Daniel Mouton has been named vice president and chief executive for Lockheed Martin Middle East based in Abu Dhabi. He will transition into the role over the coming weeks and assume full responsibility on Jan. 1, 2026. Following a handover period, Mouton will succeed John “Mick” Nicholson, who has successfully led the company’s efforts in key markets since January 2022.
Mouton will be joining the International Business Development team at Lockheed Martin. He will lead the company’s operations in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Pakistan. He previously held senior roles at Northrop Grumman, including senior director for U.S. Executive Branch Government Relations and director of international growth.
Earlier in his career, he served with the U.S. National Security Council on political-military policy for the Middle East and North Africa and held assignments with the Pentagon, the U.S. military and U.S. embassies in the region. Mouton is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Princeton University’s Department of Near Eastern Studies and the U.S. Army War College for Advanced Strategic Arts. Mouton is also an Arabic language graduate of the Defense Language Institute.
Joseph Rank continues to serve as vice president and chief executive for Saudi Arabia and Africa. He leads the company’s engagement in the Kingdom and oversees the Regional Headquarters in Riyadh, which supports partners in the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Lockheed Martin has been present in the region for more than six decades, supporting customers with advanced defense systems, industrial cooperation programs and workforce development initiatives.
