Jane Edwards 
Maria Demaree, a senior vice president and chief information officer of Lockheed Martin, discussed the aerospace and defense contractor’s digital transformation program, called 1LMX, and how it brings together over 122,000 employees worldwide toward process modernization and digital enablement.
“So 1LMX is really the digital transformation that we’re going through. It’s transforming the processes and the tools that we use to do engineering and production and to really accelerate the timeline between those,” Demaree, a three-time Wash100 awardee, said during an episode of Technovation.
During the interview, she told Technovation host Peter High about the need to stay ahead of adversaries, who are moving quickly and leveraging new capabilities and tools.
“And so doing this digital transformation will really accelerate how quickly and effectively and efficiently we can deliver to customers. So it’s really the goal of 1LMX is really that ability to use digital tools and technologies and new processes to be able to accelerate delivery to customers,” Demaree added.
Demaree on Lockheed’s Digital Journey
The SVP for enterprise business and digital transformation said Lockheed’s new initiatives are “born digital” and that the company is incorporating digital technologies, such as digital twins and advanced modeling, into existing programs where it makes sense.
Demaree highlighted Lockheed’s adoption of cutting-edge digital capabilities while leveraging decades of industry expertise and customer experience.
She also touched on the company’s operational analysis experience.
“So we really understand our customers, how they use the capabilities they have, how they understand the adversaries, we can support them doing analysis that really comes from just decades of domain experience of working with them as well,” Demaree said. “And when we think about the new tools that are available like AI and simulations and modeling and different new capabilities are available, we’re just able to even accelerate those capabilities as well.”
Lockheed CIO on AI & Quantum Computing
In the interview, Demaree expressed excitement about witnessing the company’s digital and artificial intelligence-driven transformation, particularly how integrating AI with digital capabilities presents opportunities to accelerate processes.
She shared her thoughts on quantum computing.
“Quantum, I think, is going to be incredibly exciting … and I’m really looking forward and leaning in on that with the team, how we can look at the opportunities there,” Demaree said.
The Lockheed CIO also stressed the importance of ethical use of emerging technologies and awareness that adversaries have access to such capabilities, highlighting the need to innovate responsibly while staying ahead of adversaries.
