Kathy Warden

Kathy Warden has led Northrop Grumman as chair, CEO, and president since 2019, and her tenure has coincided with—and helped drive—one of the most consequential defense buildups in modern history. Northrop closed 2025 with $42 billion in revenue, $4.2 billion in net earnings, and a record $95.7 billion backlog, demonstrating the colossal demand for its defense systems. The crown jewel of that backlog is the B-21 Raider, the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation stealth bomber and arguably the most significant new combat aircraft program in decades. In February 2026, the Air Force and Northrop finalized a $4.5 billion agreement to accelerate production capacity of the bomber by 25%. Warden has also become a prominent voice on Capitol Hill, testifying before Congress on government acquisition reform and advising cabinet officials on manufacturing capacity. In doing so, she bridges the gap between industrial strategy and national security in ways few private-sector CEOs can.