Serco's Ed Casey to depart firm

The government market might be on the verge of saying good bye to one of its more accomplished executives.

Ed Casey, chief operating officer of Britain-based Serco Group, is leaving the company. He formerly led Serco Inc., the group's U.S. branch.

Casey has been with both Serco Group and the U.S. arm for 12 years.

For the last four years, he’s taken a weekly flight from the U.S. to the U.K.

“We completely understand that after four years of weekly commuting across the Atlantic, he would like to have a job closer to home,” Serco Group CEO Rupert Soames said in an Oct. 20 company announcement.

Casey told Serco that he has accepted a role with another company: one that is not a competitor.

While I haven’t been able to reach Casey, that statement from Serco makes it sound like he won’t stay in the government market.

Before joining Serco in January 2006, Casey had run several businesses in the energy field, including one he founded. He also worked investment banking and private equity.

But what Casey did for Serco will have a lasting legacy.

When he took the reins, Serco was just a year into its foray into the U.S. market with the acquisition of Resource Consultants Inc. in 2005.

That deal for RCI helped form the foundation of Serco Inc. He grew the business with wins of larger contracts and also added SI International through an acquisition.

The U.S. business went from about $400 million in annual revenue to $1.2 billion in about five years.

His success drew Casey to the parent organization as it faced a contracting scandal in 2013. Casey became chief transformation officer to work on a retrenching of Serco Group’s global strategy. He later became chief operating officer.

“I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude for all he has done for Serco over the last 12 years, and in particular helping to lead the company through the critical early years of the transformation of our business,” Soames said in his statement.

Casey's last day at Serco will be Dec. 31.