Cobham plc has announces its chief executive officer (CEO), Bob Murphy, is to step down from his role and from the board no later than the end of 2016 to pursue other opportunities.
The board thanked Murphy for his leadership during challenging times, including: the development of a clear strategy with a focus on connectivity; driving technology investment resulting in a number of strategic wins for the group; and enhancing the company’s customer focus and performance to customer expectations.
“We wish him well in his future endeavors,” the company said in a statement.
Murphy will be succeeded by David Lockwood, who will join the company no later than Jan. 1, 2017. He will also join the board.
Lockwood is currently CEO of Laird PLC, the FTSE 250 technology company providing products and solutions that protect electronics from electromagnetic interference and heat and which enable connectivity in mission-critical wireless applications.
During his time at Laird, Lockwood has built the company into a focused enterprise connectivity company with leading positions in the connected transport and consumer device markets, delivering sustained organic growth.
Before taking his current role four years ago, Lockwood was formerly vice-president, Global Defense and Security at BT Global Services. He has experience of international defense operations, gained from his roles at GPT (Marconi), BAE Systems and Thales Corporation.
He chaired the Scottish Government’s Technology Advisory Group and, in 2005, was the recipient of the Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Technology. In February 2014, he was appointed as non-executive chairman of Knowledge Transfer Network Ltd.
Lockwood has a B.A. (Hons) in mathematics from the University of York and is a chartered accountant by profession.
Cobham chairman, John Devaney said: “David has a background in defense and communications technology which are at the heart of Cobham. We look forward to him joining the company and thank Bob for his contribution.”
