Pat Host 
- Vir Thanvi, vice president of enterprise engineering at ERT, delights in working with space industry customers and offering future-proof and cost-effective solutions
- ERT is focused on growing its space enterprise services both horizontally and vertically, delivering the full enterprise engineering lifecycle
- He sat down with ExecutiveBiz to talk opportunities for company expansion, the next hot emerging space technology and how ERT attracts talented employees
Directly engaging with space industry customers isn’t just a part of Vir Thanvi’s job, it’s a prized highlight. The ERT vice president of enterprise engineering relishes the chance to work with civilian and defense customers to hear about their vision, needs and challenges and then offer them resilient, future-proof and cost-effective solutions.
Thanvi is a space industry veteran, having supported missions at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and alongside civilian, defense and intelligence partners. At ERT, Thanvi is focused on evolving the company’s capabilities across enterprise and digital engineering to drive customer success and company growth.
In tandem with executive leadership and deep technical experts, Thanvi is shaping ERT strategy, innovation and solution delivery to address complex mission needs. He enjoys leading teams, helping them grow and, importantly, positioning them to outperform him.
Thanvi sat down with ExecutiveBiz for his first Spotlight interview to discuss how ERT attracts talented employees, opportunities for expansion, the next hot emerging space technology and where ERT sees itself in 10 years and how it will get there.
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ExecutiveBiz: What makes ERT a place where the best and brightest want to work?
Vir Thanvi: For more than 30 years, ERT has delivered high-value solutions across engineering, space mission operations, and Earth and space science, fostering a culture of problem solvers who thrive on bold visions and complex challenges. ERT attracts top talent because of its unique combination of mission success focus, technical depth and modern execution.
We are evolving from a services-focused company to a solutions-driven organization, delivering innovative space, defense and civil capabilities at speed. This environment gives people autonomy, clear outcomes and visible mission impact. “All In” is more than a tagline—it reflects how we partner, execute and empower our teams to do meaningful and high-impact work.
EBiz: Where are you seeing opportunities for expansion in ERT’s portfolio? What new capabilities or markets are you eyeing?
Thanvi: Customer mission success remains ERT’s top priority and our expansion strategy builds on that foundation through innovation, trust and technical excellence. We are focused on growing our space enterprise solutions both horizontally and vertically; delivering deep expertise across Earth and space science; space mission operations, both on orbit and on the ground; and the full enterprise engineering lifecycle.
At the same time, we are expanding our presence in the defense space sector, where we can deliver innovative solutions, from orbits to outcomes, efficiently. On Feb. 24, we announced our acquisition of Sev1Tech, a digital modernization and IT firm supporting complex defense, space and national security efforts.
Our expansion strategy includes building modular and interoperable solutions, investing in workforce development and forming strategic commercial partnerships to accelerate innovation. I am confident that 2026 will be a pivotal year in aligning our capabilities with the evolving needs of the space enterprise.
EBiz: What’s the next hot emerging technology in space services that you are looking at?
Thanvi: At ERT, we are continuously exploring and evaluating technological solutions that can yield benefits to our prospective, as well as current, customers. We are particularly focused on digital engineering solutions that responsibly leverage AI and machine learning, and cloud technologies to improve efficiency, reduce cost and manage complexity across the mission lifecycle.
Our teams assess applicability across space domains, from sensors to data delivery, ensuring technologies are risk-informed and mission ready, and not driven by buzzwords. We are also advancing interoperable and resilient environments for development, integration and operations, including model-based digital engineering, automated space and ground operations, virtualization and advanced data modeling. Our focus remains on meaningful outcomes that deliver lasting benefits for our customers.
EBiz: Where do you see ERT in 10 years and what steps will get you there?
Thanvi: In 10 years, I see ERT as a go-to trusted partner for government customers and one that strategically collaborates with industry members to deliver innovative solutions that are fast, resilient and cost-effective. When bold visions or complex challenges arise across civil, defense and space missions, we see them calling upon ERT to be their trusted partner.
Whether the need is cost efficiency, rapid capability deployment, resilient operations or advancing science and exploration, ERT will be relied upon to deliver innovative and future-proof solutions. Achieving this vision requires building on decades of expertise, strengthening strategic industry collaborations and continuing to mature our capabilities.
Similarly, we envision ERT to be a trusted strategic partner with industry members. When our friends in industry look at their growth pipeline and objectives, we envision them calling upon ERT to be their partner for overall success. Just as importantly, we will sustain our “All In” culture, employee experience and brand presence as force multipliers to attract talent and enable long term growth. Achieving this vision requires building on decades of expertise, strengthening strategic industry collaborations and continuing to mature our capabilities.
Who Is Vir Thanvi?
Vir Thanvi is ERT vice president for enterprise engineering. Thanvi served as deputy program manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Exploration and Space Communications Projects Division. Here he directed a portfolio with an annual budget of more than $200 million and a combined contractor and civil servant staff of more than 700 people.
What Is ERT?
ERT delivers services to the federal government in specialties including space and Earth science, mission operations and enterprise engineering. ERT provides support for precise satellite calibration and validation, ensuring that U.S. weather data is accurate, reliable and mission-ready.
