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ExecutiveBiz: Please briefly tell us your background and how you got to where you are today.
John Hillen:
I started my professional career as an Army officer, and served for 12 years in both the regular army and the reserves. During that time I served as a cavalry officer when the wall came down in Germany and also in Desert Storm. My reserve time was mostly spent as a paratrooper and civil affairs officer with the 82nd Airborne and various units in the Special Operations Command. After the Army, I went into policy and worked with several think tanks before focusing on my business career. I've been a member of the Young President's Organization (YPO) for a few years and running medium sized businesses is basically what I've done as an executive. Global Strategies Group (USA) LLC is the 4th business where I’ve served as the President, COO, or large division head. While I've been the COO of a financial services firm in New York City, I've mostly been in the government contracting industry in the DC region. I was the head of the defense and intelligence business at AMS and then President of the company that is now CGI Federal Inc. Following CGI Federal, I went into the administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs before joining Global Strategies Group (GLOBAL) in early 2007.
ExecutiveBiz: What does GLOBAL do?
John Hillen:
GLOBAL is a new and unique breed of integrated national security company and by that I mean we deliver high end solutions in defense technology, intelligence and analysis, traditional risk management and security, insurance, development, and complex project management for governments and commercial clients. GLOBAL's solutions serve three principle objectives: they strengthen national defenses, stabilize critical environments and assure worldwide commerce. Our services enhance the effectiveness of Government agencies, international organizations and commercial enterprises involved in counter-terrorism, counter narcotics, C4ISR challenges, reconstruction and stabilization, borders protection, intelligence, maritime domain awareness, training and capacity building, and economic growth. We have a very diverse body of work ranging from laying the foundations for Afghanistan's first national elections, managing security and operations at Baghdad International Airport, developing geospatial and communications applications for the US Navy and Coast Guard, and enabling high end data fusion for national level counter terrorism missions.
ExecutiveBiz: Going back to the model of mixing commercial with Federal business. How do you position that in the market place?
John Hillen:
We very much like working for national security government agencies, NGO's and the development community, and businesses that are looking at investments in high risk environments because they are all after the same basic goal – stability and progress in conflict, post-conflict, destabilized, or austere operating environments. For instance, at the end of the day, the US national security community, the UN, various development agencies and NGO's, and a number of different kinds of industries have the same objective in Afghanistan – and we've worked with all those clients there and have been a key part of the cross fertilization of their efforts. Similarly, in parts of Africa, the US and allies have national security goals oriented on not only defeating opposing armed forces, but also being engaged in stability operations, counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, development and local capacity building. The international community also has a goal to ensure sustainable development. They want to make Africa a more stable continent and therefore encourage increased commercial investments, particularly in sectors such as mining and oil and gas. So security, stabilization and commercial investment are all linked and tied together, whether you’re a government agency, NGO or business entity. Having a proven track record across multiple domains is critical to our Government, development and commercial sector clients.
ExecutiveBiz: Your company recently bought SFA and The Analysis Corporation. What was the purpose behind that acquisition and how did that acquisition go?
John Hillen:
GLOBAL wanted to further expand our diversified service offering, so we bought SFA and its subsidiary, The Analysis Corporation (TAC), in February 2007. SFA is a defense technology firm that primarily provides C4ISR and information technology solutions to the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. TAC is an intelligence and analysis firm that does most of its work in the intelligence community. Given their focuses, both of these firms were great additions to GLOBAL because they expand the range of services we offer to all of our clients, from government to development to business. We've already seen that the combination of high-end technology and intelligence analysis with the great operations we undertake to support our clients in the field is uniquely valuable to all our clients. For instance, if one is undertaking a complex critical infrastructure protection task in a difficult environment, being able to add top tier C4ISR, engineering, systems integration and intelligence capabilities to one's physical presence and security operations is a real advantage for the client and the service provider.
ExecutiveBiz: How has your experience in the Bush administration helped you with your position at GLOBAL?
