Amentum CEO John Heller Named to 2025 Wash100 for Leading Company’s Transformation Into Industry-Leading Engineering & Tech Provider
Executive Mosaic is honored to announce the selection of Amentum CEO John Heller to the 2025 class of Wash100 Award, an accolade conferred annually to the 100 most influential and impactful leaders in the government contracting industry.
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This marks the ninth time that Heller has been selected to Executive Mosaic’s annual list of the top 100 leaders from the government and GovCon landscape, recognizing his efforts to drive expansion and transform Amentum into an industry-leading technology and engineering service provider through mergers and acquisitions.
“I’d like to dedicate this year’s Wash100 Award to the Amentum team who have worked hard to make 2024 a banner year, topped off with our merger and the NYSE listing. It’s an honor to work with our industry’s best engineers and professionals who are driven to make our government more effective, faster and better,” said Heller. “Thank you to Executive Mosaic for this recognition.”
Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, said of Heller, “John is a transformational leader who doesn’t just navigate change—he drives it. His vision was instrumental in Amentum’s successful merger with Jacobs’ critical mission solutions’ cyber and intelligence businesses, a bold move that positioned the company as a powerhouse on the NYSE. Under his leadership, Amentum has continued to secure major wins, including sizable contracts from the Air Force and Navy, while placing newfound emphasis on space, intelligence and energy/environment. John’s relentless focus on integration, innovation and mission success ensures Amentum stays ahead of the curve, delivering cutting-edge solutions where they matter most.”
With Heller at the helm, Amentum transformed into a publicly traded company focused on delivering engineering, technology platforms, project management and system integration support to federal government customers.
Amentum’s Merger With Jacobs Businesses
In September 2024, Amentum closed its merger with Jacobs’ critical mission solutions and cyber and intelligence businesses to form a public government technology services contractor. Following the transaction, the company started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
In that same month, Amentum announced Heller and other then-incoming members of the board for the post-merger public government tech company.
“The completion of this transformational combination creates a global leader that advances the future, with the trusted track record of superior performance, outstanding engineering expertise, and leading-edge technologies required to meet our customers’ most significant challenges,” Heller said.
The transaction provides Amentum an opportunity to partner with the U.S. Air Force and NASA on technology development and scientific space initiatives.
“We think about space now as the new domain, and arguably with China as a near-peer adversary, probably the most important domain … the space economy between now and 2035—10 years—is estimated to triple from $600 billion to $1.8 trillion,” the former U.S. Army officer said during a fireside chat at a conference held in October 2024.
Heller noted that the merger allowed Amentum to distinguish itself as a $1.8 billion intelligence player, positioning itself as a competitor for “billion-dollar-plus contracts against the leaders in that marketplace.”
During the event, the West Point graduate also cited Amentum’s role in the environment and energy market and the market opportunities the company can go after.
“We’re a leader in environmental remediation work, especially on the nuclear side. Nuclear remediations really related to the Manhattan Project and all the nuclear development that [the U.S. has done] since World War II … It’s estimated that there is still approximately $500 billion of work to completely remediate what [the U.S.] created as a result of the Manhattan Project,” Heller said.
Notable Contracts
Over the past year, Amentum booked a number of contracts, including a $105 million contract from the U.S. Navy to develop next-generation electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and a $490 million contract to provide comprehensive contractor logistics support to modernize the Navy’s training aircraft fleet.
In early March, Amentum’s joint venture with BWX Technologies and Fluor – Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure, won a $45 billion contract from the Department of Energy to manage tank waste at Hanford Site in Washington state. The award marks the second time H2C won the Hanford Integrated Tank Disposition Contract.
Amentum’s Recognition in Support of Veterans
In November 2024, Amentum earned several 2025 Military Friendly Employer designations in recognition of the company’s efforts to hire and retain retired service members.
“Amentum is the long-standing and trusted partner of choice for every major U.S. federal agency including the Department of Defense,” Heller said. “The leading engineering and technology provider we’ve evolved to today has been advanced due to our large population of experienced and dedicated veteran talent.”
Executive Mosaic congratulates John Heller and the Amentum team for their selection to receive this award. Don’t forget to vote for him at Wash100.com.