Top 20 Cloud Executives to Watch in 2021

Derrick Pledger, Vice President & Director of Digital Modernization, Leidos

Derrick Pledger views the growth of Leidos’ Digital Modernization talent team as the biggest achievement of 2020. 

“This exciting growth included a diverse set of engineers, subject-matter experts and solution architects,” Pledger said. 

Pledger’s organization contributed to over $25 billion in contract wins across the enterprise in 2020. Additionally, it developed a digital transformation roadmap that guides customers through digital modernization. The process is aimed at eliminating fear, elevated risk and uncertainty as well as supporting legacy systems through shifts that incorporate cloud, artificial intelligence and machine learning and advanced cyber capabilities.

Why Watch

With an eye toward being the leader in system interoperability across tactical, on-premise and cloud operations environments, Pledger and his team are heavily focused on helping customers deploy edge-to-cloud capabilities at scale. Key across the Defense Department, edge-to-cloud supports DOD’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control by breaking down technology silos and allowing real-time access to information so warfighters under pressure can quickly access data to make real-time decisions.

“Our foremost objective is to be at the center of gravity of our customers’ digital transformation journeys,” Pledger said. “We hope to achieve this by providing a common architecture that enables people, processes and technology to interact in a seamless manner — breaking down the traditional silos and technology barriers that pervade heterogeneous IT environments.”