Peraton taps new chief growth officer

Former SAIC executive Ravi Dankanikote began a new role on Monday as the chief growth officer for Reston-based federal contractor Peraton.

In the role, Dankanikote will spearhead Peraton’s enterprise growth strategy, lead business development and build and strengthen customer relationships. He succeeds Mike King, who left the company in March.

“Ravi is not just a growth executive — he’s a systems thinker, a connector and a values-driven leader,” Peraton President and CEO Steve Schorer said in a statement. “His ability to align strategy, culture and execution is exactly what we need at this stage in our evolution. He’s going to be a catalyst for growth that defines the next chapter of our company.”

Dankanikote has more than 30 years of experience in federal contracting. He was most recently senior vice president of business development at SAIC, a role he held for almost five years. Before that, he worked at CACI International for over 27 years, holding various executive roles.

Peraton says that Dankanikote’s leadership style “stands out for its emphasis on open communication, ecosystem thinking and principled execution.”

“Our business doesn’t succeed by chasing trends — it thrives by solving real problems with ingenuity and integrity,” Dankanikote said in a statement. “We must lead with a ‘best of’ enterprise mindset while staying deeply connected to our ecosystem of partners and academic collaborators. It’s not just about offering a solution — it’s about offering the right solution: one that’s differentiated, executable and built on trust.”

Dankanikote holds a master’s degree in computer science from Pennsylvania’s Shippensburg University and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from R V College of Engineering in Bangalore, India.

Peraton is owned by Veritas Capital, which established the government contracting firm in 2017. Four years later, Peraton purchased Chantilly-based IT contractor Perspecta and Northrop Grumman’s federal IT and mission support services businesses for a total of $10.5 billion. In 2023, Peraton moved its headquarters from Herndon to Reston. The company has more than 18,000 employees.