Lynn, walk us through your professional journey at BAE Systems.
I was fortunate to participate in the BAE Systems Finance Leadership Development Program right out of college. This program laid the foundation for my future roles, and I got to experience different rotations through that process – working in various business area and functional organizations. In 2009, I was promoted to a leadership position, which taught me a lot and gave me the confidence to grow in my role and take on other challenges. I was able to rotate into various business areas and served in sector-level positions in accounting, finance, functional cost, and compliance. When the opportunity came to move back into a business area, I became the Finance director for Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack Solutions (CEMA) and now serve in the same role for C4ISR Systems.
You’ve held a lot of roles in your 25 years with BAE Systems; how has that impacted your professional development?
Taking on different roles has been extremely valuable, allowing for development into a well-rounded leader with a deeper understanding of the needs within various functions and business units. This perspective enables better support of teams by translating business requests and requirements across different departments. Additionally, embracing new challenges in different areas helped build a robust network; the efficiency of knowing exactly who to call with a question is invaluable.
Talk about the role mentoring has played in your career.
Mentorship is very impactful. I feel fortunate that BAE Systems has a formal mentoring program within the Finance function, and I benefitted from that – both as a mentee and mentor.
As a mentee, I was lucky to be paired with senior leaders; developing those relationships taught me so much. I stayed in touch with my mentors and continued to lean on them to help with career decisions, identify gaps in my development or just bounce around ideas.
As a mentor, I take my role very seriously. I invest time in understanding how we can mutually benefit from the relationship. I want to know what’s going on with my mentees, the challenges they’re facing and the things that are going well in their area. I also love it when they come ready with a list of questions and topics. It’s inspiring to see the positive energy and eagerness of our employees.
What advice do you have for the next generation of BAE Systems employees?
One piece of advice that stuck with me throughout my career came from a mentor early on. He compared a career journey to a pyramid, where everything starts with a strong foundation and over time you put the steppingstones in place. As you move up through your career, you’ll learn there are a lot of different ways to advance, and everyone’s path may be different. Be open to lateral rotations and new experiences within the company – you’ll be surprised how much you learn, and the impact that has on your way up your own career pyramid.
If you are interested in working with impactful leaders like Lynn, explore career opportunities at jobs.baesystems.com.
By Megan Strader, Communications