The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is Marketing Executive of the Year (Private Company) finalist Christine Fuentes, who’s vice president of corporate communications at Amentum. Here, she talks key achievements, primary focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 202 /2021?
Over the past two years, I have helped take Amentum through its launch as an independent company through its first acquisition and integration. Amentum became a stand-alone entity in February 2020, and since then, we have built brand awareness from the ground up.
The launch period was intensely busy, including the development of a visual brand identity, a new website, the stand-up and growth of new social media channels, advertising and sponsorships. Its success required every employee to be a brand ambassador and help us tell the story.
Just six weeks later, the COVID lockdown began. This unprecedented event forced us to adapt our launch communications strategy overnight, with a migration to digital channels to help continue to tell the story of our new brand. We added virtual speaking events, built virtual trade show booths and quietly worked to develop new processes, such as the establishment of our corporate social responsibility program.
Before the year ended, Amentum also completed the acquisition of DynCorp International. Our combined marketing and communications team worked to transition the brand and communicate the change to the marketplace.
After a successful integration, we were finally able to attend some of our long-planned, in-person shows, returning the recent industry events including the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference as well as the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting & Exposition as One Amentum.
What has made you successful in your current role?
To be part of the team that launches a new, independent company, you have to enjoy building! When I first took on my current role, I couldn’t imagine a better opportunity than building a new marketing and communications function from the ground up. I’ve enjoyed this process and look forward to new challenges every day as the company grows and evolves.
However, building is not for the faint of heart — it requires synthesizes all previous lessons learned about what works well and what doesn’t, how processes can be optimized for success and what pitfalls can be avoided. In these past two years, I have found myself calling upon various aspects of my experience going back more than 20 years.
That said, the payoff is tremendous — my team can look and see the tangible impact of their collective efforts.
For example, we can see the growth of our social media channels and the high levels of engagement we’ve achieved, and know that they literally started on Feb. 1, 2020, with zero followers.
I’m very proud of the impact we’ve made in a short period of time, and am fortunate to have an incredible team of communications professionals who worked alongside me to make it happen.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
I believe deeply in the work we do each day across the government contracting community. I think our citizens deserve the best solutions and services we can deliver, and nearest to my heart is the belief that the men and women protecting our nation deserve the very best training, equipment and solutions that we can provide for them.
When I think about the work we do at Amentum, I’m excited about the ways we can apply emerging technologies to improve training for members of our armed forces, allowing them to explore scenarios in virtual environments before they have to react to them on the battlefield.
I’m excited about predictive maintenance and the ways it can optimize the reliability of equipment that warfighters rely on. Ultimately, the optimization of these technologies can save lives, and so I feel really good about our efforts in these areas.
Likewise, we have an obligation to restore a safe environment for all those who live near sites affected by past programs, like the Manhattan Project, and more recently contamination related to PFAS. I’m very proud of the work we do to safely remediate these sites and enable communities to use and enjoy the areas going into the future.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Since my first year at the U.S. Air Force Academy, I have been inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena:”
It is not the critic that who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. This that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
For those working their way up in the government contracting community, even beyond marketing and communications, the most important this is to say yes to growth opportunities that present themselves, even if you are worried about taking a risk.
You have to get outside your comfort zone and down into the trenches. Do the work, learn all you can and don’t worry about the criticism of those who are not in the fight with you. Those experiences might not seem important at the time, or even pertinent to your next job, but you may gain important wisdom you’ll need later in your career when you have the potential to effect revolutionary change.