The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 28, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Laura Braksator, chief growth officer at SMX Technologies, and finalist in the Private Company Chief Growth Officer (Annual Revenue greater than $500M) category. Here, she shares key achievements, focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2023?
2023 was an exciting year for SMX. Last year SMX achieved its highest level of proposal submissions to date and it’s all due to the hard work of the Growth team in partnership with the operating business groups.
I’m also proud of our collaboration with the SMX Strategy & Technology team to advance our Intelligent Automation Platform and the SMX Elevate framework, which is how we are disrupting the market via an outcome-based service delivery model. Based on client requirements, SMX has evolved the solution incorporating artificial intelligence and automation to help clients accelerate mission achievement. We also expanded our work as an ISV accelerator, leveraging SMX Elevate and our expertise in regulated markets, to deliver highly secure solutions and open new markets globally.
Another major achievement was SMX’s acquisition of two new companies, Creoal Consulting and Outside Analytics. I’m always excited when we have the opportunity to expand our business portfolio and incorporate new offerings that will have an immediate impact on our clients and their critical missions.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
We have two focus areas within the growth office for 2024 that build upon our corporate SMX goals. First, is to continue winning new deals while at the same time maintaining our current contracts as they come up for competition. We support this by bringing capture and proposal excellence and a disciplined approach and process to the bids. Our motto is, “early is never early enough”.
Second, we strive to be the best internal partner to our operations business groups and other internal support teams. We are working towards synergistic integration and excellent customer service. This is all to support our customers mission and deliver based on outcomes.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
As a leader, trust in yourself and your teams.
As a manager, hire people that know more than you and build diverse teams.
If you’re early in your career, test several areas of the business development lifecycle to see what you like most and where you excel, then follow your passion.
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know about?
I absolutely love being on the water. I’m always up for water activities ⏤ paddleboarding, snorkeling, boating with family and friends. Water brings a sense of calm, contentment and fluidity which is the perfect juxtaposition from the structure required to manage a successful growth office.