Serco CEO is leaving to lead KBR spinoff

Less than a year after taking the helm at Serco, Michael LaRouche is leaving the Herndon-based federal contractor to lead a planned spinoff of KBR’s Mission Technology Solutions business.

Houston-based KBR announced June 25 that it has named LaRouche president and CEO-designate of the company that will be created when it spins off its Mission Technology Solutions business. LaRouche will join KBR on Sept. 24, ahead of the expected Jan. 4, 2027, completion of the spinoff, at which point he will become the new company’s president and CEO.

KBR also named Nicholas Veasey executive vice president and chief financial officer of the spin0ff.

According to KBR, the spinoff will launch with more than $5 billion in annual revenue, 20,000 employees, and technology and engineering capabilities that support national security and space missions. The company’s areas of expertise will include digital integration, artificial intelligence, mission engineering and rapid prototyping.

According to Serco spokesperson Jake Weyant, LaRouche will depart Serco in late September. In the meantime, he will assist with the transition and work with the company’s management team to ensure continuity in the delivery of its business plans.

Serco is currently working with an executive search firm to find LaRouche’s replacement, and the process to appoint a new CEO is “well underway,” Weynant said in an email. “Serco’s strategy, operations, and commitment to customers remain unchanged.”

LaRouche became Serco’s CEO on Oct. 1, 2025, succeeding Tom Watson, who had led the company since 2022. LaRouche previously was president of Science Applications International Corp.’s national security and space sector, and left in 2024 as part of a reorganization. That year, he founded Emaler, a tech company focused on national security, according to his LinkedIn account.

Serco provides professional, technology and management services to the U.S. military, U.S. federal civilian agencies and other clients. The $2 billion North American subsidiary of British parent company Serco Group, Serco has more than 10,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada.

Before joining SAIC, LaRouche was a vice president at Raytheon (now part of RTX) for 11 years. Prior to that, he spent five years at Lockheed Martin. LaRouche earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the University of Colorado. He serves on the board of the Professional Services Council.

Freelance writer Courtney Mabeus-Brown contributed to this report.