Kyle Bernal
In an ever-evolving business landscape, it becomes crucial to stay abreast of industry trends and strategies. Gaining insights from experienced business development leaders can provide valuable guidance and inspiration to aspiring individuals looking to drive revenue growth, explore new markets, or build a more effective sales team. Here, we present a list of business development executives who adeptly navigate through uncertainties such as economic instability, digital transformation, and market disruption.
What Is Business Development?
Business development is a strategic approach that involves identifying and pursuing untapped opportunities for growth and profitability. It includes venturing into unexplored markets, developing novel products and services, forging strategic partnerships, and cultivating strong relationships with customers and stakeholders.
Ultimately, business development aims to generate sustainable, long-term value for an organization, ensuring its continuity in a dynamic and competitive business landscape. By capitalizing on its strengths and seizing new opportunities, businesses can effectively prevent closure and thrive in the face of evolving challenges.
Why Are Business Development Executives Important for Modern Businesses?
The success of companies in today’s complex business environment depends on their ability to be adaptable and opportunistic. Thus, it becomes imperative for organizations to adopt modern strategies that embody these qualities and equip them to capitalize on emerging opportunities. In this regard, business development executives play a critical role in this process. The following are some of the top reasons highlighting their significance.
1. They Contribute New Ideas for the Company’s Growth
Business development executives contribute new ideas for business growth by leveraging market insights, conducting competitive analysis, generating innovative concepts, driving strategic planning, identifying partnership opportunities, and prioritizing customer-centric initiatives. A good business development executive must have a keen understanding of the market, a strategic mindset, and the ability to make informed decisions that yield the best results. A skilled executive must also be prepared to navigate challenging situations and manage crises.
2. They Look for New Ways to Improve Product Quality
Business development executives actively seek new ways to improve product quality. They conduct thorough research and analysis to identify improvement areas, such as product features, performance, durability, and user experience. By fostering close relationships with suppliers and production teams, they ensure rigorous quality control measures are implemented throughout the manufacturing process. Additionally, they capitalize on market opportunities and stay updated with the latest trends and consumer preferences to help the company stay ahead of the competition.
3. They Maintain the Company’s Base of Clientele
Business development executives maintain a client base by establishing and nurturing relationships. They are responsible for customer acquisition, lead generation, and acting as the face of the company, representing it in the marketplace. These professionals engage in activities such as developing and delivering presentations to potential investors, negotiating deals, and securing funding.
Note: The following list features esteemed industry leaders selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their accomplishments, including their strategic vision, demonstrated impact on the industry, innovative contributions, and leadership prowess. However, this is in no way an exhaustive list. The industry is filled with talented professionals making significant contributions, warranting close attention for their achievements and potential impact.
1. Jean-Francois Blanc, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at SDV International
Jean-Francois “Boodi” Blanc is currently the Chief Strategy Officer and Partner at SDV International, a position he has held since January 2022. In this role, he is responsible for leading the corporate strategy efforts to increase revenue and expand market presence. Before joining SDV International, Boodi was the Chief Growth Officer for Akima, a defense and space contractor who led the Corporate Development team.
Boodi’s professional journey spans over 20 years at IBM, where he held various leadership positions, including nearly a decade as a leader of IBM’s U.S. Federal Sales. During his tenure, Boodi oversaw the entire deal process, encompassing competitive analysis, win strategies, solution development, teaming arrangements, pricing, and proposal delivery. Boodi has a proven track record of winning large contracts in the federal space and is a recognized hands-on leader in driving organizational growth.
What’s Next for Jean-Francois Blanc
In 2023, Jean-Francois Blanc devised a strategic plan to expand SDV International’s presence in additional Department of Defense and federal civilian markets. Capitalizing on the company’s extensive experience in IT optimization. SDV International, which is currently engaged in full and open contracts, aims to diversify its offerings by targeting small businesses and full and open opportunities as a prime contractor and value-added teaming partner.
About SDV International
SDV International is a global consulting firm that provides services to help organizations achieve their business goals. The company offers management and strategic consulting, acquisition solutions, and business transformation services in finance, healthcare, energy, science and technology, and government. SDV International has a global presence and serves clients in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
2. Dan Deans, Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at Axient
Dan Deans is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at Axient. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing various aspects of the company’s growth strategy, including business development, marketing and branding, mergers and acquisitions, and employee satisfaction.
Dan Deans has extensive experience as an Executive and Program Manager in various industries, including government, petrochemical, military, space, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. He has managed large global teams comprising nearly 1000 personnel and multiple subcontractors across various CONUS and OCONUS locations.
Before joining Axient, Deans was a Divisional Vice President at ManTech Systems Engineering, leading a team of over 130 engineers and technicians. The team specifically provided system safety, quality engineering services, and reliability to NASA, focused on managing contracts related to mission assurance services for the Goddard Space Flight Center.
What’s Next for Dan Deans
Dans Deans and Axient have set ambitious goals to achieve revenue surpassing one billion dollars within the next five years. To realize this objective, they are focused on expanding their capabilities and diversifying their customer base. The leadership team at Axient has diligently worked to establish a clear vision and mission goals, which they actively pursue.
