Ireland Degges
As chief growth officer of SAIC’s Civilian Business Group, Murtaza Ahmed leads expansion efforts for the business group, playing a key role in the company’s heightened focus on its civilian segment. He joined the organization in June 2023 and assumed his current role in January. Prior to SAIC, Ahmed held leadership positions at numerous government contracting enterprises, including Amazon Web Services, Global Commerce & Information, General Dynamics Information Technology and Lockheed Martin, where he spent over a decade.
In a recent Executive Spotlight interview with ExecutiveBiz, Ahmed offered a look into the driving forces behind SAIC’s continued growth, including its collaborative culture and core values, emphasis on innovation and ability to adapt to shifting trends in the GovCon market.
Tell me about SAIC’s culture. What aspects of the company do you think are contributing most to its success while helping to attract and retain top-level talent?
At SAIC, culture is one of the four pivots we are focused on as part of our enterprise growth strategy. It’s the heart of who we are and what we do.
One key aspect of our culture is our enterprise mindset. We believe in collaboration across functions, sharing best practices and leveraging the talents of our diverse workforce. This creates an environment where top talent can contribute their skills and ideas in a collaborative setting.
We also foster a culture of high-performance aspiration. We encourage our employees to aim for excellence and take ownership of their outcomes. Through respectful debate and accountability, we inspire our team members to continuously strive for greatness.
Lastly, we prioritize the incubation and development of diverse talent. We believe in creating an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone has the opportunity to grow and contribute their unique skills. By upskilling our internal employees, nurturing team development and feedback and matching talent with client needs, we ensure that every individual can thrive and advance their career. This commitment to diversity and talent development appeals to top professionals who want to work in an environment that values their contributions and offers opportunities for growth.
What are SAIC’s core values?
The core values that guide our actions and decisions every day are the heart of our company. These values are not just principles we believe in – they are the foundation of our culture and the driving force behind our success. They inspire us to strive for excellence, foster a supportive and inclusive environment and continually innovate to meet the needs of our clients and communities.
The first of these values is integrity, which we define as requiring unwavering honesty, ethics and authenticity in yourself and others. Innovation, the second core value, seeks to empower our people to take appropriate risks and leverage emerging technology to solve our customers’ most complex problems. Our third core value is inclusion, which means we respect and value our people while passionately partnering with our customers and our communities.
How do you think these values translate into continued success and growth in the GovCon market?
Our core values are essential for driving continued success and growth within the GovCon industry. By adhering to high ethical standards, we ensure compliance with government regulations, minimizing risks and enhancing our reputation.
Together, these values create a strong foundation for sustainable growth, enabling us to navigate the complexities of the GovCon market effectively.
Where are you seeing opportunities for expansion in SAIC’s portfolio? What new capabilities or markets are you eyeing?
SAIC is poised to expand its portfolio into several exciting and strategic areas, with a particular focus on the civilian market.
We are intensifying our efforts to bolster our presence in the civilian market, recognizing the significant potential for growth and impact. Our focus is on identifying and seizing new opportunities within this sector, leveraging our expertise to support a wide range of civilian agencies and programs. This expansion will enable us to diversify our portfolio and strengthen our position as a trusted partner in the civilian domain.
SAIC is actively exploring these areas of expansion to deliver innovative solutions, better serve our clients and create new avenues for growth. By focusing on the civilian market alongside integrated solutions and enterprise and mission IT, we are positioning ourselves to meet the future needs of our clients and drive sustained success.
What factors or GovCon industry trends are influencing your growth strategy as you look toward SAIC’s future?
By investing in technology areas like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, we ensure that we remain at the forefront of innovation. Additionally, we are seeing a shift towards integrated solutions that streamline services. By combining our expertise across different domains, we can offer comprehensive solutions that address complex challenges effectively.
We are also closely monitoring regulatory changes to ensure compliance and seize new opportunities that arise. The shift towards as-a-service models in the enterprise and mission IT sectors provides opportunities for scalable and repeatable business. The increasing focus on the civilian market presents substantial potential for diversification and expansion, enabling us to support a wide range of civilian agencies with tailored solutions.
