Sudhakar Kesavan, Chairman and CEO, ICF International

Skim the headlines on any given day, and chances are you’ll see news of energy prices, climate change regulation, disaster preparedness and healthcare reform. When it comes to tackling these and other global issues, ICF International, based in Fairfax, stands at the forefront — thanks, in no small part to its CEO Sudhakar Kesavan. In the following Q&A, Kesavan talks about some of his company’s cutting edge strategies — everything from incorporating green practices to ensuring that his workforce stays engaged and vested in the company’s growth. Plus, he shares his long-term vision for ICF, and how small businesses can be apart of the company’s unprecedented growth.

Tell us your role and day-to-day responsibilities at ICF.

Sudhakar Kesavan: I’m the chairman and CEO of ICF International, a public company traded on NASDAQ, under the symbol ICFI.

You went public a couple of years ago. Tell us about that process and how it has helped the company.

Sudhakar Kesavan: We undertook a public offering so we [could] continue to grow and invest in our people and our business. Raising capital through a public offering moves us toward achieving our goal of becoming a more dominant player in our markets. The funds from this offering have improved our capital structure and our ability to invest in our business. Being a public company has also made it easier to attract and compensate the best people to work for ICF. Our performance after the public offering has been strong.

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