John Saad
Defense & Security Segment Leader, Guidehouse
In just over five years, Guidehouse grew from 1,600 to over 17,000 global professionals. John Saad, the Defense & Security Segment leader, brings over 25 years of consulting and executive experience and a profound understanding of the defense and national security landscape. His team of over 2,000 consultants tackles mission and operational challenges across departments like Defense, Justice, Homeland Security and State, as well as the FBI, the intelligence community, and commercial aerospace and defense companies.
Guidehouse has experienced rapid growth, particularly in digital transformations and cybersecurity. For instance, Saad’s teams secured contracts to support Identity, Credential and Access Management across the various departments. Once implemented, these systems will enhance the experiences of millions of users by providing quicker and more secure access to their identification cards and systems.
“John’s commitment to the mission of our clients across the entire national security spectrum permeates everything we do in this business,” said Scott McIntyre, Guidehouse CEO. “The team’s observable teamwork, creativity, operational excellence, and commitment to our clients’ success stems from his leadership and passion.”
Why Watch
Guidehouse’s Defense and Security segment has quickly scaled, maximizing investments toward client missions. Saad’s teams have secured numerous, substantial contracts from clients, encompassing all facets of mission transformation: financial, program and workforce transformation. Using new contract vehicles and digital capabilities, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, Saad and his team maintain a sharp focus on people, organizational change and customer experience.
“We look for people who are fired up and excited about the mission, and that defines me,” Saad said. “It’s exciting to see what can happen when we bring the right people together, both from the consultant side and the government side, to solve really challenging problems and to combat the ever-evolving threat landscape.”