Stefan knighton

Stefan Knighton is the Chief Information & Intelligence Officer at Karman Space & Defense. With more than 25 years of experience helping aerospace, defense, industrial manufacturing, and highly regulated businesses scale through growth, operational complexity, enterprise modernization, and acquisition integration. He is a former CIO and Digital Transformation Executive for a $12B+ Aerospace & Defense business, with deep experience leading enterprise platforms, digital backbone modernization, manufacturing systems, data, analytics, cybersecurity-aligned programs, and mission-critical technology operations.

During his 20-year tenure at Lockheed Martin, Stefan held multiple executive leadership roles, including Vice President, CIO and Digital Transformation Executive for Missiles and Fire Control. He led large-scale technology organizations and transformation programs across SAP, ERP, MES, PLM, analytics, Model-Based Enterprise, and digital thread capabilities supporting engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, and operations.

Stefan has led transformation portfolios exceeding $1.5B, governed global technology organizations of more than 1,300 professionals, enabled scalable business growth through digital backbone modernization, and supported major acquisition integration activity. His experience includes consolidating legacy systems, modernizing operations platforms, recovering high-risk programs, establishing Centers of Excellence, and aligning technology investments to growth, resilience, and long-term enterprise value.