Former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industrial Policy Eric Chewning is joining HII as executive vice president of strategy and development.
He will report directly to HII President and CEO Chris Kastner.
Chewning joins HII as it grows its customer set across the armed forces and executes on its shipbuilding backlog for the U.S. Navy. With 20 years of experience in national security markets, Chewning will guide HII’s corporate strategy, including identifying new opportunities for growth, cross-division collaboration and potential investment.
“HII has a unique opportunity to continue to deliver the proven capabilities our Navy urgently needs, while leading the way on technologies that strengthen and connect the services into the force of the future,” Kastner said. “Eric has the depth of experience and vision to harness the breadth of HII’s talent and resources and advance that mission in service of the nation.”
Chewning was most recently the Americas co-lead for the aerospace and defense practice at McKinsey & Co.
“HII is an exceptional defense partner, with a storied 135-year history of providing essential capabilities for America’s and allied warfighters. It is a keystone within our national security innovation base, a major American manufacturer, and vital contributor to the day-to-day mission of advancing U.S. national security,” Chewning said.
“This is a mission worthy of all of our best efforts, and I am honored and excited to join this driven and committed leadership team.”