Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Marillyn Hewson: Made For Her Role At Lockheed Martin

Marillyn Hewson not only is one of the few female CEOs of the 1,000 largest companies, she is also one of the 'world's most powerful women'.

Marillyn A. Hewson, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., says the global security and aerospace company is a natural fit for her.

Hewson’s father was with the U.S. Army, and her mother was a nurse with the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. She grew up adjacent to Fort Riley in Kansas.

While interviewing for her first job as an industrial engineer at the company’s Marietta, Ga. plant more than 30 years ago, Hewson became hooked after seeing all of the aircraft on the factory floor. After that, “I never really wanted to work anywhere else,” she said while sitting on a panel about women in defense at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. “That’s what seized my imagination.”

Since then, Hewson has held 20 positions moving up the corporate ladder, becoming the first woman to be named to Lockheed Martin’s top post in 2012. Several months before that, She told Fortune’s Summit panel that she believes it was no coincidence that more female executives in the defense industry were moving into increasingly senior roles.
“We have decades of experience, we have decades of a track record of success, and we’ve moved up in the organization to compete for the top jobs,” Hewson said.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin employs roughly 97,000 people worldwide, and makes the F-35 and other military aircraft; advanced combat, missile, rocket, manned and unmanned systems; rotary and mission systems; and space systems for weather forecasting, space exploration and national security.

In 2016, Fortune identified Ms. Hewson as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” – naming her No. 3. That same year, Forbes released its global ranking of the “World’s 25 Most Powerful Women,” listing her at No. 24.

She’s No. 63 on Chief Executive and RHR International’s CEO1000 Tracker, a ranking of the top 1,000 public/private companies.


Marillyn Hewson

Chairman (Since January 1st, 2014), President and CEO (Since January 1st, 2013), Lockheed Martin

Previous Position: President and COO

Company start date: 1983

First Position at Company: Industrial Engineer

Age: 63

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Alabama and a master’s degree in economics from University of Alabama


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.