Northrop Grumman
Company: Northrop Grumman Corporation
Company Description: Northrop Grumman Corporation provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With 125,000 employees, and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best MIS & IT Executive
Nomination Title: Thomas Shelman, Chief Information Officer, Northrop Grumman Corporation
1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Information Technology (IT) Solutions is an IT shared services organization within Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Information Technology sector, one of eight sectors comprising Northrop Grumman’s $30.7 billion global aerospace and defense operation. In 2005, Tom Shelman, vice president and chief information officer, led this team through companywide IT organization realignments, Internet computer-virus and worm attacks, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and a significant enterprise resource planning initiative. Under his leadership, the IT team earned Northrop Grumman’s top performance rating from each sector president. Tom also contributed to our nation’s security through involvement with the Federal Government Leadership Forum.
To begin with, in 2005, Tom was accountable for transferring desktop support and data center operations to an externally facing IT operation within Northrop Grumman. He orchestrated a plan to consolidate more than 100 servers nationwide to less than 10 locations. Throughout this period, he communicated with employees and worked to redeploy those impacted by the transition. He then launched a program to transform his organization into a strategic enabler for Northrop Grumman, rather than simply an organization that provides IT support.
In the second quarter his emphasis on information security protected Northrop Grumman during the Sober.P and the Zotob Internet worm outbreaks. During both episodes, many companies lost e-mail and Internet capability. During the Zotob worm, CNN, ABC, and The New York Times, as well as Capitol Hill, suffered large-scale virus outbreaks rendering their IT networks inoperable.
In late August Hurricane Katrina struck Northrop Grumman’s Ship Systems sector facilities in Pascagoula, Miss., and New Orleans. Through Tom’s leadership, IT employees arrived at the stricken locations the day after the storm hit. Tom quickly assembled an IT command center in Dallas, his headquarters, which was staffed 24-hours-a-day with leadership and specialists in IT, human resources, procurement, communications, business management and facilities.
The team coordinated re-establishment of network and telecommunications service, redeployed the Pascagoula data center to Northrop Grumman’s Dallas data center, rebuilt the shipyards’ damaged IT infrastructures, worked with other Northrop Grumman entities to create an employee emergency hotline, and coordinated logistics for moving IT equipment and people in and out of the region. His team ensured uninterrupted payroll distribution and payroll advances for Gulf Coast employees needing money for food and clothing. In less than two weeks, the shipyards reopened, contributing significantly to retaining critical skills at Ship Systems while mitigating lost revenue potential for each day the shipyards would have been idle.
Overall in 2005, the IT Solutions’ team received the company’s highest performance rating, a tribute to Tom’s leadership ability. It was the first time that all Northrop Grumman sector presidents made this determination. In addition to his Northrop Grumman responsibilities, Tom was also active with the Federal Government Leadership Forum. This group is working to improve information sharing between the public and private sectors to protect our country from terrorist threats. During 2005, Tom was accountable for developing two white papers to be shared with members of Congress on topics that included information sharing and emergency preparedness.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
CIO Executive Summit, Southern California, May 2005
http://www.cioexecutivesummit.com/Archive/2005_LosAngeles_
Conf_Guide.pdf#search='tom%20shelman'
Northrop Grumman as #14 of Top 100 of the InformationWeek 500
http://www.informationweek.com/iw500/2005/top100/
Northrop Grumman Media Advisory, Announcing Call Center for Employees to Call, Sept. 5, 2005
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.mhtml?d=85279
Northrop Grumman Gulf Coast Shipyards Return to Work, Sept. 11, 2005
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.mhtml?d=85711
Federal Government Leadership Forum, Assured Communications, Progress Oct. 2005
http://www.tapestrynetworks.com/documents/Tapestry_Avaya_FGLF_Oct
05_View.pdf#search='tom%20shelman'
.Net, Web Services, and the end of the Vendor Era, CIO Magazine, Nov. 1, 2005
http://www.cio.com/archive/110105/web_services.html?page=5
The All-Mobile Workplace Will Change Everything—Eventually, CIO Insight, Nov. 11, 2005
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,1892180,00.asp
CIO Executive Summit, Dallas, Dec. 2005
http://www.cioexecutivesummit.com/Dallas/agenda.php
Federal Government Leadership Forum, Fact Sheet, April 2006
http://www.tapestrynetworks.com/documents/Tapestry_Avaya_
FGLF_April06_Fact.pdf
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Information Technology Sector, Tom Shelman Full Biography
http://www.it.northropgrumman.com/who/management/shelman.html
Lattanze Center Names Northrop Grumman's Thomas Shelman Information Systems Executive of the Year, 2003
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.mht
ml?d=44796
Computerworld Magazine, Premier 100 IT Leaders Listing, 2004
http://www.premier100.com/whoarethey.html
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Thomas W. Shelman is vice president, Information Technology Solutions and CIO of Northrop Grumman Corporation. He maintains responsibility for more than $1 billion in IT assets, processes and personnel. Tom has implemented IT strategy for the corporation as it has grown from a $6 billion to a $30.7 billion enterprise. He executed an integrated IT shared services model, reducing recurring costs that saved more than $1 billion within a seven-year timeframe. In 2004, Tom was selected as a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader and his Litton Industries integration initiative was among Computerworld’s 12 Best in Class.