Huntington Ingalls details CEO transition
Chris Kastner, incoming CEO of Hungton Ingalls Industries. Courtesy of Huntington Ingalls
By
Ross Wilkers
Huntington Ingalls Industries' chief executive since its spinout from a former parent is handing the reins to his successor in March.
The board of directors at Huntington Ingalls Industries has elected its next CEO in Chris Kastner, currently the shipbuilding and government services company’s chief operating officer.
Kastner’s promotion will take effect March 1 and he succeeds Mike Petters, who has led HII since its beginning as a standalone enterprise after the company spun out from former parent Northrop Grumman in 2011.
Petters has been elected executive vice chairman of the board of directors to support the transition period, HII said Friday.
Before his COO appointment, Kastner was the company’s chief financial officer for nearly five years.
Also during that time, Petters and Kastner led HII’s acquisitions of several government technology and professional services to both create and further build out what is now the Technical Solutions segment.