Celebrity Lecture Series

Northrop to Northrop Grumman

From an Airframe Company to a Modern Diversified Corporation

With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, the giants of the defense industry suddenly found themselves facing a precarious and unpredictable future. To survive in this challenging new world would require skill, creativity, and keen insights into the opportunities and necessities of this radically changed environment. This, in turn, required a special kind of leader. The Northrop Corporation was fortunate to have such a leader in the person of CEO, Kent Kresa. His combination of vision, diligence, and keen business sense, enabled him to guide the company through a complete restructuring and, in his own words, growth through accretion. Through a series of carefully selected mergers and acquisitions, Kresa navigated these uncharted waters, growing the Northrop Grumman Corporation into the corporate power house that it IS today. Kent has agreed to share some of his decisions and strategic thinking that helped him accomplish this amazing transformation.