Brian D. Blanchette
Executive Vice President and President, Ingalls Shipbuilding at 
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIESExecutive
About Brian D. Blanchette
Brian D. Blanchette, age 50, is Executive Vice President and President of Ingalls Shipbuilding at HII, effective January 1, 2025, after nearly three decades at Ingalls spanning engineering, program management, and business development roles since 1996 . Company performance context: in 2024 HII recorded revenues of $11.535 billion, operating income of $535 million, diluted EPS of $13.96, free cash flow of $40 million, and Mission Technologies revenue of $2.9 billion (+8.8% YoY), while total shareholder return in 2024 was -25.7% . These results inform incentive design and pay-for-performance for executives across HII (AIP and multi-year RPSR/RSR awards) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| HII – Ingalls Shipbuilding | Executive Vice President & President | 2025–present | Leads all Ingalls programs and operations following board election effective Jan 1, 2025 . |
| HII – Ingalls Shipbuilding | Vice President, Quality & Engineering | 2021–2024 | Quality, engineering oversight during production and award milestones (press release notes May 2021 start; 10-K references July 2021) . |
| HII – Ingalls Shipbuilding | Director, Technical & Design Engineering | 2015–2021 | Directed technical/design engineering; supports throughput, cost, schedule performance . |
| HII – Ingalls Shipbuilding | Various roles (engineering, program management, business development) | 1996–2015 | Progressive leadership across core shipbuilding functions . |
External Roles
No external board or public-company directorships disclosed in HII’s executive officer section or related filings for Blanchette .
Fixed Compensation
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed for Blanchette in publicly filed 2025 proxy tables (he is not listed as an NEO); HII sets executive pay annually via Committee oversight . |
| Target/actual annual bonus (AIP) | Not individually disclosed for Blanchette; AIP rewards safety, quality, cost, and schedule outcomes; payouts tied to clear measurable results . |
| Cash perquisites | Not disclosed for Blanchette (perquisites for NEOs detailed separately; Blanchette not included) . |
HII compensation practices: pay-for-performance, formula-based with discretion; independent consultant benchmarking; robust stock ownership guidelines; clawback policy .
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Mechanics | Performance Levers | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) | Cash award vs. targets set annually | Customer-focused: safety, quality, cost, schedule; financial outcomes; Committee may adjust . | Annual payout after year-end . |
| Restricted Performance Stock Rights (RPSRs) | Equity earned vs. 3-year performance goals | Long-term stockholder value, sustained results; no dividends or equivalents before vesting . | Cliff/three-year performance measurement; vests only on goal achievement . |
| Restricted Stock Rights (RSRs) | Time-based equity | Retention and alignment; no dividends before vesting . | Three-year graded vesting; awards typically granted in first 2.5 months of year . |
2024 grant cycle timing: equity grants, salary adjustments, and AIP awards aligned early each year for total-compensation coherence .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common stock – Direct (D) | 374.599 shares | Form 3 initial beneficial ownership (as of Jan 6, 2025) . |
| Common stock – Indirect (I) via 401(k) | 1,003.95 shares | HII Savings Plan pass-through voting; shown on Form 3 . |
| RSRs outstanding | 281.861 units | Granted 2/26/2024; vest ratably in three equal installments on 2/26/2025, 2/26/2026, 2/26/2027 . |
| Savings Excess Plan (SEP) units | 800.85 units | Units reflect HII Stock Fund exposure in Savings Excess Plan . |
| Shares outstanding (reference) | 39,235,568 | For ownership context as of Feb 28, 2025 . |
| Beneficial ownership % (common stock held) | ~0.0035% | Computed from 374.599 + 1,003.95 vs. 39,235,568 outstanding . |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited | Policy bans speculative trades, holding in margin, pledging; dividends not paid on RPSRs/RSRs pre‑vest . |
| Stock ownership guideline | 3x salary | Applies to elected officers reporting to CEO; multiple ways to satisfy (direct, RSRs, 401(k), SEP) . |
| Holding requirement on equity awards | Eliminated for awards ≥ Jan 1, 2024 | Historic 50% holding for pre‑2024 awards; Blanchette’s 2/26/2024 award not subject to hold . |
Employment Terms
| Provision | Company Policy/Status |
|---|---|
| Employment agreement | None (HII discloses no employment agreements for executives) . |
| Change-in-control agreement | None; no CIC agreements or tax gross-ups . |
| Clawback | Executive compensation clawback policy for performance-based pay . |
| Non-hedging/non-pledging | Comprehensive prohibitions in Insider Trading Policy . |
| Insider reporting | Section 16 compliance monitored; 2024 delayed Form 4s noted for certain execs (not Blanchette) . |
Investment Implications
- Alignment strong: meaningful retirement-plan equity exposure (401(k), SEP units) plus fresh 2024 RSRs; ownership guidelines and clawback/anti-pledging policies reduce misalignment risk .
- Retention risk moderate-to-low: 28 years at Ingalls culminating in EVP/President role; time-based and performance-based equity vesting through 2027 creates stickiness; no employment/CIC guarantees, but standard HII practices apply .
- Trading signals: No pledging allowed; recent Form 3 shows small direct share count, larger deferred/plan exposure; watch future Form 4s around RSR vest dates (Feb 26 annually) for potential selling pressure from tax withholdings .
- Pay-for-performance lens: Company-wide incentives are tied to operational and financial metrics; 2024 TSR (-25.7%) and macro headwinds highlight importance of multi-year RPSR outcomes during Blanchette’s tenure, especially on throughput/cost efficiency at Ingalls .