BWXT taps new chief digital officer

Lynchburg-based BWX Technologies, a manufacturer of nuclear components and fuel, has promoted its IT executive, Kurt Bender, to senior vice president and chief digital officer.

Bender started his new position Thursday. In the role, he will be responsible for the company’s integrated digital strategy supporting global operations in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

He was most recently BWXT‘s vice president of IT applications, quality and continuous improvement. In that role, he led the modernization of the business’s core systems and artificial intelligence technologies, cybersecurity and the establishment of governance frameworks.

Before BWXT, he spent more than 22 years leading technology modernization efforts across leading aerospace, defense and technology companies, including L3Harris Technologies and BAE Systems.

“Kurt’s promotion comes as we open our new Digital Center in Melbourne, Florida, where we are accelerating a digital transformation that will shape our future,” BWXT President and CEO Rex D. Geveden said in a statement. “His leadership is essential to building a culture of innovation and ensuring we deliver with the safety, speed, agility and excellence that have set us apart in the nuclear industry for more than 70 years.”

Bender succeeds BWXT’s first chief digital officer, Omar Meguid, who was appointed in 2023. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why Meguid left the role or if he’s still with the company.

“We are grateful for Omar’s transformative leadership over the last three years,” Geveden said in a statement. “Omar built our digital strategy and executed it to perfection.”

A Fortune 1000 company, BWXT has approximately 10,000 employees and 17 manufacturing facilities globally. The company will announce its full-year 2025 revenue Feb. 23.