SAIC defense leader's retirement triggers reorg

Long-time Science Applications International Corp. executive Jim Scanlon has announced his retirement, effective Jan. 29, 2021, and his departure has triggered a broader reorganization at the company.

Scanlon has been with the company since 1988 and is currently executive vice president and general manager of its defense group.

Along with his retirement, SAIC announced Thursday that it will combine the defense business with the civilian business in a reorganization that takes effect Oct. 31.

SAIC will now have two major lines of business -- Defense and Civilian led by Bob Genter, and National Security and Space led by Michael LaRouche.

“With Jim’s retirement, we reevaluated our organizational structure, as we always look to best align with our business strategy and growth priorities,” said SAIC CEO Nazzic Keene.

The new structure will let SAIC accelerate growth in areas such as digital engineering, digital transformation and space, the company said in an announcement.

With a 32-year career at SAIC, Scanlon has played major roles at the company, including the 2013 split of "Old SAIC" that created Leidos and the current SAIC as well as helping to create the current matrix business model the company uses.

Scanlon will remain with the company until Jan 29, when the company’s fiscal year ends, to support the transition to the new organizational structure.