Aarish Gokaldas has been selected by Highlight Technologies’ Board of Directors to serve as its new CEO, succeeding company founder and current CEO Rebecca Andino.
The transition will take place immediately, and Andino, who held the CEO position for 15 years, will continue her role as chairperson of the board, the Fairfax, Virginia-based company announced on Monday.
“I am thrilled to join Highlight. Rebecca and team have done a phenomenal job on building this company the right way – with a three-part focus on client mission, employee well-being and an infrastructure built to accommodate rapid growth,” Gokaldas commented.
Andino expressed Highlight’s excitement to welcome Aarish as CEO, and said that under his leadership, the organization will continue to provide its services and innovations to public sector customers while taking on new clients in the national security and defense markets.
“Aarish shares our passion for Highlight’s entrepreneurial, customer-focused and diverse and inclusive culture, which is foundational to Highlight’s identity and brand,” she added.
A seasoned government contracting industry leader, Gokaldas has 20 years of experience working with national security and federal civilian customers. Prior to joining Highlight, Gokaldas founded The Eclipse Network, a growth strategy and business consulting firm where he previously served as CEO. Earlier, he was chief growth officer of Applied Information Systems.
Before Applied Information Systems, Gokaldas was CEO and chief growth officer of OGSystems, where he devised and implemented a long-term, sustainable growth strategy. Gokaldas’ leadership played a crucial role in the company’s 2019 acquisition by Parsons, where he later served as executive vice president of the space and geospatial solutions arm. While holding that role, Gokaldas oversaw the profit and loss function of the unit’s $300 million portfolio and the capture, proposal and award of a 10-year, $300 million intelligence community contract.
His experience with the IC began with the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he served as an intelligence officer prior to his entry into the private sector.
