Hon. Kirsten Davies, chief information officer of the Department of War, has received the 2026 Wash100 Award, marking her first selection to Executive Mosaic’s annual list of the most influential leaders shaping the government contracting landscape.
Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, presented the trophy to Davies on stage following her keynote address at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22.
Support Davies in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote competition before voting closes on Thursday, April 30.
Why Did Kirsten Davies Win the 2026 Wash100 Award?
Davies earned her first Wash100 Award in recognition of her leadership in strengthening cybersecurity, advancing IT modernization and aligning digital transformation efforts with warfighter readiness across DOW.
Garrettson highlighted Davies’ extensive background in cybersecurity and her early impact since stepping into one of the federal government’s top technology roles.
“CIO Davies has spent decades fortifying IT networks for some of the largest and most well-known companies. As the Department of War’s new chief information officer, she’s leveraging her background in cybersecurity and technology risk reduction to improve the department’s readiness through secure, resilient and modernized systems,” he said.
The Executive Mosaic CEO emphasized Davies’ focus on tackling longstanding technology challenges while driving forward-looking cyber strategies.
“We’re impressed by CIO Davies’ goals of addressing DOW technology debt, catalyzing cyber deterrence and forging the next generation of industry technology and cyber partnerships. We’re proud to award CIO Davies her first Wash100 Award and we look forward to what she has in store in 2026,” Garrettson added.
Who Is Kirsten Davies?
Davies is a veteran technology and cybersecurity executive who serves as the principal adviser to the secretary of war on IT, cybersecurity, data, telecommunications and enterprise infrastructure.
Before joining DOW, she held chief information security officer roles at Unilever and The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led global cybersecurity strategies. Her career also includes senior leadership positions at Barclays Africa, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and Siemens, managing complex security operations across multinational environments.
She later founded the Institute for Cyber, a nonprofit focused on advancing cybersecurity education, policy and workforce development.
Davies was nominated and confirmed in 2025 as DOW CIO, bringing a commercial, risk-focused perspective to defense IT modernization.
Driving DOW’s Cybersecurity, Technology Transformation Efforts
Since assuming the role, Davies has prioritized reducing technology debt, modernizing legacy systems and strengthening cyber resilience across the department’s enterprise.
Her strategy emphasizes treating cyber risk as operational risk while advancing artificial intelligence and data capabilities to support faster, mission-informed decision-making. She has also advocated for a commercial-first acquisition approach to accelerate innovation and expand industry participation.
What Is the Wash100 Award?
Established in 2014, the Wash100 Award recognizes the most influential leaders shaping the government contracting sector. Honorees are selected for their leadership, strategic vision, impact on the federal market and potential to drive industry trends in the year ahead.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Hon. Kirsten Davies on her first Wash100 Award.
Read Davies’ full 2026 Wash100 profile to learn more about her work and achievements.
Be sure to cast your vote for Davies and your other favorite GovCon leaders in the 2026 Wash100 popular vote contest. Voting ends in three days.
