- Longtime aerospace and defense industry executive Doug Laurendeau will assume the role of chief growth officer, effective May 6, 2026
- Laurendeau brings a proven record of strategy and business development excellence, consistently delivering profitable growth aligned to enterprise priorities
- Stephanie Sawhill to focus on next generation technologies and new integrated system solutions as the company’s chief technologist
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 16, 2026 – Karman Space & Defense (“Karman”, “Karman Holdings, Inc.” or “the Company”) (NYSE: KRMN), today announced Doug Laurendeau, former vice president of Enterprise Strategy Integration at Lockheed Martin Corporation, will join Karman’s senior leadership team as chief growth officer, and current chief growth officer Stephanie Sawhill will assume the role of chief technologist. Both transitions will become effective on May 6, 2026.
With more than four decades of experience at Lockheed Martin, Laurendeau led development of the growth strategy for the successful $70 billion business portfolio, relying on close relationships with the C-suite, business units, and functional organizations.
Laurendeau previously served as vice president of Strategy and Business Development for the Rotary and Mission Systems business segment. In that role, he drove growth for the $16 billion organization through his approach to customer relations, market assessment, competitive intelligence, strategy and business capture activities. Under Laurendeau’s business development leadership, the company notably delivered significant domestic and international growth in critical markets, including joint all-domain command and control, air and missile defense, undersea, and aviation.
“As our new chief growth officer, Doug brings valuable experience to Karman at a time when market dynamics and customer demand position us for continued, profitable growth,” said Jon Rambeau, chief executive officer of Karman Space & Defense. “Karman will benefit from Doug’s strategic orientation, his decades of experience, and his relentless focus on rapid innovation and strong customer partnerships.”
“Karman has established itself as a valuable partner that helps space and defense primes solve complex challenges and enables their mission success,” said Laurendeau. “I look forward to building on the strong growth platform that the Karman team has developed as we continue to serve both incumbents and new entrants with solutions that address their needs.”
As Laurendeau assumes the chief growth officer role, Stephanie Sawhill will step into the role of chief technologist, focusing on the continued expansion of Karman’s technical depth and integrated system designs for customers’ emerging requirements. Sawhill will continue to develop strategic customer relationships and represent Karman within the industry.
“Under Stephanie’s leadership, our business development organization has delivered exceptional growth at a time when our customers require a generational increase in industrial capacity. I look forward to the innovation, technology and strengthened market positioning she will deliver in her new role,” added Rambeau.
“Serving Karman as chief technologist will enable me to continue supporting the company’s growth while strengthening its portfolio of cutting-edge solutions. I look forward to working with Doug and the entire Karman team to develop innovative new solutions for complex customer challenges that we will then transition smoothly into production,” said Sawhill.
ABOUT KARMAN SPACE & DEFENSE
Karman Space & Defense is a leader in the rapid design, development and production of critical, next-generation system solutions that align with the U.S. Department of War’s core mission priorities and the nation’s accelerating demand for access to space. Building on nearly 50 years of success, Karman delivers Payload & Protection Systems, Hydro/Aerodynamic Interstage Systems, and Propulsion & Launch Systems to more than 80 prime contractors supporting more than 130 space and defense programs. Karman is headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif., with multiple facilities across the United States. For more information, visit our website, www.karman-sd.com
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and by the use of forward-looking words such as “expect,” “expectation,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “may,” “could,” “intend,” “belief,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “predict,” “likely,” “seek,” “project,” “model,” “ongoing,” “will,” “should,” “forecast,” “outlook” or similar terminology. These statements are based on and reflect our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and/ or projections, our perception of historical trends and current conditions, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances. Forward-looking statements are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events, circumstances or performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. There can be no assurance that our expectations, estimates, assumptions and/or projections, including with respect to the future earnings and performance or capital structure of Karman, will prove to be correct or that any of our expectations, estimates or projections will be achieved.
Numerous factors could cause our actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, that a significant portion of our revenue is generated from contracts with the United States military and U.S. military spending is dependent upon the U.S. defense budget; U.S. government contracts are subject to a competitive bidding process that can consume significant resources without generating any revenue; our business and operations expose us to numerous legal and regulatory requirements, and any violation of these requirements could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, prospects and financial condition; our inability to adequately enforce and protect our intellectual property or defend against assertions of infringement could prevent or restrict our ability to compete; and we have in the past consummated acquisitions and intend to continue to pursue acquisitions, and our business may be adversely affected if we cannot consummate acquisitions on satisfactory terms, or if we cannot effectively integrate acquired operations. Readers and/or attendees are directed to the risk factors identified in the filings we make with the SEC from time to time, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov under Karman Holdings Inc.
The forward-looking statements included in this announcement are only made as of the date of this announcement. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable law.
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