QinetiQ taps new leader for North American business

QinetiQ North America – yes, there still is a QinetiQ North America – named Jeff Yorsz as their new president.

Last year, QinetiQ plc, the British parent, sold its U.S. services business to Vencore for $165 million. The services business was the bulk of what the company did in the U.S., and the sale marked a significant departure for a company that for nearly a decade was a significant acquirer of other companies.

But QinetiQ hung on to its U.S. based products business, including Cyveillance, a cybersecurity company it had acquired in 2009, as well as its Talon and Dragon Runner robots, Q-Nets, which protects against rocket propelled grenades, and SWATS, a wearable system for tracking the direction of sniper shots.

These businesses were folded under the company’s global products division.

Yorsz comes to QinetiQ from Northrop Grumman where he was the general manager of Adaptive Optics Associates, a maker of electro-optic and opto-mechanical systems.

“I am very impressed with both the products and the people at QinetiQ North America,” Yorsz said in a statement. “Historically QNA has developed products in robotics, armor, controls, and sensors to solve some of the most difficult problems faced by government and industry. I look forward to continuing that tradition of innovation with our present customers and also leveraging it to invigorate our non-defense activities.”

After the sale of the services business, QinetiQ moved the North American headquarters from Reston, Va., to Waltham, Mass.