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8 n e w h a v e n B I Z | A u g u s t 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m O n T h e R e c o r d | Q & A Taking Off PHOTO | GARY LEWIS Paul Lemmo President Sikorsky Education: MBA, The Wharton School; MS, electrical engineering, Drexel University Age: 55 L ongtime Lockheed Martin executive Paul Lemmo recently took over as president of the company's Stratford-based subsidiary Sikorsky at a pivotal time. Sikorsky is working to respond to the demand for faster, more technologically-ad- vanced helicopters and secure key govern- ment contracts. Lemmo, who started his new job about seven months ago, says securing those con- tracts is critical to Sikorsky's long-term future. Lemmo started working at Maryland- based Lockheed in 1987 as an engineer. He later moved on to marketing and sales before shiing to running businesses within the corporation. His most recent pre-Sikorsky management role was with Lockheed's New Jersey-based Integrated Warfare Systems & Sensors. An opportunity arose to lead Sikorsky, and Lemmo knew he wanted to take it. Now, Lemmo is leading some 13,000 employees worldwide, with 8,000 of those here in Connecticut. Sikorsky does approximately $6 billion in sales annually. In 2016, state lawmakers approved a $220 million aid package for Sikorsky aimed at se- curing the manufacturer's continued presence in Connecticut. New Haven BIZ recently sat down with Lemmo about his goals and priorities, and what's next for the company and helicopter technology. What made you want to take over as Sikorsky's president? Sikorsky is such an iconic company. Igor Sikorsky, our founder, was really a pioneer in the industry. We are coming up on our 100th anniversary in 2023. It's an opportunity to run a company that has been around for so long. It is a national treasure and asset for the U.S., particularly the military. What is your top priority? Sikorsky is a well-run company. I wasn't stepping into something where I had to do a complete turnaround. It is on a growth trajectory. It is one of the big growth drivers in Lockheed Martin. My first focus is making sure we perform on the business we have, and deliver for our customers. We have two major programs that are transitioning from development into full production. One is a helicopter for the Ma- rine Corps called the CH-53K (a heavy-li model), and the other is the combat rescue helicopter for the Air Force. Both are going into initial operational testing for their respective customers, and we are ramping up production. We need to make sure we perform on those, finish out the development, get through operational testing and start delivering the production units. at is job one. What would be your second priority? We are in the middle of a competition for the future of our Army business. e future for Army aviation is the Future Vertical Li program. ere are two subprograms. One is the Future Long Paul Lemmo, president of Stratford-based manufacturer Sikorsky. New Sikorsky president Lemmo helms company as it builds faster, more advanced helicopters

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