BAE Systems, Inc. has appointed Mona Bates as Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer, effective February 23, 2026. In the role, she will lead the company’s technology strategy and digital transformation agenda, aligning enterprise technology priorities with broader business objectives. Bates joins the senior leadership team and reports to President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Arseneault.
Bates brings more than 20 years of IT and business experience across industry and government. She joins BAE Systems from Collins Aerospace, where she most recently served as Chief Digital Officer, following earlier roles within RTX and its predecessor organizations over a 15-year span. Her background includes enterprise technology leadership across aerospace, defense, and digital transformation environments.
Why this matters: For a defense and aerospace company, the Chief Information and Digital Officer role is increasingly central to competitiveness, not just internal operations. Bringing in a leader with deep experience across Collins Aerospace and RTX signals that BAE Systems is prioritizing enterprise modernization, digital execution, and technology alignment as strategic levers in a market where defense platforms, operations, and customer delivery are becoming more software- and data-driven.
