and material procurement for Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines and Ford-class aircraft carriers.

In March, BWXT celebrated the official opening of its new Innovation Campus, set on 11 acres in Campbell County. The campus includes 170,000 square feet of offices and manufacturing space, which will house laboratories where the company’s Advanced Technologies business unit will design, build and test advanced nuclear systems for its clients, which include NASA, the Defense Department and commercial businesses.

BWXT has about 8,700 employees and 15 major operating sites in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.