SAIC CEO Nazzic Keene Named to 2021 Wash100 for Leading Major Acquisitions, Advancing Significant Company Growth

Executive Mosaic is honored to announce Nazzic Keene, CEO of Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), as a recipient of the 2021 Wash100 Award for her leadership as SAIC acquired Unisys Federal and reorganized the company’s business structure to advance future growth priorities heading into 2021 and beyond. 

This marks Keene’s fourth Wash100 Award and the third consecutive time she’s won the most prestigious award in all of government contracting (GovCon).

Keene received her 2020 Wash100 Award for leading the company to major acquisitions, contract awards and the development of cloud platforms and growth initiatives that have significantly expedited SAIC’s expansion. 

Most notably, SAIC closed its acquisition of Unisys Federal in March 2020 for approximately $1.2 billion in cash in March 2020 under Keene’s leadership. Keene was adamant about the acquisition bringing a great opportunity to advance SAIC’s strategy on its modernization capabilities and the additional benefits of increasing customer access, accelerating growth and enhancing shareholder value.

“We are thrilled to welcome approximately 2,000 new colleagues to SAIC,” Keene said. “As one organization, we will make a profound difference for our customers through digital transformation. Our people represent some of the brightest minds in our industry, focused on innovation and excellence, delivering high-demand technology-driven solutions to customers.”

Keene stated about a month later in response to SAIC’s 29 percent gain in revenue during its fourth quarter of the 2020 fiscal year that the company was also looking to drive and solidify its position in the information technology services market with the addition of the Unisys Federal business. 

In Sept. 2020, SAIC also announced the reorganization of its business structure into the space and national security segment as well as a separate defense and civilian business to push the company towards advanced growth priorities in digital engineering, space and digital transformation. 

A few weeks later, EVPs Michael LaRouche and Bob Genter were announced to lead the two segments of SAIC’s news business structure in Oct. 2020. Moving forward, Gener has managed SAIC’s defense and civilian sector while LaRouche has led its national security and space segment. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, SAIC continued to report strong financial performance under Keene’s vision and leadership. The company posted a revenue growth of 11 percent in the second quarter of FY 2021 with approximately $4.6 billion in net bookings.

At the end of the year, the company announced another $188 million in revenue for the third quarter of SAIC’s fiscal year 2021 results, mainly due to the acquisition of Unisys Federal. 

“Despite pandemic-related challenges, which we are effectively navigating, we have kept our focus on the execution of our long-term strategy, advanced our positions in key markets, and delivered strong program performance,” said Keene

SAIC has made great strides in advancing sustainability and social responsibility. In a report published in July 2020, the company reported a 36 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the past four years, achieved strong corporate governance and helped address hunger in the country by donating more than 2 million meals to Feeding America.

The report also provided a snapshot of SAIC’s progress in various aspects of social responsibility, including industry leadership, ethical standards, privacy and data security, charitable giving and environmental stewardship.

“We take environmental, social, and governance responsibilities seriously. And together with our employees, SAIC is committed to making a real difference inside and outside the workplace,” said Keene.

Executive Mosaic congratulates SAIC and Nazzic Keene on her fourth Wash100 Award. Her commitment to excellence for the GovCon community continues to add value and prestige to the Wash100 Award’s innovative history. 

About The Wash100

This year represents our eighth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2021 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2021.