Ricardo Lorenzo
CTO, Parsons Corp.
Rico Lorenzo is playing a vital role in transforming Parsons Corp. into a thriving and growing technology-driven solutions provider. In the past five years, the company established itself as a prominent provider of high-value solutions, last year securing 13 contracts worth over $100 million for critical missions in both the federal and infrastructure businesses the largest number of high-value contracts secured in one year.
Parsons accomplished this feat by acquiring and developing unique technical capabilities, establishing a robust technical ecosystem throughout the organization and leveraging technical synergies from across the business to achieve strong financial results.
“Rico Lorenzo is at the heart of what Imagine Next at Parsons is all about,” said Carey Smith, chair, president and CEO of Parsons Corp. “His visionary leadership, technical expertise and extensive experience in delivering for our global customers has played a crucial role in our ability to differentiate through technology across our integrated solutions.”
Smith said Lorenzo helped operationalize investments in game-changing technologies and AI programs across the national security and global infrastructure business.
“At the same time, he’s aligned our investments, our technology programs, and our professionals through initiatives like the Parsons Fellows and our technical career path to institute a culture of innovation at Parsons that is transforming every element of our company,” Smith said.
Why Watch
In 2023, the team bolstered AI strategy by setting up the required infrastructure, forming partnerships and allocating resources. Lorenzo’s focus for 2024 is to “operationalize AI” across the business, applying and implementing on a large scale to leverage efficiencies within Parsons and for customers.
Through an “AI Enablement” strategy that empowers the entire workforce to comprehend AI and its potential applications in their respective roles, from functional staff to delivery teams, Lorenzo is leading capabilities in combining AI knowledge with deep understanding of customers’ missions, data and systems.
“In my experience, achieving success in this business requires effective collaboration with others,” he said. “To establish a meaningful working relationship, it is essential to empathize with one’s colleagues and communicate transparently about one’s intentions and objectives. By empathizing with others and being transparent about my intentions, I can foster a collaborative environment where people work together to achieve remarkable feats, even those that may seem impossible at first glance.”
Fun Fact: Lorenzo considers himself a “straight shooter” who’s honest and direct. “Even in the most challenging situations, I try to find humor as I believe it helps alleviate tension and promotes effective problem-solving,” he said.