Apart from the company’s objectives, Dan Deans has his own personal goals. He aspires to lead by example and be a servant leader for his team and the company. He aims to foster a supportive and familial atmosphere where every employee feels valued and supported. Dan is committed to being the first in the office, the last to leave, and consistently available to serve his team to achieve this.
About Axient
Axient is a company located in Huntsville, Alabama, that specializes in providing solutions for defense and civilian missions across aerospace and cyber domains. The company offers a wide range of services, multidomain testing analysis, mission engineering and options, and the development of advanced technologies.
3. Stuart Dyer, First Vice President of Data Center Group at CBRE
Stuart Dyer is the First Vice President of CBRE’s Data Center Solutions Group, a position he has held since April 2021. At CBRE, he oversees the entire life cycle of data center real estate services, assisting clients globally with colocation and land acquisition sourcing and purchasing.
Before joining CBRE, Stuart worked at IBM as the Global Data Center and Strategy Lead. In this role, he successfully managed all of IBM’s data center transactions worldwide, closing over $2 billion in total transaction contract value.
Before IBM, Stuart was the business development lead at Cyrus One, where he launched the firm’s federal program and grew the pipeline from zero to $1.3 billion in 26 months. At Cyrus One, he also established strategic partnerships with multiple federal agencies seeking data center space in Northern Virginia.
A philanthropist, Dyer organized and managed the largest data center program in Northern Virginia. Through this program, he was able to help eight students from Northern Virginia Community College secure full-time roles within the data center provider community.
What’s Next for Stuart Dyer
This year, Stuart Dyer has been actively engaging with Northern Virginia Community College students by delivering talks on promising career opportunities in the data center industry. With over a decade of experience in the field, Dyer has observed a significant shift in the government’s attitude towards using third-party data center providers since 2014. Today, there is a greater willingness to utilize cloud computing and commercial data centers. One of Dyer’s objectives is to facilitate the government’s IT modernization goals by bridging the gap between the government and commercial industries.
About CBRE
CBRE Group, Inc. is a leading commercial and real estate services and investment solutions provider. The company’s name originates from its origins as Coldwell Bankwell Richard Ellis, a merger of two prominent real estate firms. Today, CBNRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate company, with a revenue of $27.7 billion in 2021.
4. Bruce Feldman, Senior Vice President of Business Development at SAIC
Bruce Feldman has been SAIC’s Senior Vice President of Business Development since January 2019. He is responsible for growth in SAIC’s intelligence community and U.S. Air Force accounts, including assessments of target markets, competitive intelligence, capture strategy, and proposal development. He also mentors junior and mid-level business development and capture professionals.
Feldman brings over 30 years of experience in managing business development, software development, training, and knowledge management in federal government services.
Before joining Engility, a defense and space manufacturer based in Virginia acquired by SAIC in 2019. Feldman served as Senior Vice President of National Systems at QinetiQ North America and as Vice President of the Knowledge Resources Group/Director of Business Development at General Dynamics Information Technology.
What’s Next for Bruce Feldman
At SAIC, Bruce Feldman’s goal is to establish governance for their campaign planning process and focus on talent development to identify high performers from the start of their careers. They want to match talent development with their business needs and grow their talent pool. To achieve this, they are developing a comprehensive training program that includes partnerships, onboarding, evaluations, and assessments.
In addition to his current responsibilities, Feldman is actively engaged in enhancing the productivity of SAIC’s business development workforce to maximize their return on investments. To avoid diluting efforts across multiple solutions, the focus is on identifying effective ways to leverage AI, machine learning, and data science to tackle the latest business development challenges and predict outcomes in advance. Feldman is also looking into upskilling their workforce and developing new tools and capabilities to adapt to company changes and how they sell.
About SAIC
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) is a company that offers technical, engineering, and enterprise IT services to the U.S. government as a military contractor. It is a Fortune 500 technology integrator that provides secure and high-end engineering, IT modernization, and mission solutions to defense, space, intelligence, and civilian markets.
5. Yancey Hall, Chief Growth Officer at Isobar Public Sector
Yancey Hall has been the Chief Growth Officer at Isobar since June 2021. He drives the organization’s digital service offerings growth across state, local, civilian, and defense sectors. He supports the firm’s strategic focus on experience design, application modernization, cloud services, and cybersecurity.
Hall’s arrival at Isobar Public Sector couldn’t be better timed as he was expected to help government agencies modernize and improve their service delivery while designing future growth at the newly transformed Isobar.
Throughout his career, Hall has worked with big brands, companies, and public sector organizations to help them transition their business models, ways of working, and customer interactions to digital.
What’s Next for Yancey Hall
Yancey and his team at Isobar prioritize talent management within the federal government and industry. They establish flexible business partnerships with clients, nurture young professionals in critical areas like cybersecurity and software engineering by partnering with institutions and universities, and provide training opportunities by sending staff for embedded training with major technology partners.
About Isobar
Isobar is an international digital agency headquartered in London, United Kingdom. They specialize in delivering experience-led transformation offering services, including digital strategy, technology development, and product service and design. With a presence in 45 markets nationwide, Isobar offers its expertise and solutions to clients on a global scale.
