CEO Message
Message from Chairman and CEO, Roger Krone
At Leidos, our sustainability efforts tie deeply to our mission of making the world safer, healthier and more efficient.
We are a Fortune 500® information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The talents of our employees, nearly 40% of whom have degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplines, help government agencies solve the world’s toughest challenges. Their dedication and performance in 2019 drove growth and continued strong financial performance.
As we release this, our 11th annual Corporate Responsibility Report, the world faces unprecedented challenges from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, our world contends with racial and social injustice. In times of uncertainty, Leidos is guided by the conviction to do what is right every day. Whether it is prioritizing our global workforce’s health and mental well-being throughout the pandemic or creating an inclusive environment where employees are respected, valued and heard, our efforts are rooted in a foundation of ethics and integrity.
The year 2020 reminds us that we all must play a part in creating a more equitable world. In January, we added inclusion as our sixth core value – alongside integrity, innovation, agility, collaboration, and commitment. Adding this value was not a symbolic gesture rather it formalizes a culture that fosters a sense of belonging and welcomes all perspectives. We believe that inclusion and integrity are built on the foundation of respect for all. Our employees are empowered to uphold our values, reinforcing a culture that we are incredibly proud of. To me, this makes Leidos genuinely unique.
Our exceptional talent and leadership adjust to challenges and opportunities. We develop innovative, sustainable solutions for our clients that help address global challenges to make the world safer, healthier and more efficient. As the world continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leidos’ strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices help us prepare and protect our stakeholders.
We are building resiliency in our business model through long-term planning and prioritizing disaster preparedness and business continuity. We are focused on ensuring our employees’ health and safety, communicating regularly with our stakeholders, better managing our supply chain, and building an agile, diverse and empowered workforce.
We offer our employees industry-leading compensation and benefits, including a Stock Purchase Plan that affords any employee the chance to become a Leidos shareholder at a discounted price. Our talent Resource Program, core to our ability to retain the best people, focuses on filling opportunities with talent internal to the company. To further ensure our employee retention efforts, we conduct a quarterly pulse engagement survey. In 2019 an independent third party conducted an anonymous employee engagement survey across our global operations. We are using those results to further empower our teams.
We are trusted by many government agencies to deliver on critical environmental and sustainability-driven missions. Our engineers and scientists address all aspects of environmental remediation; we modernize aging energy infrastructure and design, implement, and manage state-wide energy efficiency programs. Our energy efficiency services helped utilities save more than 700,000 net megawatt-hours annually, equivalent to 55 million gallons of gasoline or enough to power more than 66,000 homes. Additionally:
- In 2010, as a company, we pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% with a 2020 deadline. We have already reduced GHG emissions by more than 50%, and we are on track to exceed this target even further.
- We adhere to the highest possible ethics and security standards. In 2019, the Ethisphere Institute again named us one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies®. This honor recognizes our continued commitment to defining and advancing ethical business practices standards.
- To support our communities, we make close to $5 million in charitable donations annually. Our employees, who inspire me with their commitment to improving the world around us, contribute tens of thousands of hours of their talent to a wide variety of company-sponsored causes. Focus areas include addressing the emerging needs tied to mental health and well-being, including fighting the opioid epidemic, as well as focusing on STEM education, basic needs and wellness, ethics and leadership, and supporting those who serve our Nation, and their families.
Finally, one year ago, we became a founding signatory of the Business Roundtable’s Purpose of a Corporation. This commitment inspired us to reinvent our approach to sustainability to focus on a systems approach that drives collective well-being for the world around us.
We realize that operating sustainably is a continuous journey, not a fixed destination. Moving forward, we remain deeply committed to our employees, our communities and our world.
Roger A. Krone
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer