David Zolet
Chief Executive Officer
David Zolet is President and Chief Executive Officer of Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI). He brings experience across defense, national security, advanced technology, and government markets, combining a technical background in mission systems with a record of building businesses, advancing capabilities, and strengthening customer relationships.
Zolet’s career spans the development of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; leadership of multibillion-dollar technology businesses; and CEO roles in government technology, engineering, and public sector software. Across these settings, he has brought teams and capabilities together to address complex customer requirements and translate technology into operational results.
Before joining TDSI, Zolet served as CEO of Astrion, bringing three businesses together into a $1.2 billion, 6,500-person enterprise serving defense, intelligence, and federal civilian customers. Astrion tripled in size through organic growth and acquisitions, combining engineering, test and evaluation, and mission expertise to advance technologies from development through deployment.
Previously, Zolet served as President and CEO of CentralSquare Technologies, a public sector software business serving local governments across North America. Before that, he led LMI’s evolution from an established not-for-profit federal consulting organization into a growing for-profit government technology and advisory business. As President and CEO, he expanded digital and advanced analytics capabilities, modernized operations, and positioned LMI for outside investment.
Earlier, Zolet held senior leadership roles at CSC/DXC Technology, IBM, and Northrop Grumman, leading businesses across defense, homeland security, civil government, state and local, and commercial markets. He began his career designing and deploying signal processing, geolocation, and communications systems for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Zolet holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