John Hillen:
As the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, I primarily dealt with the US military and other militaries of the world in the conflict hot spots. So, for instance, when I went to Iraq for four days in 2006, I only spent two hours in the green zone. The rest of the time I spent out in the field with either American or coalition forces. This trip was indicative of my job in the administration and I got to see upfront and firsthand the sorts of problems for which GLOBAL is providing solutions, ranging from critical infrastructure protection to complex project management – like the currency exchanges that GLOBAL did in Iraq and Afghanistan – right on through to development work. This gave me a real appreciation for the broader nature of security today – one that involves governments, NGO, and commercial communities. So when it came time to look at opportunities outside the administration, GLOBAL and I shared a philosophy about the need for comprehensive solution sets for these complex environments.
ExecutiveBiz: What’s your biggest challenge in business today?
John Hillen:
I think the biggest challenge for GLOBAL is helping our clients and partners understand the art of the possible when you have a full range of our services and a comprehensive approach to delivering solutions in hostile and austere environments. As I mentioned, the nature of the security and defense industry is changing and is focusing more on combining defense, development and diplomacy. With this convergence, GLOBAL works hard to make sure all our clients and partners grasp the entirety of our solutions set. A long-standing client may consider us a first-class partner in a certain sort of service, but they might not know about other service areas or geographies in which we have a lot of expertise. They may in fact have a problem, like running an airport in a high risk aviation security environment, which requires a combination of engineering, systems integration, high end technology and hands-on field services all at the same time. As GLOBAL grows and evolves we are tasked with getting clients to understand that we can be that same great partner for many other services in addition to the ones we already provide them.
ExecutiveBiz: This year do you plan any more acquisitions? What’s your approach on that?
John Hillen:
We’re a growth company. We’ve been growing fast over the past couple of years and we’ll continue to grow both organically and inorganically. On the inorganic side we’ll look for firms that complement our integrated security model, with a strong set of services that can be applied to our security and defense, development and commercial clients and who have experience in the types of environment in which we have expertise and in which we operate. Our approach is to create a company with end-to-end service capabilities that span defense technology, IT, intelligence and critical field services.
ExecutiveBiz: What will the company look like in 3 years?
John Hillen:
We'll be a lot bigger of course! And as we add people and capabilities to the team we will be in a better position to prime bigger contracts and offer more comprehensive solutions. With the consolidation of the government contracting community in the past decade and half, it has become harder for a medium sized firm to be a prime these days, because the big contracts are oriented towards the multi-billion dollar enterprises. We'll be positioned in a few years to be a prime on big, complex contracts that will take advantage of all the different parts of our company, whether it is defense technology or intelligence analysis or field services. I also want GLOBAL to be a more widely recognized thought leader in this industry in the next few years and to be one of the most attractive firms in the region to work for.
ExecutiveBiz: If there were a company copying the GLOBAL business model what could they learn?
John Hillen:
I think there’s an awareness out there that the nature of national security has changed and that the problems that are challenging our principal clients in this industry are not ones that are traditionally solved by [merely] the discrete application of technology here or the deployment of security forces there, or a development project somewhere else. I think other companies understand this but it's hard to change business models that are based on building the next great towed sonar array, for instance. I think GLOBAL is well positioned as a leader in integrated comprehensive solutions for the new challenges of security in high risk areas.
ExecutiveBiz: How would you describe your leadership style?
John Hillen:
Strategic and inclusive. I take a lot of pains to make sure that everybody at GLOBAL understands what we're trying to accomplish from a strategic perspective. I personally brief every new employee on our overall strategic business plan. I think that has got to drive everything we do. If we are strategic in the services business, then by definition we are client focused – because it is our clients' problems and their strategic goals that drive our solutions and our business planning. It is important to me that a lot of my leadership time is spent making sure everyone here recognizes that if we’re strategic and client-facing we cannot help but succeed, because everything we do will be geared to making our clients successful.
ExecutiveBiz: You’ve been in a lot of hot spots around the world, but what’s your best memory of all the places you traveled?
John Hillen:
I loved the combination of military affairs and diplomacy that made up my portfolio at State. I'll never forget arriving at a Korean base in Iraq on a helicopter carrying a letter from Condoleezza Rice that she had signed thanking the Korean Two-Star General for their contribution. He was thrilled with the letter because Secretary Rice is a pretty big personality worldwide. By the time we had taken the tour of the base and had lunch, the letter was posted on every Korean website and in all the Korean newspapers. It meant a lot to the Koreans that the Secretary of State had personally gone out of her way to send an envoy all the way to Iraq and thank the Korean contingent for their continued efforts. With that kind of experience, you really see the impact. You are out there with the troops, and as a former soldier, I just love the military and always have. Being on the ground at the point where things are really happening and affecting change was the best part of the job. That visit with the Korean troops in Iraq then helped our efforts in very complex strategic issues in Northeast Asia. I built relationships like that with military leaders and diplomatic counterparts in Southeast Asia and the Middle East especially that were very rewarding for US policy goals.
ExecutiveBiz: What’s the best part of your job now?
John Hillen:
I enjoy shaping this company and adapting to our dynamic industry. There are a lot of certainties out there in the government contracting field and the roles of industry executives. For the most part you can see the runway ahead of you. But, when you come into an entrepreneurial company like GLOBAL and the needs of its client are evolving so rapidly, the runway is still unfolding in front of you. You are even making some of the runway while you are moving down it with your client! That is what's exciting at GLOBAL. Shaping our environment instead of just seeing what the market looks like and moving along.
ExecutiveBiz: What is the culture like? What is it like to work here?
John Hillen:
The culture is entrepreneurial. We like people who are basically deep-end swimmers who can make our team better and do their specific functions – whether it’s finance, marketing, business development or operations – while internalizing our strategy and values and driving the business forward. We want employees to run and create and push the rest of the company. GLOBAL is a place where each employee possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and strong value system of achievement and accountability. We're a dynamic company that offers great experiences and career progression. As an international company, we also have a lot of opportunities to work around the world, whether in the field or in another office location.
ExecutiveBiz: What is there something most people don’t know about you personally?
John Hillen:
If I hadn't gone into the Army, I might have been a DJ. I had a very popular Saturday night radio show in college at Duke, at the university's radio station. I almost spent my time after graduation as a DJ, but I was called sooner by the army. That ended the DJ career.
ExecutiveBiz: What is your favorite restaurant?
John Hillen:
Between my time as a high ranking diplomat and a business leader, I’ve been the undeserving recipient of far too many 4-star dinners and functions at great restaurants. So I enjoy more down scale comfort food the most. My personal favorite – and that of my family – is Anita's, a small chain of New Mexico-style Mexican food diners in Northern Virginia.
ExecutiveBiz: What is the last book you read?
John Hillen:
For non-fiction it was Lynn Olsen’s Troublesome Young Men, the story of a group of Tory rebels in 1930’s England who fought against their own party and schoolmates to bring Churchill back into power. For fiction, I’d like to say it was some high-brow examination of some incredibly deep and complex theme, but in actuality it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban read out loud to my two oldest children, with all the British and Scottish accents I could summon up from my days living in the UK.
ExecutiveBiz: Which business leader do you admire and why?
John Hillen:
Phil Merrill, who recently passed away, was the owner/publisher of Washingtonian Magazine, a number of local papers and other enterprises. He was my mentor in business, politics, and in many other aspects of life. Besides being one of the finest entrepreneurial business leaders this area has known, he was a committed philanthropist, an intellectual, a student of leadership and leadership development, a foreign policy leader and thinker, and a deeply humane and extraordinary man. His quips and quotes on life and leadership, known to his acolytes as the "Merrillisms," are some of the most profound and funny thoughts I’ve ever seen in what are generally cliché-ridden subjects.
For more information about
Global Strategies Group, visit
www.globalgroup.com.
Interview with John Hillen conducted by JD Kathuria.
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