QinetiQ names new president and CEO

Tom Vecchiolla, a longtime defense executive, has succeeded Shawn N. Purvis as president and CEO of McLean security and defense contractor QinetiQ US, the UK-based parent company QinetiQ Group announced Tuesday.

Purvis joined QinetiQ in February 2022, having previously worked at Northrop Grumman, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and Lockheed Martin. In November 2022, QinetiQ US acquired McLean-based Avantus Federal for $590 million.

“We are pleased to announce that Tom Vecchiolla has taken over the leadership of our U.S. business, succeeding Shawn Purvis, who helped build the business and brand in the U.S.,” QinetiQ said in a statement. “Tom is a highly experienced and seasoned leader, having been president of Raytheon International Inc. and most recently CEO of ST Engineering North America.”

Purvis said in an interview Tuesday that her intent was “to build a presence and establish a platform” for QinetiQ in the United States, and that she felt she had succeeded. “Now I’m going to do something different.”

Vecchiolla comes to QinetiQ with more than three decades of experience, including military, public sector and defense industry executive roles.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in physics, Vecchiolla spent 22 years as a Navy pilot and later as an acquisition professional at the U.S. Department of Defense. He then worked as a military legislative assistant for former U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, according to his LinkedIn page.

In 2002, Vecchiolla joined what was then Raytheon Technologies, now known as RTX. Over 15 years, he worked as the company’s director of business development and vice president of business development and strategy. For three years he was president of Raytheon International and led business development teams worldwide.

In 2018, Vecchiolla became president and CEO of ST Engineering North America, an Alexandria defense contractor.

QinetiQ US is a subsidiary of QinetiQ Group PLC, a British defense, aerospace, and technology company, that has more than 6,000 employees. QinetiQ US reported $1.3 billion in total contract awards during fiscal year 2024.