Bob Pragada took the reins of leadership Tuesday as CEO of Dallas-based Jacobs, one of the largest professional services companies in the world.
Following its leadership succession plan announced in September, Pragada also is expected to join the company’s board of directors upon certification of the results of its annual meeting.
He succeeds Steve Demetriou who will serve as executive chair for a minimum of two years, the company said, working as a member of the board advising Pragada on strategic and capital deployment initiatives. Demetriou will provide executive sponsorship for several key client engagements and ongoing culture initiatives and will also continue as a board member of PA Consulting.
Pragada brings more than 30 years of global business leadership and military experience to Jacobs as CEO, including 17 years with the company and nine years as a Civil Engineer Corps and Seabees officer with the U.S. Navy.
“It is an exciting time for Jacobs,” Pragada said in a statement. “Concentrating our strategy accelerators around climate response, data solutions, and consulting and advisory services, we’re anticipating the global trends most important to our clients to develop differentiated, data-enabled solutions that meet their needs. I am honored to take on the role of CEO and advance the compelling work underway to further diversify our capabilities and offerings, increasing opportunities and value for our people, our clients and our shareholders alike.”
First veteran and first Indian American to serve as CEO of Jacobs
Pragada served as a facilities director at Camp David during the Clinton administration and is the second Indian American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is the first Indian American, veteran, and person of color appointed as CEO of Jacobs.
The company said that Pragada is focused on continuing Jacobs’ efforts to align its portfolio to attractive, high-growth sectors – specifically in the areas of water infrastructure, environmental resiliency, energy transition, EV, life sciences, and semiconductor manufacturing – leveraging the company’s deep domain experience and unique capabilities to create a more connected, sustainable world.
He joined Jacobs in 2006 and has held several senior management positions over eight years, including senior vice president, global sales; group vice president, Northern Region (United States and the Republic of Ireland); and vice president, field services. He returned to Jacobs in 2016 as President of the global Industrial and Buildings & Infrastructure lines of business and led the successful integration of CH2M, a $5 billion diversified technical services leader in infrastructure, water, environmental, and nuclear sectors. He was also instrumental in Jacobs’ strategic majority investment in PA Consulting, a multi-billion-dollar world-leading digital consulting firm, where he now serves as a Board member.
Pragada was appointed president and chief operating officer of Jacobs in 2019, providing executive oversight of all global operations, driving impressive profitable growth across Jacobs’ Critical Mission Solutions and People & Places Solutions lines of business.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Pathlock's recent mergers, acquisitions, and capital raises have enabled the company to address the increasing risk in application security while establishing its leadership position as the industry's most complete 360-degree platform for application security and controls automation.
-
Addison-headquartered Securonix Inc. announced Nayaki Nayyar has been appointed chief executive officer and member of its board of directors, effective immediately. Securonix is a leader in Next-Gen SIEM, UEBA and SOAR, and at the same time, the company announced that founder and former CEO Sachin Nayyar (not related) has transitioned to the role of executive chairman of the board. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Nayaki to the Securonix team,” Sachin Nayyar said in a statement. “Securonix is well-positioned for sustained long-term growth with the industry leading solution in the SIEM, UEBA and SOAR…
-
The appointment of Andrew Berger follows the announcement that Fred Hand would be retiring from the CEO' s post and as a member of the company's board of directors. In September, the Dallas-based retailer announced getting a new backer following its emergence from bankruptcy—one that’s familiar with the business and also owns local consumer brands Pier 1 Imports and RadioShack.
-
Plano-based Fortress Solutions has appointed John Shelnutt as its chief executive officer, replacing Brendon Mills, who resigned to pursue other opportunities. Fortress Solutions is a global provider of critical infrastructure management and support services for telecommunications carriers, wireless networks, electronic vehicle charging stations, and IoT devices. "Fortress has an incredibly deep bench of talent that has gained the respect of the largest telecom companies in the world and other providers of critical infrastructure for many years,“ Shelnutt said in a statement. The new CEO, who served as an independent director for the past year, looks forward to immersing in the…
-
Ventra Health, a Dallas-based technology-enabled leader in revenue cycle management, practice management, and advisory services for hospital-based physician specialties, has appointed Steven Huddleston as CEO following the retirement of Mike O'Boyle. Huddleston comes to Ventra after more than 20 years of leading healthcare organizations that have been at the intersection of transformational change in the RCM market, Ventra said. "The company has focused on integrating the operations and structure following the mergers of DuvaSawko, Gottlieb, and abeo, and we're now poised for significant growth. Steven's prior experience and accomplishments are second to none in the industry," Dave Alpern, Chairman of…
