Akima has appointed Lauren Cates as vice president of business development for its Emerging Markets Group, which delivers advanced technologies and digital solutions to federal clients.
In her new role, Cates will lead growth strategy and execution, expand Akima’s market presence and support delivery of mission-critical technologies to government and military customers.
Cates brings over 15 years of experience in federal contracting, with a track record of leading high-performing teams, scaling business development operations and driving measurable growth.
“Lauren’s expertise in federal business development will be instrumental as we expand our capability offerings and strengthen our market position,” said Mike Alvarado, chief growth officer at Akima.
Most recently, Cates led Indigo IT’s growth team, securing major wins in cybersecurity, cloud and enterprise IT services. She also spent over a decade with the Bowhead Family of Companies, where she managed billion-dollar pipelines and consistently exceeded growth targets.