On Feb. 13, WashingtonExec hosted “Get Off the Bench” author, longtime industry CEO and board member Sid Fuchs at the International Country Club in Fairfax, Virginia, for a candid, closed-doors discussion on navigating and adapting to the current federal landscape as an executive in government contracting.
He joined over three dozen senior GovCon executives for an intimate dinner and Q&A, which included many repeat attendees from a similar dinner he hosted last year. Fuchs kicked off the discussion with common and relevant leadership and executive topics, including the commercial industry’s approach to demand generation and growing a business during challenging times.
The conversation quickly led to the new administration and its changes, including the Department of Government Efficiency; tariffs; diversity, equity and inclusion; return to office policies; and more. Fuchs shared his thoughts on how best to adapt to these changes, by “leaning forward and being a leader,” he said. Leaders must show their organization and its workforce that they can work with and move through transitional times.
Kevin Keating, senior vice president of the National Systems Group at The Aerospace Corp., attended the dinner and said a particular concept struck a chord during Fuchs’ talk.
“Most of the questions revolved around the new administration, I think [Fuchs’] quote about ‘focusing on what you can control’ was a good one,” Keating said.
Fuchs’ perspective stems from his over 35 years of experience building and transforming engineering and technology companies and organizations.
“It was interesting trying to answer challenging questions about predicting the impacts of the current administration’s decisions and policies, but I reiterated the facts as I know them and advised the attendees to avoid emotion and political bias and focus on the business,” he said. “I believe I provided them with solid advice on how to navigate through this unprecedented time in GovCon.”
Fuchs brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience in the industry, and insights from his current advisory roles. Today, he sits on several boards including NTT Data Federal Systems, Buchanan & Edwards and NT Concepts. He is also a strategic advisor to Sayers Defense and several private-equity firms focused on aerospace, defense, and intelligence technologies and capabilities.
Fuchs also continues to do public speaking and advisory work on topics including leadership and executive development, strategy, government acquisition, relationship building, M&A and board governance.
“As always, Sid’s wisdom on leadership and managing through uncertainty is so apropos and spot on for the current GovCon climate,” said Fred Avila, vice president of strategic business intelligence at HII Mission Technologies. “Sid’s knack for telling it like it is refreshing. I appreciate the way Sid shares his combined experience from the C-Suite to the Boardroom in helping us become the best business leaders we can be. Sid truisms like, ‘Never confuse activity with results’ or ‘Making mistakes is better than faking perfection’ are great life lessons for personal and career development.”
Before retiring from full-time industry positions in 2019, Fuchs most recently served as president, CEO and director of MacAulay-Brown, Inc. MacB was acquired by Veritas Capital and merged with Alion Science and Technology in August 2018.
He then joined Alion’s senior leadership team, serving as chief operating officer to help lead the integration of the two companies until September 2019.
He has also served as the president and CEO of OAO Technology Solutions (acquired in 2010), the CEO and a director of ATS Corp. (acquired in 2012) and the president and CEO of TASC, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary serving the U.S. defense and intelligence community.
WashingtonExec hosted Fuchs in March 2023 when he spoke with members of the GovCon community about leadership lessons, market dynamics, a changing job market and more. WashingtonExec plans to hold more of these events in the future, with Fuchs and other prominent industry CEOs as guest speakers